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Strategic Thinking Skills

Series: Strategic Thinking Skills

4.7

(9)

Episodes

Rating

Year

2012

Language

English

Publisher

The Great Courses

About

Master one of life's most important skills with this practical and useful course on strategic thinking. Taught by an award-winning business professor and former U.S. Army officer, this course lays out the principles of strategy in a manner that is easy to comprehend and apply.

Related Subjects

Episodes

1. The World of Strategic Thinking

33m

Enter the fascinating world of strategic thinking. Start by learning some of the key terms and concepts you'll encounter, with a focus on the differences between "strategy" and "tactics." You're also introduced to how strategic thinking works in business, politics, military combat, sports, and much more.

2. The Origins and Relevance of Ancient Strategy

32m

To truly grasp strategic thinking, you must understand its origins and traditions. See how the writings and ideas of early strategists, including Thucydides, Sun Tzu, Hannibal, and Machiavelli, can provide you with modes of thinking and practical guidance you can use even today.

3. The Dawn of Modern Strategic Thinking

32m

Follow along as strategic thinking develops in military engagements from the French Revolution to the close of World War I. You'll examine the contributions of Napoleon Bonaparte (whose strategies of indirect approach and central positioning demonstrate the power of ideas over material resources), influential military theorists, and famous geopolitical thinkers.

4. Modern Principles of Strategic Conflict

30m

Objective. Offensive. Maneuver. Unity of Command. Security. Professor Ridgley demystifies these and other principles of war in use by the U.S. military since the 1920s. Each of these principles goes beyond military action and can offer you vital guidelines for executing your professional and personal strategies against a sometimes hostile world.

5. Geography - Know Your Terrain

30m

Delve into the influence of microgeography on your own decision making, and discover how interacting with your physical space in situations of conflict and competition can make or break your chances of success. Case studies and examples in this lecture range from Napoleon's defeat at the Battle of Waterloo to a simple chess match.

6. Grand Strategists and Strategic Intent

33m

At the center of every great strategy is a vision-a strategic intent. Learn the importance of powerful strategic intents by studying what constitutes an effective vision, how figures such as John F. Kennedy have articulated them, and what happens when you fail to have a solid strategic intent.

7. The Core and the Rise of Strategic Planning

30m

How do you actually plan an effective strategy? First, follow the development of formal strategic planning in the business realm after World War I. Then, Professor Ridgley walks you through his six-step strategic planning process that can better help you craft a successful strategy.

8. Which Business Strategy? Fundamental Choices

32m

Learn the major ways that firms and people compete economically, and how these strategies can apply even to nonbusiness activities. You'll contrast cost leadership (selling products at the lowest possible price and making profit on volume) with differentiation (providing something unique beyond low prices), and also consider a special form of hyperdifferentiation known as "focus."

9. Your Competitive Advantage - Find the Blue Ocean

31m

What is your unique selling proposition, and how do you develop it? How do you find your "blue ocean" and differentiate yourself in some meaningful way? Most important: How can thinking differently and taking risks actually help you stand apart from the pack in positive ways? Find the answers right here.

10. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

28m

Examine some of the powerful analytical tools that strategic thinkers use to make calculated and honest assessments of the world around them. The four invaluable tools you'll learn about in this lecture are PEST analysis, five forces analysis, value chain analysis, and the technique known as Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT).

Extended Details

SeriesStrategic Thinking Skills

Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

The Great CoursesDirector

The Great CoursesProducer

Stanley K. RidgleyActor

Strategic Thinking Skills

Strategic Thinking Skills

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