This document describes conceptual and strategic thinking skills. It discusses the ability to see the big picture, identify key issues and relationships, and develop broad frameworks. Strategic thinking involves considering future needs and how current policies may be affected by future trends to develop long-term goals. The document provides examples of how to align actions with wider goals, draw on experience and theory to manage situations, cut through complexity, and create new paradigms. It also lists negative indicators and suggestions for staff development activities and manager activities to improve conceptual and strategic thinking skills.

1. Conceptual and Strategic Thinking
University of Nottingham
By Jai Prathap Chenna from AYI

2. Description
 This is the ability to see things as a whole, identify key issues, see
relationships and draw elements together into broad coherent
frameworks. This competency describes the ability to relate different
events and key pieces of information; to make connections, see
patterns and trends; to draw information together into models and
frameworks which can then be used to interpret complex situations and
identify their salient features. The strategic element involves looking
into the future, considering the future needs of the University, Faculty or
Department and thinking about how present policies, processes and
methods might be progressively affected by future developments and
trends; developing long term goals and strategies extending over
significant time-spans.

3. A. Aligns actions with wider goals and models
 Recognizes and acts in accordance with University goals , priorities
and strategies and homes in on key issues
 Links day-to-day tasks to a model reflecting a long-term
perspective
 Recognizes and acts upon present opportunities
 Keeps up to date with University, academic and professional
developments
 Fits information to mental models and frameworks
 Understands how own tasks relate to the wider framework

4. B. Draws on experience
 Considers whether short-term goals will meet long-term objectives
 Draws on own or others' past experience to assess a problem or
situation, identifying similarities and differences
 Assimilates and makes sense of complex or conflicting data and
different perspectives
 Relates different pieces of information and recognizes trends
 Compares present data and events with previously defined frameworks
 Makes connections between facts and events that are not readily
obvious

5. C. Draws on theory to manage current situations
 Uses knowledge of theories, past trends and gaps in data to look at current
situations
 Thinks through where the gaps and opportunities are within the sector
 Adapts or applies theory or concepts appropriately to manage current
situations
 Identifies short-term strategies to overcome problems or take advantage of
opportunities
 Understands the impact of changing customer needs on plans
 Associates seemingly unrelated information in order to analyze a situation
 Identifies the key factor(s) in a complex problem
 Establishes a course of action to accomplish a long-term goal or vision
 Considers how present policies, processes, and methods might be affected
by future developments and trends

6. D. Cuts through complexity to identify key issues
 Finds new ways of looking at issues and goes beyond past experience to draw out
new insights from diverse and complex information
 Translates complex ideas, issues or observations and communicates ideas clearly
and persuasively
 Uses vivid analogies, diagrams or other means to help others to understand complex
new ideas
 Understands the University in its entirety and the effects actions in one area will have
on other areas
 Relates the implications of events and trends in the external environment to the
school, function or University
 Develops models and sees the 'big picture'
 Prepares and reviews contingency plans for problems and situations that might
occur
 Redesigns the Department/School to better meet long-term objectives
 Establishes long-term University/Departmental goals or projects
 Shares with others own view of the desirable future state of the
University/Department

7. E. Creates new paradigms
 Integrates diverse and complex data to create concepts that are entirely
new in the University or elsewhere
 Creates strategies which will fulfill the changing needs of customers in
the future
 Understands, anticipates and acts upon the forces that will shape the
sector or academic environment in the future
 Sees beyond the current business model to envisage new ways of
working that are not obvious to others
 Develops broad scale, longer term objectives (e.g. affecting the
University, Faculty or several Schools and Departments)
 Develops business and research strategy

8. Negative indicators : Limitations
 Can only see obvious connections and trends
 Is unable to stand back and see the bigger picture
 Works only from own assumptions about the world
 Focuses solely on detail
 Focuses internally only, failing to consider external factors
 Is ignorant to theory and how to apply it
 Fails to address own gaps in experience

9. Staff Development Activities
 Always ask yourself what the context (physical, economic, business, political, academic) is around what you are doing.
 Review outcomes of your projects and note where problems occurred at interfaces between departments, technologies etc; plan to
anticipate them.
 Check the impact of any proposed solution with people who may be affected.
 Ask yourself what the really key factors are in a problem you are working on; check them with your manager.
 Increase your range of models by attending courses, reading, asking colleagues what they use.
 At briefings, where the external environment is being reviewed, question your HoD/S on the impact it might have on your department.
 During data gathering exercises, formally cluster the information into related areas and review for trends.
 During Performance Management discussions, work with your manager to ensure that you clearly see how your targets are derived
from University objectives.
 Read key texts on management and strategic thinking, including available University strategy papers. Consult your local Human
Resource professional for advice.
 Routinely "scan" your environment to pick up significant trends.
 Periodically test how the "present state" of operations in your department/unit compares with your core purpose.
 Generate an operational plan for the achievement of your teams/areas. objectives. Identify on the plan where future developments
may require you to make decisions.
 Produce a 'what if' list for your major projects. Generate contingency plans for any which might impact on the project in a major way.

10. Manager activity
 Ask for a description of the context surrounding a staff member's task.
 Arrange discussions which test staff member's understanding of key issues.
 Use a model to structure and make sense of complex information.
 Make a point of communicating any new model which gives increased insight into your work.
 Ensure staff member is included in deriving the team/departments objectives. Clarify how these are linked to next
objective level in the cascade.
 Include an agenda item for regular team meetings on 'What issues are currently impacting on our areas of work'?
Encourage the staff member to be responsible for this aspect of the agenda.
 When the staff member is working with a new group of individuals, review with him/her what they noted about the
group's behavior and what to conclusion it led them to. Discuss the impact this will have on the work in question.
 Try and identify projects which concern 'generating new processes' as the output and get the staff member to lead
them.
 Ask staff member to develop a description of how they view the desirable future state of the School/Department.
 Ask staff member to describe social/business/political context surrounding their work or around any proposal they
make.
 Ask staff member to reflect on the possible consequences a proposal has for the underlying goals of the unit.
 When next undertaking a change project, involve the staff member from the outset. Ensure they participate in the
use of relevant models and that they are fully able to see the links between the models and the action plan.
 Try and identify projects concerning 'developing a strategy for the University/School’ and suggest the individual as a
member of the project team. Review with them the process used within the project and mutually develop a
framework for deriving future strategies.

11. Thank You