Avoiding mediocrity with critical thinking

As a result, company decision makers are turning more regularly to external consultants to assist in environmental scanning and analysis, trend forecasts and competitor analysis so as to support the overall direction of the business by making informed decisions.

This creates a demand for consultants who specialise in communication strategies, who are able to read a trend, who are up to date, and are linked to considerable networks of information so as to improve quality and international competitiveness within an organisation.

Unfortunately, what is often found is that consultancies are seen to advise companies on best practices to be implemented within the organisation; these concepts usually consist of the commonly acknowledged best practises currently being institutionalised within the industry.

This process can frequently lead to mediocrity, as the best practises being applied within a business are often the standard practises of the market, as consultants are seen to advocate similar concepts to competitors.

This results in companies remaining on an equal level within the industry with none being able to obtain a competitive edge over its counterparts. So although these organisations have implemented an acceptable strategy that allows for sound business operation, no control is being taken of the market as competitors are found to be competing along side one another.

Business and communication strategies should not result in market standardisation, but rather domination. The function of a superior strategy is to allow an organisation to gain advantage over its competitors and to continuously widen the gap in the medium to long term. The goal of any business strategy should therefore be market primacy.

To achieve this, companies need to set themselves apart from their competitors by changing the game to its advantage. This requires the formulation and implementation of a critical thinking process that allows it to "outthink" its closest competitors by charting the future direction of the organisation

A business cannot imitate its competitor's tactics, but should rather excel in its competitors' area of excellence. Companies therefore need to examine their current strategy as well as those of their competitors, the environment in which they operate and the course that the business is to pursue in the long term.

By undertaking these assessments and procedures, businesses are able to make reliable, rational decisions on an ongoing basis, placing it ahead of its competitors in the marketplace.

Strategic thinking and communication should therefore be viewed as a dynamic process that comprises all components of business. Effective decision making and strategic thinking are required to determine which steps need to be taken to gain a competitive advantage in the industry and must be flexible enough to meet the demands of a continually changing environment.