Sanda Kaufman's Strategic Thinking Course

Strategic Thinking

objectives
method
evaluation

ust 625/725 homepage

schedule

assignments

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UST 433/PDD 527 Course Syllabus

(any changes will be announced in class)

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Planning is decision making, whether for policy, management or economic development purposes. It requires skills that assist us in processing complex information to provide understanding of the past and present, of mechanisms at work, and of likely, possible and desirable futures. Two fundamental kinds of skills that render the planning strategic are:

foresight skills, that enable us to predict possible future states, select ones that respond to our needs, and shape them according to goals of our mission; and,
implementation skills, that enable us to seek and achieve consensus on goals, desirable futures and ways of achieving them, among entities that are key to the realization of our visions.

Strategic Thinking introduces students to the theory and practice of strategic planning, a collection of principles and techniques applicable to the management of public and private not-for-profit sectors. At the conclusion of this course, students should be able to:

: elicit and understand a client's interests for the near future;
identify the kinds of information needed to assist the client in formulating goals and plans consistent with their interests;
acquire and analyze the information pertinent to the plans, including affected stakeholders and their interests;
identify key factors affecting implementation of the plan;
assist the client in formulating implementable strategies, that attend to obstacles and take full advantage of opportunities;
appreciate the necessity and general applicability of strategic thinking to a variety of contexts.

COURSE METHOD

The course consists of:

instructor and guest lectures class discussions and student presentations on assigned questions; simulation games a strategic planning class project

Students are expected to:

attend all classes;
participate actively in discussions, asking clarifying questions;
read text materials as assigned;
complete assignments in a timely fashion.
take responsibility for class presentations.

Homework/paper outputs should be: TYPED and handed in ON TIME. Communication skills complement analytic ones, so pay attention to completeness, clarity, and aspect of written work. Grading is based on sound analysis, and on effective interpretation and communication of results.
Prepare for class sessions: read text assignments and identify topics that need clarification. Feel free to raise questions to ensure thorough understanding and ability to use the information in contexts outside the classroom.
Prepare for productive class sessions by reading text assignments, identifying topics that need clarification in class, as well as topics for class discussion. Feel free to raise questions to ensure that you thoroughly understand and are able to apply discussed analytical frameworks in contexts outside the classroom.