HOLY CROSS OF MALALAG, INC.

S.Y 2020-2021

Name of Student: _______________________________________

Subject: Trends, Networking, and Critical Thinking in the 21st Century Activity Sheet No. 3
Lesson: Understanding Local Networks Quarter: 3
Objective/s: At end of the week the students will be able to:
1. define strategic analysis and intuitive thinking;
2. explain strategic analysis and intuitive thinking;
3. differentiate key components in strategic analysis and intuitive thinking; and
4. examine how the map of social networks can be used to introduce creative solutions to a particular problem in a
community using intuitive thinking.

Contents/Activities:
Intuitive Thinking
Even now, intuitive thinking is a mystery to the world of science. However, we’ve managed to make some progress and get a
better understanding of this fascinating, unpredictable part of our brains. It’s somewhere between emotions and rationality, which is
exactly why it’s so mysterious.
Intuitive thinking is basically the kind of thinking that helps you understand reality in the moment, without logic or
analysis. There’s no language involved in it, either. It’s entirely about signs and sensations. Most of the time, it goes against whatever
we might think of as “rational”.
According to science, intuitive thinking happens in a region of our brain close to the pineal gland. In other words, it lines up
with the middle of your forehead, between your eyebrows. You can’t use intuitive thinking whenever you want, though. It only shows
up in “moments of inspiration”. Plus, it really works. It’s what some people call doctors’ “clinical eye” or being a “visionary”.

The 4 Types of Intuitive Thinking

 Emotional intuitive thinking. This has to do with your ability to immediately pick up on other people’s personality traits or
emotional states. You can see who they are, or how they are, without them having to say anything.
 Mental intuitive thinking. This is about finding an immediate answer to a problem, without analyzing it. It’s very common
in people with jobs that require quick decisions, like fire-fighters or bomb technicians.
 Psychic intuitive thinking. This means having the ability to choose the best path to overcome a personal difficulty, without
putting much mental effort into it. It also means being able to pick up on social and work-related dynamics.
 Spiritual intuitive thinking. This has to do with states of enlightenment” or “revelations”. They’re more of an experience
than a fact. Buddhists talk about this kind of intuition more than anyone else, which has given it a mystical quality.

Strategic Thinking
In its simplest form, strategic thinking is an ability to plan for the future. It’s the capacity to prepare strategies and conjure ideas that
will both cope with changing environments and consider the various challenges that lie ahead. Candidates that possess strategic
thinking skills will be seen as top talent, and it’s a quality that makes many managers, directors and executives the successful leaders
they are.
4 key qualities of strategic thinkers
Bring to your mind a professional leader you admire. Have you chosen them because of their innovation, intelligence or ability to
engage audiences? Or maybe you like their capacity to critique process and procedure while still being receptive to feedback and
change? If your model leader possesses any of the above qualities, they’re a strategic thinker. Here are four qualities that all strategic
thinkers possess, and continue to work on throughout their lives:
 They’re always learning
Strategic thinking skills are developed by committing to constant learning and self-improvement. Whether it’s learning from
their own experiences, the experiences of others, books, presentations, networks, conferences or junior colleagues, strategic
thinkers don’t dismiss any potential sources of education.
 They always seek advice from others
In the spirit of being able to prepare for the future and make constant improvements, strategic thinkers welcome feedback and
advice from others. They test ideas and concepts and ensure that criticisms are examined and incorporated where relevant.
This process makes their plans and strategies as robust and steadfast as possible.
 They’re not afraid to take risks
Great strategic thinkers understand that professional excellence doesn’t always emerge from a cookie-cutter approach. After
careful consideration, they take risks on new ideas, innovative solutions and unique pitches, prepared for both success and
failure, and always willing to learn from their mistakes. 
 They never forget organisational purpose
Whether a business builds intuitive websites for clients or sells diverse share portfolios, strategic thinkers will never neglect
 their purpose or people. If the strategic thinking and planning doesn’t revolve around these two key elements, it has failed to
be strategic at all. 

Improving your strategic thinking skills

It should be clear by now that strategic thinking is immensely valuable for progressing your career, but that it also has wide
application in your personal life. It’s a skill that enables you to plan and apply reason to many challenges that you face, always
seeking the best and most effective solution. So how do you get it? Start working on these areas to enhance your strategic thinking
skills, no matter what role or industry you’re in. 
 Be proactive
Understanding that strategic thinking is all about being prepared for the future, take initiative and do things before you’re
asked to, or you need to respond reactively. Did you obtain extra copies of a board report in anticipation of those who have
not provided an RSVP? Have you been backing up all the departments key files onto an additional source in case of system
crash? If so, you tick the proactive box, and keep up the good work.
 Understand counter arguments
It would be rare for a strategic thinker to believe that their ideas, and their ideas alone, were always right. Developing an
understanding and appreciation of opposing ideas, opinions, arguments or positions will develop your strategic thinking skills
by creating an understanding of the whole picture. The more you explore alternative arguments, the easier you’ll find seeing
projects and ideas holistically will become. 
 Constantly optimise
No matter what project or piece of work you’re tasked with, always look for ways to optimise and improve what you
produce. Strategic thinking is all about being able to recast strategy and reset direction; being adaptable and ambitious
simultaneously.  Make sure everything you work on, from a social media report, to a team presentation, to a market research
paper generates maximum value. 
 Keep up-to-date with news and trends
Join networks, read widely, engage with employees from different teams in your organisation and look for clues of upcoming
trends and concepts everywhere you can. Understand how your role works not just in the context of your workplace, but
more broadly in businesses across Australia, or even globally. Seek out mentors and experts who can share their own
experiences and tips for keeping on top of the most important and current ideas relevant to you.

Strategic thinking is an ability to envisage new solutions to old problems, and to constantly reinvent your point of view in a way
that is unique, and benefits the purpose of your organisation. It’s a key skill required if you have any intention of climbing the
corporate ladder, so start work on your strategic thinking skills today.

Rational and Intuitive Thinking

As human beings, we have two amazing gifts – the ability to think rationally and the ability to think intuitively.  When I
reflect on these two forms of thought, I concluded that rational and intuitive thinking are often in a state of conflict and are often
misapplied.  I use my rational mind to solve problems that in reality only intuitive thinking can solve, and vice-versa, when rational
thinking is better suited for the problem at hand, I often deny what the rational brain is telling me and grope instead for an intuitive
solution that, while incorrect, assuages my soul, with the stark result that all I accomplish is “non-thinking.”  What really is the right
place for both of these modalities of thought?
I find that rational thinking is most appropriate when a life situation has presented all the facts and there is a clear
understanding of the consequences of a word or deed – there is no ambiguity or unknown.  The rational mind can clearly say “if A,
then B.”  Because the world has a certain order and predictability, the rational mind can make reasoned decisions founded on the trust
of this external order and predictability.   However, when faced with the unknowable, the rational mind refuses to let go–it struggles to
“rationalize” an action by seeking more and more information that might help in making a decision based on the facts that it gathers,
denying that the consequences of our action is, by definition of the circumstance, truly unknowable.
Intuitive thinking is most appropriate when the consequences of our words and actions are unknown—there is nothing that
the rational mind can grasp hold of because the result of our actions is unknowable.  When faced with the unknown consequences of a
decision, intuitive thinking must rely on feeling, feelings which are often scary, muddled, and confusing.   While the rational mind can
come to a sound conclusion by “gathering the facts”–an external process–the intuitive mind must make an inner journey into the soul,
must become vulnerable and open to insights whose conclusions rest on the foundation of an inner sense of trust.
 Rational and intuitive thinking are often in conflict—I experience this very clearly in the poker game, where the rational
mind can easily calculate whether making a bet, based on my cards, the amount of money in the pot, and the amount of my bet, is
statistically, if it were played out a thousand times, a winning bet.  My intuitive thinking often likes to scream “oh, but I know I will be
lucky!”  The difference between a gambler and a skilled poker player becomes one where the rational mind prevails, allowing the
intuitive mind to have its say only in the broader scope of the entire game, not just the hand.  It becomes a balance—when the rational
mind realizes that in order to survive the game, I must “make a move”, it can give the reigns over to the intuitive mind to determine
when, against rational odds, to make that move.
We live comfortably in the world of rational thinking because trust is easy – there’s a guaranteed predictability that we can
rely on.  Intuitive thinking, so necessary when faced with the unknown consequences of our actions, requires an inner trust, which in
my experience we are ill-prepared for.  It seems to me that teaching our children and ourselves how to develop a sense of inner trust
has been eroded by a culture that has, over the last 100 years, promoted technological / scientific solutions to almost every problem. 
Without that sense of inner trust, we lack faith in ourselves.  Even worse, we place that faith in someone/something else, someone that
says “if A then B” and allows the rational mind to take charge when, in reality, that someone or something that says “if A then B” is
no more knowing of the consequences than we are.  And so, rather than saying “I don’t know, let’s figure this out intuitively” we, out
of our self-distrust, miss opportunities for a deeper understanding.
Inner trust is a hard road, requiring time for contemplation, requiring the development of skills to even know how to
contemplate, how to listen to ourselves, our bodies, our feelings and thus becoming open to listening to “something else.”  Becoming
trusting of oneself is a process of developing a healthy relationship that balances our inner world with the outer world, and in my
belief system, creating a balance, in me, between the physical and spiritual worlds.  This is hard work, it is lifelong work, but in the
end, it yields a powerful tool that can appropriately guide the intuitive mind when the rational mind is effectively useless.  The result
then becomes balanced thinking – the correct application of rational and intuitive thinking.

Activity 1: Color-Coded Map

On a ¼ illustration board, draw a color-coded map of the networks of power
relations (political, economic, cultural, and kinship ties) within your
community. On a piece of bond paper, examine how this map can be used to
introduce creative solutions to a particular problem in your community using
strategic analysis and intuitive thinking. Attach the bond paper to the back of
your illustration board.

Assessment: Answer the following as briefly and as comprehensively as possible.

1. Explain strategic analysis and intuitive thinking.

2. Differentiate key components in strategic analysis and intuitive thinking.

Reference: https://trendsnetworkscriticalthinking.wordpress.com/lesson-3/