Strategic leadership - Essay Example

Strategic Leadership Exact Software earlier relied on logic thinking rather than creative thinking in developing and producing their products. Exact Online software was created due to creative thinking, which was expected to have an impact on the way businesses operated. The company’s earlier products were carefully and extensively researched before product designing and production. De Wit and Meyer (2010) explain that logic thinking allows the analysis of factors that will determine the failure or success of a product.

Logical thinking would have allowed for the analysis of the practical facts, and thorough testing of the theories presented, which provides a realistic situation on the ground; thus preventing the development of products that may not be well received by customers as earlier perceived.Through creative thinking, it was envisioned that the Exact Online software would be crucial to the operations of the business. Since it was perceived to be a feasible idea and an innovative product, market research was not conducted to determine the customer’s requirements and views.

Thus, a decision was drawn without sound argumentation of the facts present, and no justification was made to verify if the idea could work.According to de Wit and Meyer (2010), the manager uses his intuition based on his experience in the industry. This intuition gave the bigger picture of how the product would have an impact on business, and consequently, the profit margins of the company. The board bought the idea and made a conclusion without having a rigorous analysis, which increased the speed of implementation of the idea and its subsequent production.

However, the decision for the product production did not have feasible impact, because it did not capture what the customer wanted, thus the lukewarm attitude towards the product.Prior analysis of the product would have had a different outcome on the performance of the Exact Online software in the market. This is one of the points of tension, since market research and subsequent analysis would have brought out the market expectations of the product. Consequently, an appropriate decision would have been drawn based on these facts and arguments and not solely on intuition.

Intuition only focuses on the qualitative information such as the presumed impact of the product and the eventual profits the company would make. This show that intuition can lead to new, innovative product, which if not well research on can lead to negative consequences, and this forms the tension between analysis and intuition.It is necessary to form a bridge between analysis and intuition, which will ensure the success of the product in the market. Therefore, intuition ideas and judgments have to be backed up with appropriate, explicit, coherent analysis.

This means that the manager has to merge logical and creative thinking. Logic thinking will enhance reviewing and analysis of an idea that may have arisen due to creative thinking. Thus, they will be able to see new opportunities and beyond the present models of reality due to detailed research and analysis of facts.According to de Wit and Meyer (2010), it is essential to allow creative thinking to generate imaginative ideas and innovative solutions, and logical thinking that allows for rigorous, comprehensive and consistent, rational thinking.

 Creative thinking allows recognition and seizing of opportunities, but logical thinking allows for analysis and review of these opportunities. Therefore, all innovative ideas and solutions that arise due to opportunities have to allow analysis and research to determine their viability.ReferencesWit, B. and Meyer, R. (2010). Strategy synthesis: Resolving Strategy Paradoxes to Create Competitive Advantage (3nd edition). Andover, Hampshire, United Kingdom: Cengage Learning, EMEA.