Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Intellectual ...

Strategic Thinking Dimensions in Emergent Economies
Business Education
Constantin Bratianu 1 and Valentin Hapenciuc 2 , Ivona Orzea 1 , Ruxandra
Rauliuc 2 and Ovidiu Ghita 2
1
Academy <strong>of</strong> Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania
2
Stephen <strong>the</strong> Great University <strong>of</strong> Suceava, Romania
cbratianu@yahoo.com
Abstract: Knowledge Management focused mostly on knowledge as <strong>the</strong> main business resource and
competitive advantage. Less attention has been directed toward <strong>the</strong> way managers process knowledge using
<strong>the</strong>ir thinking patterns in decision making. Practice demonstrated many times that at <strong>the</strong> heart <strong>of</strong> any managerial
process is <strong>the</strong> decision making, and that <strong>the</strong> effectiveness <strong>of</strong> any decision depends directly on <strong>the</strong> power <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
thinking pattern used by managers. These thinking patterns constitute a result <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> education system,
especially <strong>the</strong> university business education. The purpose <strong>of</strong> this paper is to present results <strong>of</strong> our research
concerning <strong>the</strong> way in which university business education contributes directly to <strong>the</strong> developing <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> strategic
thinking process for business in emergent economies. We designed a questionnaire containing 47 items able to
reveal <strong>the</strong> dimensions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> strategic thinking pattern we consider <strong>of</strong> being significant for <strong>the</strong> managers in this
new knowledge economy. These dimensions are <strong>the</strong> following: time, complexity, uncertainty, and innovation. On
<strong>the</strong> time dimension we considered three main thinking models: inertial thinking, dynamic thinking and entropic
thinking. On <strong>the</strong> complexity dimension we considered <strong>the</strong> linear and nonlinear models. Linearity is characteristic
for <strong>the</strong> tangible economy while <strong>the</strong> nonlinearity is a specific property <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> intellectual capital. On <strong>the</strong> dimension
<strong>of</strong> uncertainty we deal with deterministic and probabilistic models. In business, events are not certain and <strong>the</strong>re is
always a degree <strong>of</strong> uncertainty. Finally, on <strong>the</strong> innovation dimension we are looking for intelligent and creative
thinking models. In <strong>the</strong> knowledge management <strong>the</strong> process <strong>of</strong> knowledge creation is directly related to <strong>the</strong>
creative thinking models. We distributed 5000 questionnaires to <strong>the</strong> students in <strong>the</strong> main schools <strong>of</strong> business
from our country and obtained back 3240 questionnaires. We processed <strong>the</strong>se questionnaires using <strong>the</strong> SPSS
program, and interpreted <strong>the</strong> results in <strong>the</strong> perspective <strong>of</strong> business education.
Keywords: business education, complexity, innovation, strategic thinking, thinking patterns, uncertainty
1. Introduction
It is axiomatic that we understand <strong>the</strong> complexity <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> external world by using thinking models
(Bratianu, 2007; Bratianu & Murakawa, 2004; Ohmae, 1982), or mental models (Gharajedaghi, 2006;
Johnson-Laird, 1983; Senge, 1990; Sherwood, 2002). According to Senge, “Mental models are
deeply ingrained assumptions, generalizations, or even pictures or images that influence how we
understand <strong>the</strong> world and how we take action.” (Senge, 1990, p.8). These models are developing
continuously from our childhood through education in family, in school, in university and by direct
experience <strong>of</strong> life. They are at <strong>the</strong> interface between <strong>the</strong> inner world <strong>of</strong> knowledge <strong>of</strong> any individual
and <strong>the</strong> external world. Thus, <strong>the</strong> more powerful <strong>the</strong>se thinking models are, <strong>the</strong> better our
understanding <strong>of</strong> what happens in our environment and <strong>the</strong> more knowledgeable we become. For
leaders and managers, making decisions in emergent economies or turbulent business environments
it is necessary to develop <strong>the</strong>ir strategic thinking. According to Ohmae (1982, p.78) “Top management
and its corporate planners cannot sensibly base <strong>the</strong>ir day-to-day work on blind optimism and apply
strategic thinking only when confronted by unexpected obstacles. They must develop <strong>the</strong> habit <strong>of</strong>
thinking strategically, and <strong>the</strong>y must do it as a matter <strong>of</strong> course.” That emphasizes <strong>the</strong> importance <strong>of</strong>
education in developing <strong>the</strong> pattern <strong>of</strong> strategic thinking, especially in this new knowledge economy.
Knowledge economy is shifting <strong>the</strong> interests from traditional tangible resources to <strong>the</strong> new valuable
intangible resources. Knowledge became <strong>the</strong> most important strategic resource <strong>of</strong> many companies
that are searching intelligent ways for creating competitive strategies (Becerra-Fernandez &
Sabherwal, 2011; Bratianu & Orzea, 2010; Jashapara, 2011; Roos, Pike & Fernstrom, 2005;
Wickramasinghe & Geisler, 2009). As Porter noted, “Competitive strategy is <strong>the</strong> search for a favorable
competitive position in an industry, <strong>the</strong> fundamental arena in which competition occurs. Competitive
strategy aims to establish a pr<strong>of</strong>itable and sustainable position against <strong>the</strong> forces that determine
industry competition” (Porter, 1985, p.1). Successful companies develop strategic groups <strong>of</strong> experts
searching for possible future business dynamics, and take measures for being prepared for <strong>the</strong>se
future challenges.
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