Learning to Think Strategically

Julia Sloan is Principal of Sloan International Inc., a New York-based firm specializing in strategic thinking for leaders of businesses, government, and international agencies operating in markets of Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and North America. She received her doctorate in organizational leadership from Columbia University, where she teaches strategic thinking.

Part 1: How Did We Get Here?


1. Chronology of Strategy


2. Contemporary Competing Views of Strategy


3. Implications of the History of Strategy History for Strategic Learning


Part 2: How Do We Learn to Think Strategically?


4. Definition of Strategic Thinking


5. Informal and Formal Learning Defined


6. Formal Learning Refuted


7. Context and Learning Transfer as Factors in the Strategic Thinking Process


8. The Triangle Model


Part 3: What Does Learning to Think Strategically Look Like?


9. Preparation Stage


10. Experience Stage


11. Re-evaluation Stage


Part IV: How Can We Get Started?


12. Overview of Learning Domains Used for Strategic Thinking


13. The Surf and Dive Learning Domains


Part 5: How Can we Talk About All this?


14. The Role of Dialogue in the Strategic Thinking Process


15. What is the Role of Inquiry in Critical Dialogue?


Part 5: Why Does Some of This Feel So Familiar?


16. Intuition as a Must-Have for Learning to Think Strategically


17. Framing and the Intuition Factor


18. Shattering Frames


19. Reframing


Part 7: . . . But What About the Numbers?


20. The Roles of Analysis and Intuition in Strategic Decision Making


21. Decision-Making Approaches to Strategic Thinking


22. Coordination Intuition and Analysis to Facilitate Strategic Thinking


Part 8: What Role Does Culture Play?


23. The Role of Culture in Strategic Thinking


24. The Challenge of Introducing Strategic Thinking Across Cultures


Part 9: Is Anybody Born With This Know-How?


25. The Five Critical Attributes


26. Interplay of the Five Attributes


27. Adaptation as a Strategic Expectation


Part 10: How Can We Become Better Strategic Thinkers?


28. Developing the Five Essential Attributes


29. Developing the Critical-Reflective Processes


30. Where We’ve Come From and Where We Can Go: Some Suggestions