| Grammar speaks of events occurring in three plains. | | | | for racially distinct schools by racially distinct |
| The past was, the future will happen, and we live now, | | | | administrators. Opposition to LB1024 was high before |
| the present. However, operating in the information age, | | | | its passing, the Governor faced strong opposition for |
| the age of instant global communication, makes the | | | | signing it, the Attorney General believes it is in violation |
| future now. Gates [1] wrote we are citizens of an | | | | of federal law and unconstitutional and Omaha's most |
| information society. He noted that past generations, | | | | famous citizen, Warren Buffet, expressed his strong |
| and past societies found ways to gather information, | | | | opposition.Senator Chambers is the only |
| get more work done, increase life spans, and improve | | | | African-American state senator who is controversial |
| their standards of living. Time was not as critical in | | | | and outspoken. Many of his claims include racially |
| those past ages. A message from a ruler may take | | | | provocative statements against police, school |
| months to arrive by sea courier. The Pony Express | | | | administrators, teachers, and fellow senators. By |
| was six days. Airmail was cross-country overnight. | | | | contrast, to Mayor Ryan, Senator Chambers does not |
| The time span between thought and action are | | | | appear to have a vision based on strategic thinking. |
| virtually unidentifiable today. Although leaders rely on | | | | Senator Chambers' term in the Unicameral ends in |
| collective knowledge sharing, leaders who engage in | | | | 2008 and he cannot run again because of imposed |
| strategic thinking, imagining events as happening rather | | | | term limits.Morgan [10] offers some thoughts on social |
| than will happen, allows them to view the present as | | | | construction of reality. What he writes is people have |
| their personal and organizational future.This paper | | | | images of themselves and these images unfold into |
| considers how important strategic thinking is for | | | | their reality. Two leaders identified thus far have |
| leaders who want to shape their future and the future | | | | diversely different views of reality. One holds a vision |
| of their environment. Strategic thinking is the starting | | | | of what can be for the city while the other fights |
| point for creating vision. Traditional planning gives way | | | | against change using deeply entrenched assumptions |
| to flexible organizational structures that change "on the | | | | of the power of others to shape events.Another |
| fly."Strategy in past generations allowed leaders time | | | | person, a division head of a large First Data |
| for thinking, sensing a vision, clarifying the vision, | | | | Corporation region [11], offered some insight into |
| articulating it to begin considering action plans. | | | | strategic thinking and being visionary. In an impromptu |
| Accepting that the future is no longer an event to | | | | interview, she held that having a focus on what is |
| happen later, this paper explores how leaders think, | | | | possible helped her rise within a company at a time |
| envision, articulate, and plan. How do leaders continue | | | | when it was having serious leadership troubles. When |
| to use strategy to their advantage in a rapidly changing | | | | everyone else was seeking safety, she sought |
| global environment? The answer is in the age of | | | | innovation-providing direction when it appeared there |
| possibilities [2]. Today, as never before we are free | | | | was none. Her member services region is the western |
| from traditional bonds of work, we are free to choose | | | | United States, Canada, and Mexico. She said, "I thrive |
| our futures as well as shape them to suit our own | | | | on chaos. When things look the most confused, I see |
| desires and needs.This age is an extension of Gates' | | | | my division diversified, flattened, with empowered |
| information society. We have the ability to choose our | | | | subordinate managers."Our dialogue continued on |
| reality in a way that never before existed. In the past, | | | | chaos with Kim conceding she manages chaos within |
| a baker's son became a baker. However, many | | | | set organizational plans and policies. This lead to her |
| leaders of the past came from unexpected places. | | | | admission that she is more ordered in her expectations |
| The Biblical King David was the young son tending | | | | and spends more time planning than thinking and |
| sheep (1 Samuel 16:11) and Jesus was just the | | | | creating vision.Strategic PlanningHill and Jones [12] |
| carpenter's son whose mother we know (Matthew | | | | discuss strategic planning with the same cautions of |
| 13:55) [3]. Truman had leadership thrust upon him. | | | | Davis [13]. One concept of planning is doing so under |
| These people saw a point on the horizon but events | | | | uncertainties. In life and business, the only certain is |
| changes their vision. The age of possibilities allows us | | | | uncertainty. Organizations cannot plan for the future |
| to rewrite our future as events dictate.Accepting that | | | | because it is unpredictable. Another consideration is |
| we can change as events dictate suggests that there | | | | planning cannot be a top-management function alone. |
| is a less linear structure in this image and a more | | | | This "ivory tower" planning may result in senior leaders |
| chaotic non-linear structure. Sanders [4] describes an | | | | thinking in a vacuum, being enthusiastic about a plan |
| organizational structure as a known initial condition but | | | | and having no operational realities. Finally, strategic |
| the future appears random. Using the model of the | | | | planning often suffers because planners have a |
| "Lorenz Attractor," she presents a view of interacting | | | | short-range view of the current environment missing |
| and interrelated parts that appear disorderly until a | | | | the dynamics of the competitive |
| closer inspection reveals the spiraling order hidden in | | | | environment.Mintzberg, et al devotes a section to |
| the model. The Gates' information society and the | | | | "Planning's Unplanned Troubles." They explain that |
| Taylor and Wacker age of possibilities do not depend | | | | planning establishes inflexibility. They support the |
| on a linear progression of thought and action and | | | | assertion presented above with the fallacy of |
| Sanders holds the non-linear nature of the new | | | | predetermination. This fallacy says organizations are |
| science of strategic thinking allows us to understand | | | | able to predict the direction of their environment, are |
| natural order on its own terms.StrategyDoes strategy | | | | able to exercise control over the environment, "or |
| have some mythical or mystical property? Leaders | | | | simply to assume its stability." "Because analysis is not |
| and leadership use the word in many contexts, | | | | synthesis, strategic planning has never been strategy |
| perhaps not really acknowledging what strategy is. | | | | making."Reverse course a little, planning is not a bad |
| Therefore, a simple working definition of strategy for | | | | thing when used in cohort with strategic thinking and |
| this paper is the deliberate means of attaining an | | | | visionary leadership. It is applying the controlling element |
| outcome, being visionary.Mintzberg, et al [5] explains | | | | strategy to planning that causes problems. Morgan |
| that strategies inevitably have advantages and | | | | argues in favor of plans and planning when created in |
| disadvantages. The advantage of setting direction is | | | | a visionary framework that can evolve as |
| charting a course; however, the disadvantage is | | | | circumstances change. What they insinuate in relating |
| narrowing vision, hiding dangers. The advantage of | | | | the tail of the "Strategic Termites" is unpredictability of |
| focusing effort is coordination of activity; however, the | | | | organizational structure. An organization's leader does |
| disadvantage is groupthink. Having a definition of the | | | | not need a strategic plan to impose order. Order, like in |
| organization provides understanding of the organization; | | | | a termite colony, emerges in an evolutionary way. |
| however, the definition may hide the complexity of the | | | | Planning is not guided by plans rather by a sense of |
| supporting systems. Having a strategy that provides | | | | know what the organization wants to ultimately |
| consistency establishes order in a way that reduces | | | | achieve. Ideas, action, and events occur separately but |
| ambiguity; however, creative groups appear to operate | | | | self-organizing yet apparently disorganized groups of |
| with little or no consistency.Strategy involves | | | | termites seize the opportunity to initiate change.The |
| paradoxes as the above paragraph suggests. One | | | | Future Depends On ItSeeing the future depends on |
| paradox tells us the story of answers and questions, | | | | foresight. Having a future view and strategically thinking |
| once you think you have all the answers, someone | | | | of the future creates a new paradigm, part of the |
| changes all the questions. Taylor and Wacker state | | | | paradoxes already discussed. One old paradigm |
| this paradox as, "The more you are right, the more | | | | suggests future thought as a prediction and |
| wrong you will be." This contradiction confuses the | | | | development of plans based on the prediction. Making |
| reader, if you are right, how can you be wrong? How? | | | | plans establishes policy necessary to reach the |
| The speed of knowledge accelerated beyond our | | | | predicted future. When the predictions fail to |
| ability to absorb it in our traditional learning | | | | materialize an organization scrambles to recover. |
| pattern.Another paradox for visionary leaders involves | | | | Another paradigm is the invention of the future. This |
| predicting the future. Leaders who are successful | | | | means people both construe and become constrained |
| predictors of the future act as agents destabilizing the | | | | by the structures they enact and change through |
| present. Taylor and Wacker explain that today's | | | | practice. Gaspar [7] refers to the work of Mintzberg, et |
| realities and tomorrows expectations collide. The | | | | al, saying the old paradigms do not work in future |
| allocation of resources between present and future | | | | thinking organizations. She tells us we must integrate a |
| "produce a massive future-based political problem with | | | | strategy that includes patterns and perspectives with |
| huge consequences for the present."Strategy at | | | | planning and positioning.Take a view of American |
| WorkThe State of Nebraska recently made National | | | | companies 100 years ago. Of the top 12 companies |
| news with the passage of LB1024 that, in effect, | | | | 100 years ago, ten dealt in selling commodities. Today, |
| created segregated school sub-districts in Omaha. The | | | | of the top 12 U.S. companies, three deal in |
| bill was the Unicameral's way to defeat intercity | | | | commodities. The remaining nine companies deal in |
| lawsuits claiming "One City - One School District." The | | | | services, manufacturing, and high technology [14]. The |
| City of Omaha annexed several small suburban | | | | only thing certain is change and business leaders must |
| communities to its west, provides police, fire, and city | | | | learn to cope with it in order to manage it. Coping with |
| services to these communities; however, the | | | | change and managing it mean businesses can profit |
| communities remained independent school districts.The | | | | from it. The future of business is knowledge driven. |
| City of Bellevue annexed several Sanitary | | | | Countries must be smart, companies must be smart, |
| Improvement Districts (SID) to its west, provides police, | | | | and people must be smart.Countries, companies, and |
| fire and city services to these incorporated SIDs. | | | | people must be equally smart at the same time. To |
| Previous mayors and city councils of Bellevue and | | | | win the future game, each of the three must anticipate |
| Papillion drew arbitrary boarders marking the fringes of | | | | and adapt to change in order to manage it effectively. |
| the two cities school districts in, what were then, | | | | Mayor Ryan admitted that government is slow to |
| unincorporated zones. Population growth attached | | | | change. By example, he cited the city council |
| itself close to Bellevue. Now, Bellevue's city limits | | | | established a steering committee to investigate |
| extend beyond the school district boarders. Therefore, | | | | whether the city needed to spend money for |
| Bellevue claims "One City - One School District."By | | | | computers in the mayor's office. The city has a web |
| passing this bill, Senator Chambers [6] acknowledged | | | | presence but the city council did not adopt an intra- |
| formal segregation of the districts. LB1024 created two | | | | and inter-city email system until the steering committee |
| super-districts, one in Omaha, and one in Bellevue. In | | | | received confirmation from surrounding cities of their |
| Omaha, the super-district has three independent | | | | system usage. The mayor is 72; by contrast, the |
| sub-districts. The independent sub-districts have | | | | average age of the city council is about 63. Mayor |
| authority over teacher hiring, measures of teacher | | | | Ryan recognizes the value of technology and |
| student success under federal No Child Left Behind, | | | | aggressively seeks younger citizens to enter city |
| and administration of their own budget. The | | | | government. He hopes forward thinking younger |
| super-district has academic authority over the smaller | | | | people will drive the risk adverse council toward active |
| sub-districts.The strongest supporter of the LB1024 is | | | | and aggressive risk management.Senator Chambers is |
| the State's strongest proponent of desegregation. | | | | the longest serving Senator in the Nebraska |
| Why did Senator Ernie Chambers of the State's 11th | | | | Unicameral. He is 69 years old and suffered racial slurs |
| district support the bill? He claimed the Omaha school | | | | and isolation from fellow senators when he took office. |
| district is already segregated. Segregation re-occurred | | | | Slurs and threats, chalked on his capitol office door, |
| with the end of bussing in 1999. Yet, no Omaha high | | | | remain and he considers these a badge. He does not |
| school is more than 48 percent African | | | | appear on the senate floor in suit and tie. He wears |
| American.Bellevue Mayor Jerry Ryan acknowledged | | | | blue jeans and sweat shirts in protest to conformity. |
| the drain on city funds fighting to redraw school district | | | | However, Senator Chambers seems to exist in an era |
| lines. The fight in Bellevue and Papillion is over federal | | | | when racism and segregation were the norm. He |
| dollars to schools with a population of children of | | | | rarely seeks coalition with other senators preferring to |
| military families. Offutt Air Force Base is located near | | | | be a voice of defiance [15].These two leaders view |
| Bellevue and military dependent children attend | | | | the future differently. While one hopes to achieve the |
| elementary and secondary schools in both cities. | | | | future by recruiting younger forward thinking people |
| Redrawing district lines would result in more federal | | | | into the political system, the other remains rooted in the |
| money to the Bellevue Public School District.Strategic | | | | past. Neither manages the future proactively but |
| Thinking and VisionReading the paragraphs above | | | | approach the future based on present and past |
| may leave the reader asking, "What were they | | | | experiences not through information seeking, strategic |
| thinking?" Recall the paradox of predicting the future | | | | thinking, and visionary mental modeling.ConclusionThis |
| affects the present in adverse ways, yet successful | | | | paper discussed strategy, strategic thinking and vision |
| leaders operate as though the future is now.Another | | | | making, planning, and the future. These are not |
| view is that nothing turns out exactly as expected. | | | | separate activities although the discussion presents |
| This may leave leaders in an action quandary: | | | | them individually. By recognizing the Lorenz Attractor |
| Strategic thinking in the midst of shifting paradigms | | | | as a spiral of interacting parts of an organization, one |
| servers to help organizations "identify, respond to, and | | | | can also find this model fits a non-linear process of |
| influence changes in its environment."Strategic thinking | | | | thinking, vision, and planning. Seeing the future as an |
| allows leaders to think in terms of opportunities to | | | | evolving present helps leaders comprehend that rigid |
| innovate and influence their future and the future of | | | | policies based on formalized strategic plans inhibit |
| their organization. Strategic thinking aids in | | | | response to change.Strategic thinking and vision |
| abandonment of policies and procedures that are | | | | creation suggests that leaders continually test their |
| outdated, obsolete, or ineffective.Strategic thinking is | | | | mental model with new thinking and questioning - |
| having an awareness of what has not yet taken | | | | progressively looping thinking, vision, and new |
| shape, having foresight. Foresight has a facet that is | | | | information into new thinking. This cycle process allows |
| an individual ability and behavior and it can be a | | | | leaders to anticipate disruptions in the business cycle. |
| process or activity in business. On a macro level, | | | | Leaders who question themselves asking, "what if ..." |
| foresight is a global practice. Note, reaching a macro | | | | know "what if ..." These leaders are future seeking and |
| level must pass from micro - individual, through mezzo | | | | organizations employing these leaders are future |
| - organizational, to reach macro. Foresight starts with | | | | seeking learning organizations prepared to change |
| the individual leader seeing or sensing something better | | | | before change occurs.This paper does not deny the |
| [7].Foresight is more than vision; it is visionary. Being a | | | | value of planning as part of a strategic process. |
| visionary leader means being provocative and | | | | However, rigid planning that does not calculate the |
| questioning rather than seeing answers. Mintzberg, et al | | | | shifting horizon of organizational development leaves |
| (1998) calls upon visionary leaders to operate on | | | | the company questioning, "What happened," rather |
| emotional and spiritual resources, values, aspirations, | | | | than "what's happening."Foresight allows for strategic |
| and commitment. Leaders need a mental image, build a | | | | management, forecasting and positioning of an |
| mental model of a desirable future state. The visionary | | | | organization. The outcome from foresight in business is |
| state is as simple as a dream or complex as a written | | | | the anticipated future becoming an inevitable |
| document outlining the dream in measurable | | | | future.References:1. Gates, B. (1996). The Road Ahead. |
| steps.Visionary leaders must next translate the dream | | | | New York: Penguin Books.2. Taylor, J., Wacker, W. |
| of the desirable future state into a vision they can | | | | with Means, H. (2000). The Visionary's Handbook: Nine |
| share with the organization. Sharing a vision must be | | | | Paradoxes that will Shape the Future of Your |
| proactive, must be like a theater performance. | | | | Business. New Youk: Harper-Collins Publishers, Inc.3. |
| Mintzberg, et al addresses performance by the leader | | | | Holy Bible. New International Version. Bible Online. |
| as a rehearsal. Rehearsal is the practice of the vision, | | | | Retrieved from Sanders, T. I. (1998). Strategic Thinking |
| learning everything they can about the vision. Upon | | | | and the New Science: Planning in the midst of chaos, |
| becoming comfortable in rehearsal, the leader must | | | | complexity, and change. New York: The Free Press.5. |
| openly perform the vision. Performance brings a | | | | Mintzberg, M. Ahlstrand, B. & Lampel, J. (1998). Strategy |
| dream to life; however, performance has no value | | | | Safari: A guided tour through the wilds of strategic |
| without the attending audience. The organizational | | | | Management. New York: The Free Press.6. Gaspar, J. |
| audience views the performance while feeling | | | | (2005, August 21-24). Corporate foresight - an attempt |
| empowered to mimic the performance. Organizational | | | | to listen to the voices futures' generations in the |
| mimicking of the performance serves as a starting | | | | strategy making process. Future Studies Department, |
| point for transformation to a higher state of | | | | Corvinus University of Budapest. Retrieved June 15, |
| consciousness, becoming, as Senge [8] describes, a | | | | 2006 from J. Ryan (personal communication, April 28, |
| learning organization.Bellevue, Nebraska is the third | | | | 2006) in discussion of mayoral leadership strategy in a |
| largest city in the state. Eight years ago, Jerry Ryan | | | | metropolitan community.8. Senge, P. M. (1990). The Fifth |
| made his first run for Bellevue Mayor winning an | | | | Discipline: The art & practice of the learning |
| election against a popular mayor. Bellevue's population | | | | organization. New York: Currency and Doubleday.9. |
| in 1998 was about 29,000. Improvements in | | | | Morgan, G. (1993). Imaginization: The Art of Creative |
| transportation, cost of housing and housing | | | | Management. Newbury Park: Sage Publishing, Inc.10. Hill, |
| developments, and growth in retail and commercial | | | | C. W. L. & Jones, G. R. (1998). Strategic Management: |
| ventures has caused an explosion in population to | | | | An integrated approach. Boston: Houghton Mifflin |
| almost 50,000 with an extended sphere of services | | | | Company.11. Davis, S. (1996). Future Perfect. Reading, |
| into not yet annexed developments of an additional | | | | MA: Addison-Wesley.12. Ong Teck Mong, T. (2006, |
| population of about 15,000.In the May 2006 primary, | | | | May 7). Anticipating and Managing Change: The Key to |
| Mayor Ryan [9] ran against a field of opponents. | | | | Future Success. Asian Institute of Management 37th |
| Mayor Ryan ran on the ideal that Bellevue has | | | | Commencement Ceremonies. Retrieved June 16, 2006 |
| reached a size that requires a full time mayor devoted | | | | from Ernie Chambers. (2006). Wikipedia. Retrieved |
| to the city. Opponents, all in their seventies, do not | | | | May 31, 2006 from Blackman, D. A. and Henderson, S. |
| share his view. Mayor Ryan won the majority of | | | | (2004). How foresight creates unforeseen futures: the |
| primary votes telling the city his vision. In interview with | | | | role of doubting. Futures, 36. 253-266.15. Johnson, T. A. |
| Mayor Ryan, he expressed how hard it is to run a city | | | | (2000). An Intellectual and Political Biography of |
| of 50,000 part-time. "Citizens think I run the city. They | | | | Nebraska State Senator Ernest Chambers: Activist, |
| are not aware that it is the City Council that approves | | | | Statesman, and Humanist, 1937-. Plains Humanities |
| all action. And, the City Council doesn't want a full time | | | | Alliance: Events. Retrieved May 31, 2006 from Nadler, |
| mayor," said Ryan in interview. "If there is one thing I've | | | | D. A. and Tushman, M. L. (1997). Competing by Design: |
| failed to do," said Ryan, "is adequately share my | | | | The Power of Organizational Architecture. New York: |
| thinking and vision within the council."In the "One City - | | | | Oxford University Press.17. Somasegar (No First |
| One School District" battle in Omaha, the school district | | | | Name) (2006, January 21). Strategic Thinking. Retrieved |
| argued that incorporation of suburban districts into | | | | June 2, 2006 from Hoffman is a student at Regent |
| Omaha would create a broader tax base, allow for | | | | University studying toward a Doctor of Strategic |
| creation of magnet schools throughout the district, and | | | | Leadership, holds a MA, Leadership and BS, |
| more equitably share resources. Senator Chambers, in | | | | Organizational Communication. He is an adjunct at |
| support of LB1024, argued that schools already | | | | Bellevue University and Metropolitan Community |
| segregated would have more administrative control | | | | College. |
| over their districts to create educational opportunities | | | | |