Strategic Thinking in Information Technology

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Strategic Thinkingin Information Technology

• Sam Bayer, Ph.D.
• CEO MarketAcuity
• Raleigh AITP
• March 13, 2003

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Why discuss Strategic Thinking?

• Seeing the Big PictureHow to Think
  Strategically at WorkBy Bob Rosner(WorkingWounde
  d.com)
• Special to ABCNEWS.comQ U E S T I O N My boss
  criticizes me for not thinking strategically, but
  he doesnt give me advice on how to think
  strategically. Help!
• P.S. Hes No Strategist, Either

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Todays discussion topics

• What is Strategic Thinking?
• Should you think strategically?
• Why dont we think strategically?
• How do you think strategically?
• Who should be thinking strategically in your
  organization?

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What is strategy?

•   
• Strategy is the long-term plan for the war or
  the campaign
• Tactics (either singular or plural) are the
  day-to-day schemes for the battle or the
  skirmish.
• The Columbia Guide to Standard American
  English.  1993.

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Strategic Thinking is

• a mindset, and a set of tools and techniques,
  used to accomplish a well defined goal
  that
• Is driven by the burning desire to attain the
  goal
• Honors the dynamic nature of the environment
• Is aware of the inability to plan perfectly
• Embraces the gaps between the plan and execution

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Anti-Strategic Thinking is

• a mindset, and a set of tools and techniques,
  that are employed in pursuing an ill-defined goal
  that
• Doesnt have a burning desire to understand or
  attain the higher goal, or
• Does have a burning desire to attain a parochial
  goal
• Believes that you can plan perfectly
• Needs the environment to conform to the plan
• Blames someone or something for the gaps between
  the plan and its execution

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Attributes of the Strategic Thinker

• Has a clear sense of desired outcomes before
  acting.
• Scopes outwards to capture the larger context, to
  see how the pieces fit together.
• Is adaptive to realities and flexible in choice
  of tactics.
• Where possible, tries to achieve multiple
  objectives through singular actions.

Dr. Charles Albano, Adaptive Leadership
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Attributes of the Strategic Thinker

• Plans a couple of steps ahead.
• Anticipates opponent's actions.
• Has the discipline to remain composed when the
  unexpected occurs.
• Tries to capitalize on crises or change, turn
  them to advantage.
• Stays future-focused.

Dr. Charles Albano, Adaptive Leadership
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Attributes of the Strategic Thinker

• Invents both sequential and parallel actions to
  accomplish goals.
• Picks battles that can be won and avoids those
  that cannot be won.
• Acts decisively when the time to act has come.
• Is able to scrap or alter plans when information
  indicates actions are not attaining their
  intended results. etc., etc.

Dr. Charles Albano, Adaptive Leadership
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Should you think strategically?

• No, if you are
• an assembly line worker in a union shop
• a bureaucrat in a well funded agency
• faculty with tenure
• an independently wealthy hermit
• Yes for the rest of us

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Why dont we think strategically?

• Because were too busy chasing the pigs to build
  the fence!
• We dont have a goal
• We dont know how
• The culture doesnt allow
  for it
• We think we are

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Lets focus on how to think strategically
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Liedtkas Strategic Thinking Model
Liedtka, J.M, Strategy Leadership, 9-10/98,
Vol. 26 Issue 4, p30.
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A system dynamics view
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Strategic thinking is broccolic

• Industry
• Enterprise
• Division
• Facility
• Department
• Team
• Self
• Family
• Community
• City
• State
• Country
• World

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Focus on intent

• Goal
• Specific, Attainable, Measureable
• Commitment
• Driven and unwavering

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Thinking in time

• Its not just about the future
• Its about the gap between the present and the
  future in the context of the past.
• How do we get from here to there?
• People, skills, attitudes etc.
• Create scenarios

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Thinking Scientifically

• Form a hypothesis
• Develop a way to test it
• Perform the experiment
• Gather and analyze the results
• Review the hypothesis

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Thinking opportunistically

• Dont be wed to the plan
• Always be looking for opportunities
• Seize them as they present themselves
• Intel and microprocessors
• Lemonade out of lemons
• Your examples?

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Strategic Thinking is not genetic

• Learn by practice, practice, practice
• Think holistically
• Think with intent
• Think in time
• Think scientifically hypothesize test
• Think opportunistically

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Strategic Thinking case studies

• Visualizing and vetting the NCEITA/MarketAcuity
  story
• Gartner Survey 42 Percent of CRM Software Goes
  Unused
• Web Services catalyzes strategic thinking
• Your stories??

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The NCEITA/MarketAcuity StoryThe creation of the
NC MarketSmart Program

• Holistic Thinking
• Personal, team, company, state and NCEITA
  challenges
• Intent Thinking
• Its personal
• Timeline Thinking
• 20 years of experience, current state of market,
  make CFGs mandatory in the future
• Scientific Thinking
• Create the story and tell it to get reactions
  10/02 Starbucks meeting.
• Opportunistic Thinking
• From strategic consulting to NC MarketSmart
• Provide additional services

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CRM failure Six mistakesQ. Whats the goal?

• Vendor hype and unrealistic expectation -
  holistic
• No customer strategy - holistic
• Absence of executive leadership - intent
• Poor preparation for change - timeline
• Forgetting that 'C' stands for Customer - intent
• Neglecting metrics hypothesis/test

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Web Services

• Automates connections across applications and
  data without human intervention
• Reduces IT development and operating costs
• Increased flexibility and collaboration
  opportunities
• Open new strategic capabilities
• Allow for modest investments and short term ROI
• John Hagel III, HBR Newsletter, 2003.

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Whats your strategic thinking story??
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Who should be doing the strategic thinking?

• Top down Strategic planning
• strategy as intelligent machine (a data-driven,
  information processing approach)
• aka Waterfall project management
• Bottom up Strategic Thinking
• strategy as creative imagination.
• Agile/RAD
• Raimond, P. (1996). Two styles of foresight, Long
  Range Planning, April, pp 208-214.

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Are we on the road to strategic thinking?

• Seeing the Big PictureHow to Think
  Strategically at WorkBy Bob Rosner(WorkingWounde
  d.com)
• Special to ABCNEWS.comQ U E S T I O N My boss
  criticizes me for not thinking strategically, but
  he doesnt give me advice on how to think
  strategically. Help!
• P.S. Hes No Strategist, Either

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Summary

• Strategic thinking isnt just about thinking,
  its about making important things happen.
• Nobody gets paid just to think anymore. We all
  have to show results.
• Youre only as good as the company you keep.
  Surround yourself with strategic thinkers.
• If you cant do that, at least surround yourself
  with customers.