Strategic Thinking Courses

What is Strategic Thinking?

Strategic thinking, in the context of an organization, is the process of developing ideas, either individually or in teams, to determine a course of action. Successful strategic thinking depends on critical and creative thinking ability as well as business knowledge, insights and experience. Teams are a popular approach to strategic thinking because each individual can contribute unique insights and perspectives that can help to both spark and challenge the ideas and thought processes of others.

Online Courses in Strategic Thinking

Numerous factors assist in your ability to think strategically. You need critical thinking and problem solving skills, the creativity to think “outside the box” and the analytical skills to assess and incorporate data into your decision making.

For a basic overview of how to think clearly and effectively, enroll in the short, 4-week course, Philosophy and Critical Thinking, from the University of Queensland. This self-paced program is essentially the course for “thinking about thinking” and will get your mind off to a good start. Go further down the path of improving your thinking ability with the free, 12-week course on The Science of Everyday Thinking. Learn tools to improve cognitive ability and making clear and convincing arguments.

Ready to tackle the critical thinking side of your brain? Fullbridge has a 4-week online course, Problem Solving and Critical Thinking Skills, that teaches analytical problem solving techniques including how to use design thinking to generate ideas and form creative solutions to workplace problems. Next, take on your creative, out-of-the-box thinking ability with Thinking & Acting Like an Entrepreneur. This 6-week online course covers the entrepreneurial decision making process and will give you tools and insights for creating ideas.

Additional courses to consider include Logic and Computational Thinking from Microsoft and Statistical Thinking for Data Science and Analytics from Columbia. Both courses will challenge your ability to think critically and form strong arguments based on logic and data analysis.

Jobs in Strategy Thinking, Planning & Development

Most jobs in business require strategic and critical thinking skills. Associates at almost every level, from management to executive leadership, face problems and issues that require strategic decisions. More formal strategy roles require years of experience on top of extensive skills, training and specialization in a specific field. For a more general strategy role that can be applied to many industries, consider a role in strategic data analysis. Numerous job positions exist for strategic data insights managers and much more. A recent search on Indeed.com turned up over 4,000 open job positions in strategy with estimated salaries ranging from $65K to $120K per year. Find roles such as Strategic Planning and Development Analyst, Strategic Technology Director, Strategic Business Analyst and Strategic Program Manager.

Explore a Career in Strategy

Learn the critical thinking skills you need to advance into a strategic role in your current career or in a new job. Online courses in strategic thinking, problem solving and data analysis will help you with marketing strategy, corporate strategy, strategy consulting, strategic planning and many more strategic management roles.