Strategic Thinking Feedback Report

Strategic Thinking Competency Assessment

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What is the Strategic Thinking Competency Assessment?
The Strategic Thinking Competency Assessment (STCA) is an instrument that is used to assess the strategic thinking
capabilities of leaders. Strategic thinking is a rational decision-making process that focuses on getting the right data,
avoiding biases, and doing activities that differentiate firms from its competitors (Porter, 2008). The STCA is a standalone
assessment but it can be used as a 360 assessment to assess one’s strategic thinking capabilities by comparing the
results of the assesse and his/her rater group. Leaders are expected to manage the day-to-day operations, plan for
tomorrow, innovate products and services and improve processes and procedures, and create competitive strategies to
sustain a competitive advantage and advance business objectives. Leaders are expected the pull off the unimaginable
with whatever resources they manage or inherited. As a result, leaders need to enhance their strategic thinking skills to
remain viable and competitive in today’s hyper competition. The Strategic Thinking Competency Assessment uses Dr.
Stowell’s Strategic Landscape Model to assess leaders’ competencies of the four zones of strategic thinking: operations,
planning, discovery, and creation competencies. The model includes four zones with four competencies per zone. See
the Strategic Landscape Model below.

Based on research, working with clients on strategic planning projects, and working with leaders to develop their
strategic thinking capabilities, Dr. Stowell developed the Strategic Landscape to help most people think about strategy
and to assess their strategic thinking skills (Stowell & Mead, 2005). The model includes 4 zones and 16 competencies.
The Strategic Thinking Competency Assessment measures leaders’ capabilities against the 16 competencies to determine
the leaders’ strategic thinking baseline. The results of the assessment should be used to enhance leaders’ strategic
thinking capabilities.

Feedback Report
The Strategic Thinking Competency Assessment includes a feedback report consists of the following charts self-
assessment, radar chart, bar chart, and self-determining factors.

Competency scores
The competency scores are based on the following Likert scale 1 = Never; 2 = Rarely; 3 = Sometimes; 4 = Often; and 5 =
Consistently.
 Strategic Thinking Assessment

Items Likert Scale Score

Use Lean methods or performance improvement practices Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
1 to sustain operational effectiveness
Manage project according to project management Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
constraints (i.e. scope, schedule, risk, budget, quality, and
2 resources)
Plan for potential crises around services and products and Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
3 manage them accordingly to sustain customer relations
Establish business metrics to track inputs/outputs of Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
4 operations to inform business decisions
OPERATIONS

Perform daily reviews of operational Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently

(inputs/outputs/outcomes) and adapt accordingly to
5 consistently meet desired customer value
Leverage human capital to consistently deliver quality Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
6 value units
Effectively manage all parts of the value chain (i.e. Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
technology, procurement, operational logistics, and
7 services) to provide optimal performances
Often make valuable, incremental advances in operational Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
8 performances
Manage regulatory compliance and always meet Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
9 standards
Manage operational budget and always remain within Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
10 budgetary constraints

Effective in gathering intelligence about competitors and Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
1 using it to sustain a competitive advantage
Use internal data to make short-term, optimal business Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
2 decisions
Conduct external scans of the global and national business Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
3 landscape and the industry-specific business environment
Conduct scans of the internal environment using Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
4 management tools to inform business decisions
Purposefully analyze multiple industries to remain aware Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
of changes in the landscape and to adopt best business
PLANNING

5 practices
Benchmark competitors to remain aware of their Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
6 efficiencies and performance inputs/outputs/outcomes
Analyze and interpret industry forces to determine Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
competitiveness and to make counter responses if
7 necessary
Use data to inform decisions to collaborate and/or partner Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
8 with internal/external sources to advance business goals
Stay abreast of the rapidly changing field of business Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
analytics including techniques and instruments to remain
9 competitive
Make adjustments to budgets to account for future Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
staffing needs such as workload changes, compensation,
10 equipment, and technology
 Intentionally network with multicultural groups to Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
1 advance innovative knowledge
Initiate actions to improve process, procedures, and Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
2 policies
Strive to enhance innovative skills by reading literature, Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
3 attending conferences, conducting experiments, and etc.
Seek ways to remove waste and variations from existing Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
4 processes and procedures
Perform mini-experiments often to test current processes Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
DISCOVERY

5 and procedures to innovate business practices

Make associations with unique concepts that lead to Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
6 product and/or service diversification
Purposefully analyze best practices of multiple industries Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
to learn innovative business practices and to adapt
7 business ideas
Observe human interactions with processes, policies, and Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
procedures and find innovative solutions to increase
8 performances
Always introduce innovative concepts to advance business Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
9 performances and practices
Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
10 Pilot new innovative concepts

Review overall outcomes of the strategic plan at least Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
once annually to refresh the strategy to adapt to market
1 dynamics
Strategically align internal resources (technology, human Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
2 capital, and cultural capital) to the strategy
Use feedback from the strategy to transform staff Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
3 performances and capabilities
Consistently adapt to new strategic planning frameworks Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
(i.e. Blue Ocean, Platform, Disruptive Innovation, and etc.)
4 to evolve strategic goals
CREATION

Use change management strategies to effectively manage Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
5 change resistance whenever implementing new initiatives
Use strategic planning review meetings to discuss lessons Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
6 learned
Develop strategic plans and execute more than 50% of Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
strategic objectives and initiatives (i.e. projects and
7 programs)
Purposefully recruit and hire employees that fit the Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
8 strategic scope of the business unit/organization
Develop strategic plans with integrated change Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
management strategies to effectively execute and manage
9 strategy
Establish quarterly strategy meetings to gauge the Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Consistently
10 strategy and to adapt accordingly
Self-Assessment Score Zone Comparative Score
To determine your zone comparative score, count the score per row using the Likert scale 1 = Never; 2 = Rarely; 3 =
Sometimes; 4 = Often; and 5 = Consistently. Write the number in the SCORE column. Then total the column for each
zone and transfer to score to the zone comparative chart. See example.

Example Zone Comparative Report

Zone Comparative Report

Skill Enhancements for each Zone

Strategies for each Zone

 Improvement Plan
Please use your results of the assessment to fill in the quadrants below and to develop your personal improvement plan.

Verbatim factors of the Strategic Thinking Competency Assessment.

1. Zone I: Operations (Expedient, efficient, execute, and reactive)

2. Zone II: Planning (Anticipate, prepare, preempt, and pre-active)
3. Zone III: Discovery (Innovative, refine, enhance, and improve)
4. Zone IV: Creation (Transform, change, sustain, and proactive)

Strengths Weaknesses

Opportunities

Reference
Porter, M. E. (2008). The five competitive forces that shape strategy. Harvard Business Review, 86(1), 25-40. Retrieved

from https://hbr.org/

Stowell, S. J. & Mead, S. S. (2005). Ahead of the curve: a guide to applied strategic thinking. Sandy, UT :CMOE Press.