Strategic Thinking is a manner of strategy-making associated with the creation of a vision for the future…a determination of what the organization should look like. This sometimes includes the questioning of the strategic parameters themselves. Utilizing intuition and creativity, Strategic Thinking is the framework for operational plans.
Strategic Planning, on the other hand, is a programmatic process carried out within the confines of what is to be achieved. It doesn’t question those parameters, but rather works within them, breaking down goals into steps and designing how those steps may be implemented.
In many ways, Strategic Thinking and Strategic Planning are two sides of the same coin. Each by itself is not enough to form a solid strategic management framework. Working hand-in-hand, however, they reap the maximum benefit. While Strategic Thinking can be described as the type of thinking that attempts to determine what an organization should look like in the future, Strategic Planning helps it get there. A good plan is the natural outgrowth of solid thinking.