Overthinking
Anything excessive, such as "overthinking" many events in the last election, is not good.
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The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI. The original article can be found in Berpikir Berlebih
Three-dimensional image of the human brain
According to Smith & Alloy (2009), overthinking is a condition where people think too much about one's life, choices and experiences. This condition often causes analysis paralysis, which makes decision making very difficult.
The state of overthinking can occur when the mind works too hard, constantly thinking about possibilities, potential outcomes, and worst-case scenarios. Some of the triggers for overthinking are perfectionism, fear of failure, negative experiences in the past, and feelings of low self-esteem.
"Overthinking can be dangerous as when someone thinks too much, they may constantly dwell on past events, worry too much about the future, and often second-guess themselves. They may spend a lot of time and energy analyzing every detail of a situation, which can lead to mental exhaustion and hinder their ability to make clear decisions."
Overthinking can certainly happen to everyone and is dangerous because it can have an impact on a person's mental health and overall well-being. What's more, the results of ideas, the results of analysis from overthinking which should be based on excessive worry then become excessive analysis too.
It's even worse if the ideas and analysis are then spread on social media which many people read, because they think that social media is the one that is believed to be a channel for spreading ideas and analysis. What happens is that overthinking spreads quickly like a virus.
After the election period, the overthinking virus has the potential to spread. At least, in every successful team or winning team of a candidate pair, there are also sympathizers who transform into impromptu observers and personal advocacy (personal defense).
”Overthinking” and corporate strategy
If overthinking is in the realm of individuals and general society as above, is it possible for it to happen on a company scale? Should overthinking be caused in making company strategy?
There is a lot of potential for overthinking in preparing company strategy. When starting to carry out an analysis, generally the internal conditions of the company are evaluated and assessed, then the external conditions of the company. That is the most popular analysis, namely SWOT analysis.
Internal conditions are of course a rational analysis because the person who best understands the company's strengths and weaknesses is the company itself. The potential opportunity for overthinking actually appears greater when external analysis is carried out, regarding opportunities (opportunities) and most importantly challenges (threats).
Factors from outside the company are things that cannot be controlled (uncontrollable), so many assumptions will arise, and all kinds of scenarios will soon emerge.
Therefore, overthinking of company strategy is a condition that refers to excessive analysis and contemplation of various possibilities and scenarios for the direction and goals of a company. This often leads to indecision and inaction, as the process of overthinking can create a multitude of options and potential outcomes.
This often leads to indecision and inaction.
To avoid excessive thinking about corporate strategy, it is important to establish a clear decision-making process and set realistic goals and targets. Seeking input from various stakeholder groups and utilizing market research data can help provide a more objective perspective. Realistic and objective are the keywords here.
There are several steps or points to avoid overthinking in the company, especially in preparing company strategy.
The first, of course, is to carry out careful analysis, not based on excessive assumptions. Having complete and accurate data and also the ability to process it (data mining) certainly provides better certainty so that predictions can be made more precisely and accurately.
The second is to trust the competence and experience of the leadership team and not second-guess every decision. Leadership plays an important role. However, it is dangerous if the leadership team has been affected by overthinking, so the leadership team should ideally be free from the overthinking virus.
The leadership team should ideally be free from the 'overthinking' virus.
Overall, finding a balance between thorough analysis and decisive actions is key to avoiding overthinking about corporate strategies. By focusing on the most important priorities and aligning them with the company's overall vision, leaders can move forward with confidence and clarity.
Looking for perfection is normal, but it is also important to realize that there is no perfect decision or strategy, and adjustments can always be made along the way. Therefore, a company's ability to adapt to a dynamic external and internal environment is crucial.
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Dynamic capability, or the ability to integrate, build, and reconfigure resources, is crucial in understanding competitive advantage in unstable environmental conditions (Eisenhardt and Martin, 2000).
Dynamic capabilities enable firms to maintain their new competencies to meet changing market needs, and include the ability to integrate, learn, and reconfigure internal and external organizational skills and resources (Teeceet al, 1997).
In addition, dynamic capabilities enable, firstly, the sensing and shaping of opportunities. Secondly, the seizing of opportunities. And thirdly, the maintenance of competitiveness through the enhancement, integration, protection, and reconfiguration of intangible and tangible assets (Teece, 2007).
It is important to realize that not all thoughts are bad. It is normal and necessary to consider various options and consequences in decision making. Thinking is an important part of human and corporate existence. It allows humans and companies to understand the dynamic world and environment, plan for the future, and reflect on the past.
However, when patterns of thinking become excessive, repetitive, and negatively focused, it can lead to overthinking and too much rumination. This mental habit represents the dark side of our minds that can have a significant impact on our mental health, productivity, and overall quality of life (Roberts, 2023).
Something that is excessive, such as overthinking in many events in the recent election, as well as in planning company strategy, will be a bad thing.
Sri Bramantoro Abdinagoro is a senior lecturer at the Doctor of Research in Management Program at Binus Business School. He is also a member of the Indonesia Strategic Management Society (ISMC).
Sri Bramantoro Abdinagoro
