Big Picture Thinking Examples

• Community Park Project:

  • Detail-Oriented: The town council is considering adding new playground equipment to the local park.

  • Big-Picture Thinking: The town council envisions the park as a central community hub in 10 years. They consider not just the playground, but also walking trails, picnic areas, space for outdoor concerts, and how all these elements will foster community ties and potentially increase local property values.

• School Curriculum Change:

  • Detail-Oriented: A school decides to introduce coding as a subject for 8th graders.

  • Big-Picture Thinking: The school administration thinks about how introducing coding fits into a larger vision of producing tech-savvy graduates ready for the modern job market, potentially attracting more enrollments, and building partnerships with tech companies for internships.

• Company Product Launch:

  • Detail-Oriented: A company is looking to release a new energy drink.

  • Big-Picture Thinking: The company strategizes how this energy drink can be the first in a line of health and wellness products. They consider the long-term trends in health consciousness, potential partnerships with fitness influencers, and the possibility of evolving the brand into a lifestyle choice.

• City Transportation Planning:

  • Detail-Oriented: The city plans to add a new bus route to a developing neighborhood.

  • Big-Picture Thinking: City planners examine how this new route fits into a 20-year plan for an integrated, eco-friendly public transport system, considering future population growth, environmental concerns, and potential shifts towards pedestrian-friendly city centers.

• College Course Offerings:

  • Detail-Oriented: A college is introducing a course on virtual reality (VR) design.

  • Big-Picture Thinking: The college's academic board sees this course as the cornerstone of a future media and technology department, imagining collaborations with gaming companies, research opportunities, and setting the institution up as a leader in emerging tech education.

• Environmental Campaign:

  • Detail-Oriented: An environmental group launches a campaign to reduce plastic straw usage in local restaurants.

  • Big-Picture Thinking: The group views this campaign as the initial step in a larger movement to make the entire town plastic-free, envisioning future collaborations with businesses for sustainable packaging, educating schools on plastic pollution, and eventually influencing local legislation.

These scenarios demonstrate how big-picture thinking is not just about seeing things at scale but about understanding connections, potential future directions, and broader implications.