A strategic thinking approach to the delivery of a creative and adaptive strategy

Abstract

South African organisations face ever changing internal and external business dynamics and are impacted by several challenges unique to South Africa. The pace of change and unremitting uncertainty has explicitly refocused the need for a creative and adaptive strategy articulated in a simple, compelling manner to ensure competitive success and sustainability. Strategy-making has traditionally utilised strategic management, underpinned by rational strategic planning, to craft and implement strategic moves. However, rapidly changing environmental dynamics have created a business environment contrary to the traditional paradigm of predictability, linearity and controllability expected by the rational strategic planning approach to strategy-making. In addition, long-standing criticism alludes to rational strategy-making being incomplete and outdated in the new competitive environment, requiring a re-examination of traditional paradigms. An alternative, a strategic thinking approach, is suggested, in order to synthesise available intelligence into an articulated strategic intent. Strategic thinking has, at its heart, a focus on the synthesis of information, involving intuition and creativity. However, while several strategic thinking approaches, with corresponding process models, have been articulated over the past 15 years, few detail a holistic, implementable strategic thinking framework. The aim of this study was therefore to develop a conceptual strategic thinking framework for the delivery of strategy in this kind of business environment. To achieve this purpose, this study investigated and proved that a strategic thinking approach exists as an alternative to rational strategic planning. The study identified that strategic thinking is not commonly used by organisations – predominantly due to a lack of awareness – but found that the construct had merit; if a credible and known process is designed. To support the design of a strategic thinking framework; the study identified the most commonly used best practice tools and elements, of both strategic thinking and rational strategic planning, including several alternative mechanisms to assist with the development of a creative and adaptive approach to strategy-making. Thereby it strengthened the foundations of the strategic thinking construct and developed a conceptual strategic thinking framework, which uses its inventive and proactive nature to enable organisations to create new perspectives and unique combinations; define achievable strategic intent and generate future value for organisational stakeholders to ensure success, through competitive advantage, in a radically changing, uncertain and complex business environment.