Industrial and Commercial Training

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to present a practical case study of a mid-size Indian organisation, where the whole brain thinking (WBT) approach has been successfully used to align strategy to development needs, based on a simple but powerful model, the ST-IM™; the authors also share how WBT has been useful in increasing the effectiveness of the implementation of key strategic projects.

Design/methodology/approach – The approach was to engage the wider team (leadership and managers) in the formulation and implementation of strategic goals by making them aware of their thinking preferences/mindsets through a collaborative approach to working. Project teams were then formed and the project plan – right from the project definition to the milestones – was created, using the whole brain walk around. This approach helped managers to identify “gaps” and bridge these gaps. The Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI^®) was used as a tool to “colour” the organisation (the leadership team and all managers).

Findings – There was a high degree of acceptance of the WBT concept and the HBDI profiles generated among managers at all levels. This acceptance of their own thinking preferences as well as avoidances has led to managers being willing to become more flexible in their thinking – to become more “situationally whole brained” when required, leading to a visibly higher degree of success of implementation of projects.

Originality/value – The ST-IM model demonstrates a practical way for organisations to engage the potential of a much wider team in the implementation of strategies.