Explain The Process Of Strategic Reasoning Management Assignment (Essay Sample)

Strategic Reasoning
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Strategic Reasoning
Strategic reasoning according to Van der Hoek, Jamroga, & Woolridge (2005) is a process where an individual reason about the best strategy to apply in a given situation while taking into consideration the behavior of other participants and the effect of his or her choice affects on others. It is a process which engages the cognitive activities of individuals and the interaction between the cognitive abilities and the cognitive maps. Strategic reasoning has three main components: cognitive abilities, cognitive maps, and cognitive activities. The cognitive abilities refer to the mental faculties that enhance individuals perform the cognitive activities. De Wit & Meyer (2010) liken them to the hardware level question in a computer, that is, what are the physical limits on an individual’s mental faculties. The cognitive maps refer to the simplified maps models of the world that the human brain makes to cope with its physical shortcomings. De Wit & Meyer (2010) liken them to an operating level question, which seeks to determine the type of language running on a person’s brain. The cognitive activities are the strategic thinking activities which with a strategic reasoning structure and they are similar to the application level questions which seeks to determine the type of program that is strategic thinking.
The sequence of thinking activities used in strategic thinking is: identify, diagnose, conceive, and realize. Identifying, also called sense-making, refers to identifying the problem facing the organization, and it also involves subjective interpretation of the environment. Diagnosing, also analyzing seeks to determine the nature of the problem and gain a deeper understanding of its causes and other issues. Analyzing may involve intuitive reflection where the strategist applies unconscious reasoning rules to see the interrelationships between several aspects of the problem. Conceiving refers to coming up and choosing a solution, that is, develop possible ideas and pick the most promising one to address the organizational issue. Realizing or acting is the final step, and it involves taking concrete actions such as implementing the most promising solution.
From Mintzberg’s article on crafting strategy, strategic learning is the process by which an individual or an organization takes action one by one and respond to them, and patterns eventually begin to form. It involves making errors which then become opportunities and the limitations or challenges along the way stimulate creativity. The strategy is founded upon stability change management is a continuous process meaning that an organization needs to adapt. Mintzberg argues that this is an irony because by forming a strategy, an organization imposes stability and yet, there are forces of change that require reconciliation. Strategic learning applies in this case where it reconciles both the forces of strategy and t...