Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking in the 21st

Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600 Century

Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph Grade Level/Section:
MODULE 4 – Strategic Analysis
Subject Teacher:
and Intuitive Thinking

Strategic Analysis and Intuitive Thinking

At the end of this lesson, you are expected to:

1. define strategic analysis and intuitive thinking;
2. explain strategic analysis and intuitive thinking;
3. attain facility in strategic analysis;
4. use intuitive thinking in dealing with varied activities;
5. differentiate key components in strategic analysis and intuitive thinking; and
6. examine how the map of social networks can be used to introduce
creative solutions to a particular problem in a community using intuitive
thinking.

Introduction

Problems and issues are inevitable realities of joining social networks. Due to our differences in terms of
socio-cultural background, economic status, demography, geographical concerns, beliefs, ideas,
worldviews, practices, and way of life, we are always in conflict with one another. It is important to
identify effective ways of addressing these problems, and thinking is the first big step to start with.

In this module, we will be dealing with “strategic analysis” and “intuitive thinking” and their importance
to social network. While these may not be the only types of thinking that we have, these are known to
be very efficient and practical tools in addressing issues concerning our society.

Societal issues come in many shapes and form but we can categorize them according to the nature
of addressing them. Some problems require time and proper planning to be able to come up with
rational solutions. This is where strategic analysis comes into play. Strategic analysis is defined as a type
of thinking which involves rational processes – breaking down of information into pieces, understanding
those bits of information, and creating solutions and strategies based on your analysis; it is highly
focused, linear, objective, and deconstructive.

As an initial activity, you will be assessed on your prior knowledge about information communication
technology. This is to find out what are the things you need to learn more about the subject matter.

Let’s start learning by assessing ourselves first. Are you ready? But
before we go, remember to be very honest as we go through the
task. As the old saying goes, “Honesty is the best policy.”

Test I. Instruction: Read each statement carefully.

Write TRUE if the statement is true and FALSE if the statement is false.

______1. Intuitive thinking is known as the flashing of insight.

______2. Intuition, like rationality is one of the tools of knowledge.
______3. Rational thinking is better than intuitive thinking.
______4. Analytical mind usually exercises strategic thinking.
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 Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking in the 21st
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600 Century
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph Grade Level/Section:
MODULE 4 – Strategic Analysis
Subject Teacher:
and Intuitive Thinking

______5. Intuitive thinking involves a more spontaneous, instinctive, and unplanned

process of solving a problem
______6. Intuitive thinking does not necessarily require a careful planning in advance.
______7. Getting the right person to do a task is one of the key points of strategic thinking.
______8. Intuition and reason complement each other.
______9. Analytical thinking is characterized as brain-centered, focused and time-bound.
______10. Analytical tools are not needed in intuitive thinking.

If you decided to answer honestly the first activity,

great job! That’s one way of developing intuitive
thinking. This time, let’s broaden our vocabulary to
explore some concepts.

Give some words that you can relate to analysis and thinking.

ANALYSIS THINKING INTUITION

Process Questions:
1. From the words you have listed, what is analysis? Thinking? Intuition?
2. Give a specific situation where you apply/use analysis, thinking and intuition.
Type your answer here!

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 Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking in the 21st
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600 Century
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph Grade Level/Section:
MODULE 4 – Strategic Analysis
Subject Teacher:
and Intuitive Thinking

Do you agree that Decision-making relies on a

balance between deliberate and instinctive
thinking? Why or why not? Let’s get-to-know more
about decision making through the discussion of
Strategic analysis and intuitive thinking. Prepare
yourself for an intensive discussion. Seat back and
be ready to learn more!

Reading: Strategic Analysis and Intuitive Thinking

Every day we make choices in our lives. Sometimes our decisions are based on impulses that
we need to face along with the unfavorable consequences of our actions. We cannot
afford to commit the same mistakes at all times. This is why there are institutions that create
strategic analysis at least intuitive thinking, if the latter makes sense.

According to Urgel, E. (2017), Strategic analysis is the process of examining the organization’s
surroundings and resources to better formulate a strategy to meet the desired objectives
and improved the organization’s performance. It is the understanding of an organization’s
external and internal environments. It also deals with the creation and better utilization of
resources in the pursuit of their objectives and priorities. Such understanding is drawn from
the facts data, and instructions at hand.

Strategic analysis, for example, can be done by an organization to analyze its losing
performance. It is based on data and information about the internal profile of its employees
and their capabilities and work attitudes. It can be done by the organization to investigate the
external profile of its surrounding, opportunities, and possible rivals. Moreover, intuitive
thinking is sensing or knowing without using rational processes such as reading facts and
instructions. According to the dictionary, intuition is something that is known or understood
without proof or evidence. In short, intuitive is making choices and decisions according to
one’s hunch and gut feeling without knowing the reason why.

Four 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:

1. 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.

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 Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking in the 21st
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600 Century
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph Grade Level/Section:
MODULE 4 – Strategic Analysis
Subject Teacher:
and Intuitive Thinking

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. They never forget organizational 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.

Are you failing or getting poor grades? What good habits can you develop to address this
problem? Whom can you approach to help you improve your grades? Strategic analysis
can be a way to turn your weakness into strengths and to take advantage of situations that
will boost your confidence as a student. It will guide you in staying on course toward finishing
senior high school.

The honing and nurturing of a critical mind or strategic thinking must start at an early age.
Students like you should be provided with opportunities to develop this ability for self-
improvement. It can also guide you in giving service to others (for example as an officer in
the student council). In such case, the students develop strategic thinking which is reflected
in his or her abilities to anticipate, decide, challenge, learn, align, and interpret.

According to Urgel, E (2017), Strategic analysis and planning have five essential
components. These components are the following:

1.Committed people. The initial step in strategic planning is getting the right people at
the right time. They are essential in effectively carrying out a strategy. These people
comprise the management staff, officers, and stakeholders. They are also called
engagers.

2.Long-term strategic objectives. The objectives are poised to enhance the

organization’s performance. There is a need to identify the beneficiaries in the
operation who will receive the benefit from the gains brought by improved
efficiency in the operations and delivery of services of the organization. The people
involved in setting the objectives are referred to as aimers.

3.Strategic alternatives. The planning team should be able derive options from
brainstorming and SWOT Analysis. These alternatives may be of higher quality than the
current strategy or may enable the organization to respond with the ease, speed, and
effectiveness when changes occur in the environment.

4.Evaluation and choice of strategies. The process of formulating a strategy which

involves evaluating and picking out which strategies could facilitate the attainment
of long-term improvements. It should include all those revealed by Strength,
Weakness, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis of the organization. From the
evaluation of alternative strategies, options that are superior to the current
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 Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking in the 21st
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600 Century
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph Grade Level/Section:
MODULE 4 – Strategic Analysis
Subject Teacher:
and Intuitive Thinking

approach may be found, and change for organization’s improvement can be

undertaken. Those who participate in searching for and selecting strategic
alternatives are called option generators.

5.Monitoring of strategy implementation. There should be a plan for formal and regular
reporting and other measures of plan implementation. These will enable the
organization to know whether or not the plan is carried out properly and the
objectives are met. The monitoring system should provide ample room for correction
when improper implementation of the strategies is observed and when objectives are
not being met. Strategizers are those who implement and monitor strategy.

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 optimize
No matter what project or piece of work you’re tasked with, always look for ways to optimize
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 organization
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. 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.

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 Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking in the 21st
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600 Century
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph Grade Level/Section:
MODULE 4 – Strategic Analysis
Subject Teacher:
and Intuitive Thinking

Analytical Methods Used in Strategic Analysis

SWOT Analysis
A SWOT analysis is a simple but widely used tool that helps in
understanding the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and
threats involved in a project or business activity.
It starts by defining the objective of the project or business
activity and identifies the internal and external factors that are
important to achieving that objective. strengths and weaknesses
are usually internal to the organization, while opportunities and
threats are usually external. Often these are plotted on a simple
2x2 matrix.

PEST analysis
PEST analysis is a scan of the external macro-environment in
which an organization exists. It is a useful tool for understanding
the political, economic, socio-cultural, and technological environment that an organization operates
in. It can be used for evaluating market growth or decline, and as such the position, potential, and
direction of a business.
• Political factors. These include government regulations such as employment laws, environmental
regulations and tax policy. Other political factors are trade restrictions and political stability.
• Economic factors. These affect the cost of capital and purchasing power of an organization.
Economic factors include economic growth, interest rates, inflation, and currency exchange
rates.
• Social factors. These impact the consumer’s need and the potential market size for an
organization’s goods and services. Social factors include population growth, age
demographics, and attitudes towards health.
• Technological factors. These influence barriers to entry, make or buy decisions and investment in
innovation, such as automation, investment incentives, and the rate of technological change.

PEST factors can be classified as opportunities or threats in a SWOT analysis. It is often useful to
complete a PEST analysis before completing a SWOT analysis.

Intuitive thinking involves a more spontaneous, instinctive, and unplanned process of solving
a problem. Evaluation of the situation and the perceived alternative course of action are
quick and board. Actions and decisions spring from hunches and gut feeling based on
unpremeditated ideas or experiences rather from facts and hard data. This type of thinking
tends to be imaginative and more applicable in situations where facts are insufficient and
previous related decisions are not readily available.

Intuitive thinkers do certain things which other do not. Carolyn Gregorie (2014), senior writer of
The Huffington Post provided the some Things Highly Intuitive People Do Differently. The
following activities are as follows:

1. Listening to an inner voice. They pay attention to intuition and allow it to guide them.

2. Taking time to be alone and to reflect. Spending time in solitude is their way of
engaging in deeper thoughts and creative thinking. It is also called “mindfulness”
which means looking into one’s current experience without making judgement.

3. Listening to their bodies. They tune in to their bodies for gut feeling and physical
sensation or emotion associated with intuition.

Page 6 of 8
 Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking in the 21st
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600 Century
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph Grade Level/Section:
MODULE 4 – Strategic Analysis
Subject Teacher:
and Intuitive Thinking

4. Observing everything. They take note of the occurrence of odd things and keep an
eye on the frequency of coincidences, unexpected connections, and instantaneous
decisions or actions done.

5. Paying attention to their dreams. It refers to the way of getting in touch with their
“unconscious thinking process” and of capturing information on how to live their lives.

6. Connecting deeply with others and staying in a positive mood. They can read a
person’s mind through his or her words, feelings, and actions. Avoiding negative
emotions helps boost their intuitive judgement.

Intuitive thinking, possesses characteristics which mostly run-in contrast to analytical thinking.
It is heart-centered, unfocused, and is not time- bound. It views many things simultaneously,
is nonlinear, and is inclined toward the concrete and the real. It efficiently works in dynamic
conditions, under time pressure, and is instantaneous. It works well when the observer has
gained experience in a particular situation and he is ready to act on hunches and feeling,
especially when an explanation is not needed.

The components of intuitive thinking differ from those of strategic analysis and planning.
According to Amy Baylor (1997), there are three components of intuition and intuitive
thinking: immediacy, sensing relationship, and reason.

1. Immediacy - This refers to the timing in intuitive thinking. The time involved in intuitive
thinking is quick where decisions, actions, and solutions come up fast without
planning or deliberation. Baylor quotes George Mandler (1995), named it “mind
popping” when thoughts, ideas, and solutions come to mind non-deliberately.

2. Sensing Relationship - This refers to the establishment or formulation of

connections among ideas. This is basic in intuition. The establishment of
connection is necessary is associated with a person’s knowledge, and

3. Reason - It deals with an intuition that involves a certain type of reasoning.

The 4 Types of Intuitive Thinking

1. 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.
2. 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 firefighters
or bomb technicians.
3. 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.
4. 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.

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 Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking in the 21st
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600 Century
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph Grade Level/Section:
MODULE 4 – Strategic Analysis
Subject Teacher:
and Intuitive Thinking

The table below shows the differences between strategic thinking and intuitive thinking based
on Urgel, E. (2017)
Element Strategic Analysis Intuitive Thinking

Logic Logical mind needed No logical mind needed

Starts from an idea or concept and Focuses on the idea or

Reason
moves on to what can be associated with concept and its attributes
Center Brain-centered Heart-centered

Basis Hard facts, data, instruction Hunch, instinct, gut feeling

Needs time to finish in one or more sittings Spontaneous, quick, finished

Time
or sessions at one time

Tools SWOT, PEST analytical tools and other Experiences

Planning Well-planned unplanned

References:
• Azardon. M. M., Romerosa, P. & Zarate, M. J. (2018). Trends, Networks and Critical Thinking: Vibal
Group Inc.
• Urgel, E. (2017). Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking in the 21st Century Culture Module: DIWA
Learning Systems Inc.
• https://trendsnetworkscriticalthinking.wordpress.com/lesson-3/
• https://znnhs.zdnorte.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Trends-Networks-Module-2.pdf

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