Strategic Systems Thinking – Alyasra Foods: An Analysis

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of strategic systems thinking, using Alyasra Foods as a case study. It begins by outlining various approaches to strategic thinking within organizations, emphasizing the importance of understanding strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The essay then delves into the concept of systems thinking, highlighting how it aids in understanding the interconnectedness of organizational components and in resolving complex issues. It further explores the complexity perspective, differentiating between simple and complex systems, and discussing how organizations can adapt to dynamic environments. The essay concludes by examining complex adaptive systems, emphasizing their role in fostering flexibility and responsiveness to change within organizations. The essay integrates concepts from various academic sources to provide a holistic understanding of strategic thinking in a dynamic business environment.

Running head: STRATEGIC SYSTEMS THINKING – ALYASRA FOODS
STRATEGIC SYSTEMS THINKING – ALYASRA FOODS
Name of the Student
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Author Note

1STRATEGIC SYSTEMS THINKING – ALYASRA FOODS
Introduction
The business environment that is present in the modern days tend to be dynamic,
complex and multi-faceted as well. the modern-day business environment is further known to
have developed an impact that is far-reaching. The organizational environment of Alyasra Foods
is as compared to others implements the combination of various factors that affect and surround
it. In order to maintain the proper management of the environment, the concerned business
managers would require to undertake the proper environmental analysis in order to have a proper
analysis regarding the proper analysis of the company (Jarratt and Stiles 2010). The managers
are known to have been undertaking the various analyses in order to deal with the various
situations that have been presented within the given industry. This would help them in the
development of the strategies that are best suited for the better performance of the company.
The systems thinking and the systems theory constitute one of the major factors that help
in the understanding and the guidance of the changes that are required for the proper functioning
of the concerned organizations. The two terms are considered to be interrelated and are helpful in
the examination of the issues that are presented within the organization as well as the given
industry (Jarzabkowski, Balogun and Seidl 2007). This might further lead to the proper decision
making within the given company as well as assists the executional planning within the
organization.
The following essay attempts a discussion on the ways in which the systematic and the
strategic thinking within the organization would help in the development of the organizational
operations. The essay opens with the discussion on the various approaches to the strategic
thinking within the organizations. The essay further proceeds to discusses the concept of the
systems thinking. The essay thereafter discusses the various novel ways of strategic thinking and

2STRATEGIC SYSTEMS THINKING – ALYASRA FOODS
the various complex systems that are adaptive in nature. The essay finally nears a conclusion
with the discussion on the perspectives of the required practices within the organization.
Approaches to Strategic Thinking
The strategies might be referred to the creation of a valuable and unique position within
the given industry and thus involves a varied activity set. The corporate strategy helps the
organization to gain a proper insight among the practices of the company that helps in the
maintenance of the advantage of the company as a whole. The strategic thinking deals with the
issues that are presented in terms of meeting the needs of the people concerned and the and the
proper meeting of the expectations of the stakeholders of the company (Hellmann and Rasche
2006). The implementation of the strategies within the organization, Alyasara Foods Company in
this case, would help in the proper identification of the strengths, weakness, opportunities and
the threats that are posed to the company. The strategic planning also helps in the maximization
of the external opportunities as well as helps in the increasing the internal strengths of the
company and thereby emphasizing on the visions of the organization (Mintzberg and Lampel
1999). The strategic development within the company might be divided in to two different
categories, deliberate strategic development and emergent strategic development.
The activity of strategic thinking refers to the thinking regarding the strategy. The
strategic thinking regards the thought about the purpose and the values alongside the processes,
individual as well as the other resources. The strategic thinking further helps in the perception of
the sphere, the prospect, the basic patterns as well as finds a basis on the context or the setting of
the organization (Gintis 2006). The strategic thinking helps in analyzing the matters in a deep
manner helps in the development of the opportunities as well as assists the highlighting of the
various issues that the organization might have been facing within the given industry. The

3STRATEGIC SYSTEMS THINKING – ALYASRA FOODS
strategic thinking refers to the factors that assist the business leaders to deal with the
organizational improvement within the given industry. The process of strategic thinking is one of
the major proactive processes that might be undertaken to help the company in the creation of a
proper vision for the organization and thereafter implementing the changes that are required
(Uhl-Bien, Marion and McKelvey 2007). The strategic planning requires the concerned business
to conduct a proper analysis of the market conditions that are presented to the company as well
as helps in the development of the performance of the organization, Alyasra Foods in a better
manner. The majority of the strategies that are presented within the organization is helpful in the
development of the long-term goals within the organization as well as helps in setting the pace of
the organization in terms of the goals that are set (Ackoff 2006). The creation of the strategy
therefore helps in the development of the various factors that are related to the organizational
development as a whole.
Systems Thinking
Systems thinking might be defined as the tidy nature of thinking that is implemented
within the given organization. The systems thinking further involves the proper observation of
the mutual relationships that are maintained by the concerned employees of the organization. The
experts suggest that all the organization active all over the world might be designated as systems
that have been working together as a single unit. The other experts further define the system as a
proper and identifiable entity that has been functional with the proper mutual interaction of the
various parts that are responsible for the development of the aptly functional entity (Mitleton-
Kelly 2003). The systems thinking within the organization helps in the development of the
resolution measures that need to be taken in terms of the various complex issues that are faced by
the organization. The individuals tend to deal with the various factors that they might face in the

4STRATEGIC SYSTEMS THINKING – ALYASRA FOODS
course of organizational operations. The various departments that have been operational within
the organization tends to play the role of the various components of the concerned organization
(Mitleton-Kelly 1998). The management of the performance of the organizational workforce, for
example might be considered to be one of the componential entities of the given company that is
considered to be the whole system.
The strategic thinking on the other hand might be described to be one of the major factors
that are related to the assessments of the business environment that is provided to the concerned
company in discussion, Alyasra Foods. The strategic thinking is known to assist the managers of
the company in the synthesizing of the business environment within the company. This would
help the managerial members of the organizational workforce in order to implement the
creativity and the intuition that they might develop regarding any factor. This in turn would help
in the development of the integrated perspective that is undertaken by the decision-making
bodies within the organization in terms of the overall development of the company in discussion
(Chung and McLarney 1999). The assumptions that are undertaken by the managerial members
of the company also play a huge role in the development of the company. The assumptions help
in the development of the newer perspectives within the company and are further known to have
been helpful in throwing proper challenges to the existing systems that are present within the
business entity in discussion, Alyasra Foods. The strategic thinking, according to the experts tend
to be highly dependent on the systems thinking. This might be explained by shedding light on the
fact that the systems within the organization should be understood in a proper manner in order to
set the strategy of an organization. This is helpful in the development of the strategy that is
required for the proper operations within the given organization (Gunaratne 2003). The systems

5STRATEGIC SYSTEMS THINKING – ALYASRA FOODS
thinking within the given business organization is helpful in the development of the strategies
that are implemented within the organization.
Complexity Perspective: New Ways of Thinking About Strategy?
The companies that have been functional in the present-day scenario are known to have
been developing the various strategies that are best suited to the development of the
organizational performance within the given markets. The various organizations active all over
the international markets tend to be broadly classified into the simple systems and the complex
systems. The complex system is majorly classified with the help of the number of various aspects
that are presented within the organization in discussion. On the other hand, the simple systems
are majorly classified with the help of the presence of a single aspect within the system (Reisman
and Oral 2005). The complexity within the organization denotes the various number of the
factors and the aspects that are involved within the organization and does not generally deal with
the difficulty that is presented within the organization due to the presence of a number of aspects
within the organization. The complexity of the given system might be proper cited with the help
of the disintegration of the complex units into the various simple units. This helps in the
resolution of the issues that might arise within the organization (Jarzabkowski and Paul Spee
2009). The issues are also known to have been taking lesser solution times when they are broken
down into the simpler systems.
The implementation of the disintegration of the complex systems tend to help in the
resolution of the issues that are faced by the concerned organizations. The various business
organizations that have been internationally operational tend to be considered to be the systems
as a whole. The complex and the simple systems in the business arena tend to be differentiated
on the basis of the dynamic or the static nature of the followed patterns as well as the certainty or

6STRATEGIC SYSTEMS THINKING – ALYASRA FOODS
the uncertainty factors that are presented within the company in discussion. The complex
business organizations are identified with the help of the incorporation of the changes within the
trends that are followed within the organization (Jacobs 2004). These trends might be refer to
those that are related to the behavior of the clients, the technologies that have been emerging
within the given industry, the competition that is present within the given industry and market
location and the trends of the globalization that are known to have been affecting the company in
a broader aspects.
The complexity within the organizations might be dealt with the implementation of the
decision-making and the system thinking that are continuous as well as strategic in nature. The
multitude of the organizations operational within the international markets might be advised to
implement a certain set of rules and regulations that might be followed by the concerned
organizational workforce in order to deal with the activities of the decision-making within the
company (Presley and Meade 2002). The proper knowledge regarding the certainty and the
dynamism within the organization might further assist the proper selection of the strategy that is
best suited for the company.
Complex Adaptive Systems: Modelling Complexity
The complex adaptive systems that are implemented within the organizations help in the
development of the flexibility within the organizations that help in the adjustments with the
actions and the structures within the dependence within the changing environment. The complex
adaptive systems are known to be the collection of the various individual agents. The freedom of
the individual is known to be unpredictable at times. These actions were known to have been
interconnected. This helps in the development of the changes that are related to the actions of
one of the agents is known to be affected by the actions of the other agents within the similar

7STRATEGIC SYSTEMS THINKING – ALYASRA FOODS
organization. This might be highlighted in terms of the operations of the various non-
governmental organizations that are active all over the organization (Mingers and White 2010).
This various operations within the humanitarian sectors within the given countries. The non-
governmental organizations tend to respond to the various emergency situations that are reported
to the authorities. This leads to the development of the complex adaptive systems within the
organizations.
The organizations that deal in the business activities tend to be described as the systems
or the systematic units that are generally complex in nature. The company in discussion, Alyasra
Foods, is known to have been implementing the complex adaptive systems. The complexity
within the organization due to the implementation of the dynamic nature of the members within
the organization. The other factors that have been affecting the performance of the company
refer to the age, the experiences, preferences, perspectives and the right of the individuals to take
proper decisions within the organizations. This might be helpful in terms of the behavioral
patterns that are counterproductive in nature. This is known to have been normal for the human
beings who have been involved within the given organization as well (Kaspary 2014). This is
also known to have been raising the difficulties in terms of the recognition of the behavioral
patterns that are counterproductive in nature. The company might be discussed to be adaptive in
nature due to the fact that it demonstrates the ability to work with various other organizations
that tend to be inclusive of the suppliers of the organization as well as the various outlets that
help the organization to reach out to the clients of the organization in discussion.
The people serving in the managerial levels of the organization are advised to search and
find solutions that are plausible and effective as well as sustainable in nature. These solutions are
generally effective in case of the various complexities that discusses the offering of the

8STRATEGIC SYSTEMS THINKING – ALYASRA FOODS
procedures and tools the assist the noticeable improvement of the productivity within the
organization. The strategies that need to be implemented within Alyasra Foods should maintain a
proper alignment with the various internal and the external challenges that are faced by the
company (Metcalf and Benn 2013). The strategies should also take into consideration the factors
relevant to the changes and the differences that might take place within the organization.
The Practice Perspective
The strategies that are undertaken by the given organization in discussion tends to deal in
the matters that are implemented within the organizations in the due course of operational time
of the organization. The organizational strategies that are generally undertaken by the given
organization are highly affected by the environmental factors that are presented within the
organization. The major models that are used for the development of the strategies refer to the
models like SWOT Analysis models, PEST analysis models and the BCG analysis models (Hitt,
Haynes and Serpa 2010). These models are known to have been highlighting the major issues
that are related to the various factors in terms of the prioritization of the issues that they
highlight. The managers are advised to implement the tools in order to have a clearer vision
regarding the issues that are faced by the company. This in turn would also help in the
development of the issues that are presented due to the external as well as the internal
environment that is presented to the concerned organization.
The managerial employees are advised to have an in-depth understanding of the various
issues that are presented to the organization in terms of environment that is presented to the
organization both internally and externally. The interaction between the elements of the external
and the internal environment is necessary for the proper functioning of the concerned business

9STRATEGIC SYSTEMS THINKING – ALYASRA FOODS
organization (Bouhali et al. 2015). The majority of the organizations are known to be influenced
by both the internal and the external factors that are presented within the organization.
The organizations tend to implement various models for the environmental analysis.
However, the most popular among them is the SWOT Analysis model and the PEST Analysis
model that are used to analyze the internal and the external environments respectively.
The SWOT Analysis is used for the internal environmental analysis. The name of the
model is an acronym for the components of the model. The components majorly include the
strengths, the weaknesses, the opportunities and the threats that are presented in the overall
performance within the organization (Bull et al. 2016). The SWOT Analysis helps the
managerial employees in the evaluation of the internal resources and the capabilities of the
organization as well as have a clearer highlight for the weaknesses that the organization needs to
overcome in order to gain a proper competitive advantage within the given markets
(Phadermrod, Crowder and Wills 2019).
The PEST Analysis is, on the other hand a tool that is used to analyze the external
environment of the organization (Lu 2018). The PEST Analysis derives its name from an
acronym for the components of the model that include the political, economic, social and the
technological factors that are known to be affecting the concerned business organization
(Valencia, Cardenas and Acevedo 2018). The implementation of this model helps in the proper
analysis of the issues that are presented in the external operations of the organization thereby
affecting the competitive advantage of the company.
Conclusion

10STRATEGIC SYSTEMS THINKING – ALYASRA FOODS
The strategic thinking that needs to be implemented within the organization tends to be
closely influenced by the proper organizational design. The proper strategic design within the
organization tends to deal with the development of the business organization in terms of the
changes that are presented due to the market conditions. The strategic design of the concerned
organization might also be helpful in avoiding the negative impacts of the strategic designs on
the suppliers and the employees of the organization. The strategic thinking is known to assist the
managers of the company in the synthesizing of the business environment within the company.
This would help the managerial members of the organizational workforce in order to implement
the creativity and the intuition that they might develop regarding any factor. This in turn would
help in the development of the integrated perspective that is undertaken by the decision-making
bodies within the organization in terms of the overall development of the company. The
multitude of the organizations operational within the international markets might be advised to
implement a certain set of rules and regulations that might be followed by the concerned
organizational workforce in order to deal with the activities of the decision-making within the
company. The organizational strategies that are generally undertaken by the given organization
are highly affected by the environmental factors that are presented within the organization. The
solutions, that are plausible and effective as well as sustainable in nature, are generally effective
in case of the various complexities that discusses the offering of the procedures and tools the
assist the noticeable improvement of the productivity within the organization. The strategies that
need to be implemented within Alyasra Foods should maintain a proper alignment with the
various internal and the external challenges that are faced by the company.

11STRATEGIC SYSTEMS THINKING – ALYASRA FOODS
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