Page Updated on October 22, 2023
Our “Introduction to Strategic Thinking” training course materials are for corporate trainers to run engaging workshops for managers and employees on how to implement strategic thinking in the workplace.
Please note that this corporate strategic thinking training kit is an introduction, designed for people to get a better general understanding of the strategic thinking mindset. It covers some techniques such as SWOT, scenario building, and PESTLE analysis but it does NOT include more advanced tools, such as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Also, the focus of the materials is on strategic thinking (i.e., creating a vision, seeing the big picture, and coming up with innovative ideas) as opposed to strategic planning (i.e., setting up a plan by breaking up a strategy into actionable steps, in order to implement ideas).
So, your participants will be encouraged to think about how to use system thinking, creativity, and imagination to see and create opportunities and anticipate challenges.
With 35 slides, 4 handouts, and 67 pages of trainer notes, these fully editable strategic thinking workshop materials are extremely valuable for corporate trainers who are looking to deliver quality content without having to write it from scratch.
This strategic thinking training material package is:
- Fully customizable and editable
- US English & British English compatible
- Downloadable immediately
- We include trainer notes at the bottom of the slides for adapting to teach online
- and you will own the rights to edit and reuse it for as many of ‘your own courses’ as you wish
Page Contents
Samples from the Training Materials
Click on the slides below to magnify
Why Is Strategic Thinking in the Workplace Important?
Organizations are dealing with an increasingly complex and fast-changing world. As such, they need to adapt quickly, while being able to anticipate future trends and challenges.
Strategic thinking is a mindset that allows you to set long-term targets, match resources with these objectives, and secure lasting success.
It does so because thinking strategically involves thinking about the future impact of actions and seeing the big picture, i.e. the connections between different people and events (technically referred to as system thinking).
So, some benefits of strategic thinking for the organization and its employees include:
- Employees’ job satisfaction and engagement
- Innovation and being able to identify opportunities
- Problem-solving
- Better collaboration and communication
- Risk management
- Increased efficiency and productivity
It is important here to distinguish between strategic thinking and planning. They are both important and they are connected, but they are different.
Strategic thinking is about having a vision; being acutely aware of what is going on around you so you can see trends and spot opportunities; seeing the big picture and using creativity to come up with innovative ideas.
On the other hand, strategic planning is about creating a road map that breaks down your journey into small, actionable steps with the aim of achieving your vision. Planning is about detailing how you are going to achieve your aim in practice, the steps to take, when, and how; it is about logistics.
Our “Introduction to Strategic Thinking” training course materials cover the strategic thinking part, by encouraging your participants to develop a strategic mindset.
As a company, you can help your staff (managers and employees at every level) develop strategic thinking skills by encouraging an environment of creativity, flexibility, and resilience.
A starting point is to provide training to introduce your staff to the idea of strategic thinking.
These “Introduction to Strategic Thinking in the Workplace” training resources provide corporate trainers with a great tool to do that.
Benefits of Offering Strategic Thinking Workshops as a Trainer or HR Department?
By including strategic thinking skills in your teaching portfolio, as a corporate trainer, you will be able to provide a topic that is relevant and impactful.
Training topics that allow companies to move fast, adapt and stay competitive, while also helping increase their employees’ engagement, are often in demand. Strategic thinking at work is one of such topics.
Teaching workshops on strategic thinking can allow you to create a niche for yourself; it could make you more attractive to potential clients and give you a competitive edge.
If you are a trainer or human resources department you might also consider providing employees with training in:
- Problem-solving
- Influencing skills
- Resilience
- Change management
- Time management
- Non-verbal communication
- Delegation skills
Benefits of Buying Ready-to-use Training Materials?
There are several reasons why you might wish to buy these materials including because:
- Huge Time Saving – Designing training materials is very time-consuming when the materials are designed well, i.e. including training activities, diagrams, and trainer notes.
- Editable – The materials can be edited and changed to add or remove slides as you wish so that you can customize them.
- Expertise – The materials are designed in-house by Dr Valeria Lo Iacono who has taught at several universities and worked in education for many years.
- Consistency – All of the packages we sell our consistent in terms of quality.
- Instantly Available – The materials can be downloaded instantly as soon as payment is made.
Who Are These Training Materials for?
The “Introduction to Strategic Thinking Training” training course materials are for you if you are looking to hold workshops or classes for adults (i.e., employees) who can benefit from learning about the basics of strategic thinking.
The course materials include PowerPoint slides and trainer notes to enable you to hold a half-day workshop.
You may want to buy this pre-made strategic thinking workshop kit if you are a:
- Corporate trainer who plans to offer strategic thinking workshops
- HR manager looking to improve the Employee Experience (EX) by providing staff development training
- A freelance business trainer or coach looking to organize your own workshops
Learners Who Might Benefit from Strategic Thinking Skills
Our “Introduction to Strategic Thinking in the Workplace” training pack is designed to benefit everyone within an organization.
- For high-level managers, it provides them with a mindset that may help them make better decisions, manage risks, optimize resources, and gain competitive advantage.
- Team leaders are equipped with a tool that can help them be more effective leaders.
- Team members, by understanding the principles of strategic thinking, can contribute to the team’s goals, optimize their work processes, and seize opportunities for growth and innovation.
Duration
These materials are ideal for a 1/2 day (4 hours) training session.
However, if you decide to spend more time on activities by delving deeper into issues, these materials can be enough for you to teach for 1 full day.
Also, there is nothing stopping you from using these materials to teach online in real-time but by breaking the training down into units, i.e., blocks of 1 hour a session. The option is yours.
Level
These strategic thinking workshop materials are suitable to train anyone who is new to the concept of strategic thinking and also anyone who knows something about it but would like to refresh their knowledge.
However, please note that the aim of this set of strategic thinking trainer guidance and resources is an introduction to strategic thinking at work. So, while some tools such as SWOT and PESTLE are used, some more advanced data analysis techniques are not.
Materials Aims and Objectives
The aim of our “Introduction to Strategic Thinking” training course materials is to help participants understand what strategic thinking entails and how they can implement strategic thinking in the workplace.
At the end of the course, your participants should be able to:
✔ Identify the key components and the benefits of strategic thinking.
✔ Identify strategies and tools they can use to help them think strategically.
✔ Set up an action plan to help them implement strategic thinking at work.
With our ready-to-use strategic thinking skills training slides and notes, you will be well-equipped to guide your participants toward these objectives.
Delivery Method
Our “Introduction to Strategic Thinking in the Workplace” training pack is designed for a trainer to deliver the course in a classroom setting (either in person or virtually).
Training that actively engages the learners makes for more effective and productive training, so we ensure that these ready-to-use materials include training activities, class discussions, and some real-world examples.
Topics Covered in this Strategic Mindset in the Workplace Training Pack Include:
What Strategic Thinking Is and What It Involves
- The elements of strategic thinking
- Strategic thinking vs planning
- Benefits of strategic thinking in the workplace
Ideas and Tools to Help You Think Strategically
- Creating a vision
- How to develop awareness to help you spot trends and anticipate change
- Asking proactive questions
- Seeing the big picture
- PESTLE analysis
- SWOT analysis
- Some ideas on what to do to encourage creativity at work
- Scenario planning and matrix
- Potential barriers to effective strategic thinking to be aware of (such as confirmation bias, overconfidence and more)
Strategic Thinking Skills Action Plan
- Self-reflection on your current strategic thinking skills and what you want to achieve
- Strategic thinking skills checklist
- Deciding how you are going to apply strategic thinking in your workplace after the training, and setting SMART goals
With This Course, Instantly Download:
✔ 35 PowerPoint PPT slides (trainer notes are on the bottom of each slide)
✔ 67-page Tutor notes document with guidance on how to facilitate the training
✔ Course documents (including course evaluation sheet, and course outline)
✔ Participants’ workbook, which includes a list of further readings.
✔ Four activities handouts, which include scenarios and templates for class activities.
✔ Course certificate (printable to hand to participants)
Documents are delivered using MS Word, PDF (in case you do not have MS Word), and PowerPoint.
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American & British English Compatible
Suitable for both American English & British English styles.
- We have avoided any words that can cause confusion between American and British English styles such as soccer/football.
- We have used terms that are common in both and we have used the American style for a few words where a ‘z’ rather than ‘s’ is used i.e. materialize.
Happy Customers Include
Price
GBP £99 (approx USD$125) to instantly download the full “Strategic Thinking Training Resources” package.
Buy This Course
- To purchase click the “Buy Now” button below.
- You can choose to pay via PayPal or by Credit card.
- Once you have paid, you will immediately receive a digital link to download the zip file straight away.
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