1. Strategic Thinking Café
Facilitator notes:
Instructions: Proceed to the next slide once the presentation is visible to the participants.
Insert client logo here

2. Welcome
How can improving your strategic thinking skills help our organization?
(please chat in the number of your response)
Facilitator notes:
Say: Good morning/afternoon. This is ________ from ________ . We’ll be starting today’s session at ____. As you come online, please take a moment to answer the question on your screen via the chat panel. We’ll give your colleagues a few more moments to join our session and then we’ll get started. Thank you.
Instructions: Consider answering the question yourself in the chat panel first to show an example. Note, there is no need to debrief the question now—it will be discussed several slides later. However, use this time to make note of the most common and least common responses, so you are prepared to debrief later.
CHAT

3. Introductions NAME NAME Title Title Facilitator notes:
[Time: 1 minute]
Instructions: Introduce yourself and any co-facilitator or web conferencing producer who might be helping with the session. Acknowledge the relative size of the audience, and consider having participants chat in their locations if this information is not readily apparent. The point is to give people a sense of who is participating in the session today.
NAME
Title
NAME
Title

4. Participation tips Limit electronic interruptions.
Take part in the discussion.
Listen carefully to what is being said.
The CHAT PANEL is enabled for the session.
Use the RAISE HAND feature to volunteer to speak.
Put your phone on mute when not speaking.
CHAT
Facilitator notes:
[Time: 1 minute]
Say: Today’s session has been designed to be an interactive experience. To get the most from the session, here are a few tips about how to participate.
Instructions: Highlight any web conferencing features to be used, such as the chat panel and raise hand feature. Note that the raise hand feature may not be necessary if the group is relatively small. With a small group, participants could volunteer by simply unmuting themselves and speaking up. If you do choose to use the raise hand feature, explain, “When I invite you to raise your hand during the session, I mean you can click on the raise hand button if you want to share your thoughts with the group.”
Say: It appears we are ready to start.
RAISE HAND

5. Fostering strategic thinking in our organization
How can improving your strategic thinking skills help our organization?
Facilitator notes:
[Time: 5 minutes]
Say: Let’s start by taking a look at the opening question.
Instructions: Debrief the icebreaker question from the beginning. Briefly summarize participants’ responses, for example, their responses might lead you to say something like: “It looks like many of you think that strategic thinking will help us deal with threats from new competitors, and a number of you believe that strategic thinking can help us take advantage of new technologies.”
Say: Let’s hear from one or two of you about how strategic thinking could help you address issues coming up in your group or unit.
Instructions: Take a few responses, then summarize what people have said.
Say: These are great examples of issues that can be tackled with the help of strategic thinking. In today’s complex environment, leaders at all levels need to be strategic thinkers who understand the big picture, can spot opportunities, and know how to make sound strategic choices.
RAISE HAND

6. Today’s objectives Help you: Understand the big picture
Gather key information
Prioritize choices
Facilitator notes:
[Time: 1 minute]
Say: Today’s session is focused on three important elements of strategic thinking. Specifically, we are going to discuss how to:
Understand the big picture (the context in which we do business)
Gather key information about an issue or challenge
Prioritize choices so that you make smart strategic decisions

7. UNDERSTAND THE BIG PICTURE STRATEGIC THINKING Facilitator notes:
[Time: 1/2 minute]
Say: So let’s get started by discussing how to understand the big picture. Strategic thinkers are noted for their ability to “see the big picture.” They understand the cultural trends and business developments that shape their industries and influence their customers.

8. ANALYZE YOUR BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
What aspects of our business environment might have important implications for your organization’s business?
Industry trends?
Customer expectations?
Competitors’ moves?
Facilitator notes:
[Time: 5 minutes]
Say: Given what you think about why employees are resisting this change [e.g., the product development team that doesn’t think the process needs to be changed and feels the change will lead to more work], as their manager, what could you do to help overcome their resistance? Chat in your ideas.
Instructions: Allow a minute for responses. Identify one or two interesting and effective ideas—for example, “Ask team members for their input about how to improve the product development process,” or “Be candid with employees about the possibility of job reductions. Discuss options for finding challenging positions in other parts of the company.” Ask one or two participants who provided those ideas if they would be willing to expand on their thoughts.
Say: [Participant X], I see you are suggesting that a manager do [Z]. Would you be willing to briefly share your ideas about how that approach might help overcome this type of resistance?
CHAT

9. Stay on top of the big picture
What area(s) do you think you most need to know more about?
What steps could you take to learn more?
Facilitator notes:
[Time: 7 minutes]
Say: Now let’s turn our attention to thinking about ways you can stay on top of the big picture. Choose one or two parts of the big picture that you want to pay more attention to, for example, industry trends. Jot down your thoughts (individually) about things you could do to strengthen your understanding of this area. Then make a note of one or two specific steps you plan to take to better understand the big picture.
Instructions: Give participants a minute or two to reflect on what they could do and what they plan to do to strengthen their understanding of the big picture. Then ask a volunteer to share an example. If time permits, ask another volunteer to give an example based on an aspect of the big picture that wasn’t mentioned by the first volunteer.
Say: Let’s look at a few examples of how to stay on top of the big picture? Raise hands if you’d like to share your thoughts.
Say: These are great examples of steps you can take to stay on top of the big picture.

10. To better understand the big picture…
INDUSTRY
CUSTOMERS
COMPETITORS
Read a wide range of publications
Talk with informed professionals
Participate in trade and professional associations
Conduct customer surveys
Hold focus groups
Scan social media
Become their customer
Read analysts’ reports
Network with professionals familiar with these firms
Facilitator notes:
[Time: 1 minute]
Say: You’ve come up with some great examples of steps you can take to stay on top of the big picture. Here are some key recommendations from the Harvard ManageMentor topic on how you can stay up to date on what’s going on outside of your organization. The information you gain will help you identify opportunities, generate solutions to problems, and make strategic decisions for your unit and organization.

11. IDENTIFY CRITICAL INFORMATION
STRATEGIC THINKING
IDENTIFY CRITICAL INFORMATION
Facilitator notes:
[Time: 1/2 minute]
Say: Now let’s turn our attention to another essential element of strategic thinking—identifying critical information. Whenever you face a complex situation, you need to make sure you have all the right data. It’s important to focus on the relevant facts and key factors contributing to a situation.

12. GATHER KEY INFORMATION
Mei is a director of IT. Talented employees are leaving for other companies, affecting productivity and morale. To improve retention, Mei decides to analyze the following data:
Copies of exit interviews from Human Resources
Industry salary survey
Ages of former team members
A summary of employee benefits
Time of year team members leave
Addresses of former team members
Her own 360 degree evaluation of Mei
Organization’s overall attrition rate
Marital status of former employees
What is critical?
What is less important or irrelevant?
What is missing?
Facilitator notes:
[Time: 5 minutes]
[Time: 8 minutes]
Say: Analyzing issues strategically requires that you pay attention to the right information. Let’s consider this short scenario. What information should Mei focus on to improve retention on her team?
Instructions: Ask for volunteers to share their perspectives on what information Mei should be paying most attention to, whether or not it’s on her list.
Ask: What do you think of her list? Which information is critical for her to assess and why? What information is less important? What information should Mei be seeking that’s not on her list? Raise your hand if you’d like to share your thoughts.
Say (after one or two participants have a chance to answer): Do you have any different thoughts about what information is important and what’s less important in Mei’s situation?
Instructions: If no one disagrees about what information is or isn’t important, offer an example of a case in which a seemingly unimportant issue may be relevant. For instance, gathering addresses of former team members could reveal that people are more likely to leave if they live far from work. In that case, telecommuting options might be considered as a way to promote retention.
Say: These are great responses. And you can see that determining what information is most relevant to solving a problem is not always obvious.
SCENARIO

13. What critical information do you need?
Facilitator notes
[5 minutes]
Say: We’ve just been discussing the importance of identifying the information you need to think strategically. In the Practice section for Lesson 4 of the Harvard ManageMentor Strategic Thinking topic, you completed an activity to determine the data you need to analyze a situation. Take a look at your responses to the activity. Given our discussion of Mei’s retention issue, consider your responses to questions 2 and 3. Is there any additional information you would add? Any information that you now think may not be relevant? If so, make a note of them.
Instructions: Give participants a minute or two to review their responses and note any changes. Then ask for a volunteer to share changes in how he or she is thinking about what information is needed to address his or her situation.
Say: Hopefully, a number of you are thinking more strategically about what information you need to address your situation. Raise your hand to give us an example of some data you’ve just added to your list of critical information. Or share your ideas about information that might be less important than you initially thought.
Say: [something like] That’s a good insight. [Or] That makes a lot of sense. Thanks for sharing that.

14. Analyze information The “5 Whys” technique
Problem: Our client is unhappy because we didn’t deliver the proposal on time.
Why? Because the proposal took longer than we anticipated.
Why? Because we underestimated the complexity of the job.
Why? Because we made a quick estimate of how long it would take. We didn’t spend the time to list the different stages of the project and how long each would take.
Why? Because we were busy with other projects.
Why? Because we don’t have enough consultants to both serve current clients and create proposals for potential customers.
Facilitator notes
[6 minutes]
Say: Once you’ve determined what information you need, you’re ready to analyze that information. The Harvard ManageMentor topic discusses a number of analytical methods. One of the most powerful approaches is the “5 Whys” technique illustrated on this slide. Let’s walk through a real example of using the 5 Whys using the issue you identified in the activity about collecting key information.
Say: If you’d like to volunteer to help demonstrate the 5 Whys technique, chat in your problem or issue now.
Instructions: Quickly scan responses and select a problem to use to demonstrate the technique. If no one chats in a problem, again encourage someone to volunteer. Otherwise, walk through the example on the slide.
Say: [If you’ve walked through a participant’s problem] Thanks for sharing your situation. What thoughts do you have about the 5 Whys process having just been through a brief version?
Instructions: Ask participants individually to use the 5 Whys to uncover the root cause of a problem.
Say: Now take a few minutes individually to use the 5 Whys to help determine the root cause of your problem. Refer to your problem description and ask, “Why is this happening?” When you have the answer, ask “Why?” again. If time permits, ask “Why?” at least five times to ensure sufficient depth of analysis.
Instructions: Give participants a few minutes to reflect and respond to the 5 Whys as it applies to their problem.
Say: If you’ve been able to answer “Why” five times, great. If you haven’t had time to finish, schedule some time after the session to complete your analysis. You may also want to get your team together to use the 5 Whys technique as part of your problem-solving process.

15. PRIORITIZE CHOICES STRATEGIC THINKING Facilitator notes:
[Time: 1/2 minute]
Say: Let’s say you have all the information you need about the challenge you’re facing, and you’re satisfied with your analysis so far. It’s almost time to act. To decide what to do requires another strategic thinking skill—the ability to prioritize your choices.

16. Make trade-offs Weigh pros and cons
Balance unit and organizational needs
Balance short- and long- term outcomes
Facilitator notes:
[5 minutes]
Say: As part of your pre-work for the café, you were asked to complete the tool “Worksheet for Making Trade-offs,” using the same situation you addressed in the last section. Take a minute or so to review your responses.
Instructions: Allow a minute for participants to review their worksheets.
Say: What insights have you gained from thinking through the trade-offs? How are you thinking differently about this decision now that you’ve analyzed pros and cons, unit versus organizational needs, and short- versus long-term outcomes? Use the chat box to share your thoughts.
Instructions: Look for and comment on any common themes. For example, participants have chatted in comments like:
It can be helpful to use more than one technique for weighing trade-offs
There is no perfect outcome
Since you can’t eliminate all the cons of a decision, you have to figure out which ones you can live with
Say: You’ve come up with a number of excellent insights about the importance of analyzing trade-offs, and how difficult it can be to make a sound strategic decision.

17. Prepare to decide
Identify the most important results for your organization.
Make sure you don’t fall into the trap of dealing with what’s urgent instead of important.
Create a short list of viable options.
Facilitator notes:
[Time: 1 minute]
Say: Now that you’ve considered trade-offs, it’s time to make some decisions. These suggestions can help you decide on the best course of action:
Ask: “Which of these are the most critical? That is, which will generate the most important results for my group and organization?”
Keep in mind that some actions may be urgent, but not important in the big scheme of things. For instance, a report may be due by the end of the day (urgent), but completing it on time may contribute little or nothing to your group’s high-level goals (not important). If you put too much emphasis on completing urgent but not important tasks, you risk neglecting more strategically valuable actions.
Finally, decide on a short list of viable alternatives. Those are options that you’ll likely discuss with stakeholders before making a final decision about a problem or issue.

18. LEVERAGE YOUR STRATEGIC THINKING SKILLS
What additional situations or decisions are you involved in right now that would benefit from:
Identifying critical information?
Prioritizing choices?
Facilitator notes:
[Time: 4 minutes]
Say: Today, you’ve each focused on a particular situation to practice your strategic thinking skills. However, every day you face a variety of problems and challenges. Not every one of them requires this level of detailed analysis. But many do. Part of your job as a strategic thinker is to figure out which situations call for using the techniques we’ve discussed today to surface critical issues, understand their causes, and make smart choices. Take a minute or so to reflect on the issues you’re dealing with in your job right now. Make a note of any that would benefit from applying the strategic thinking skills you’ve been practicing in this session.
Instructions: Allow one or two minutes for participants reflect and make notes. Then ask for volunteers to share the problems or issues they think warrant a careful strategic analysis. Call on 4-5 participants.
Say: It would be great to hear about some of the issues you plan to address using the skills we’ve been working on today. Raise your hand if you’d like to share one or two issues.
Instructions: Allow a few minutes to get as many responses as possible.
Say: The issues you’ve raised could all certainly benefit from a strategic thinking approach.
RAISE HAND

19. APPLY WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED
STRATEGIC THINKING
APPLY WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED
Facilitator notes:
[Time: 1/2 minute]
Say: We’re coming to the end of our session today.

20. Today’s objectives Help you: Understand the big picture
Gather key information
Prioritize choices
Facilitator notes:
Time: [1 minute]
Say: Today’s session focused on three important elements of strategic thinking. Specifically, we discussed how to:
Understand the big picture (the context in which we do business)
Identify and analyze critical information about an issue or challenge
Prioritize choices so that you make smart strategic decisions

21. Apply what you’ve learned
Your next step is to complete the On-the-Job section of the Harvard ManageMentor Strategic Thinking topic.
Facilitator notes:
[Time 1 minute]
Say: The next step for you in your development is to focus on applying and developing a skill that is particularly relevant to you, and has a good chance of making an impact in the workplace for you and your team.
The On-the-Job section in the Harvard ManageMentor Strategic Thinking topic provides an opportunity for you to pick a skill to work on and come up with specific ways to apply and develop the skill in your workplace. For instance, you can pick the skill: Identify relationships, patterns, and trends that affect strategic decisions. Then you’ll identify specific action items that you can do to apply and develop this skill. For example, you could develop an action item of: “I will regularly invite people from other parts of the organization to meetings to help us gain perspective on what’s happening across our company.”
Say: In order to complete this learning experience, proceed to the On-the-Job section in the Harvard ManageMentor topic. Remember, the only way to develop a skill is to apply and experiment with the use of that skill in your workplace.

22. Thank you Facilitator notes: [Time: 1/2 minute]
Instructions: Thank participants for their time and active participation.