Designing and Explaining the Content and Strategic Elements of the Strategic Thinking Competency Model (Case Study: the National Iranian Gas Company)

Subject Areas : Strategic Management Researches

mirzahasan hosseini ¹ , Mohammad Mahmoodi Meymand ² , Mohammad Taghi Amini ³ , nima rahmani ⁴

1 - Professor of Business Management, Payame Noor, University of Tehran.
2 - Associate Professor of Executive Management and MBA, Payame Noor University of Tehran
3 - Associate Professor of Business Management, Payame Noor, University of Tehran
4 - PhD Student in Management, Graduate Studies Center, Payame Noor University, Tehran (Corresponding Author)

Received: 2018-01-17 Accepted : 2018-03-10 Published : 2019-05-22

Keywords: Insight, thinking strategies, organizational competency, environmental contingencies, expected outcomes,

Abstract :

Strategic thinking studies have been developed over the past two decades mainly in two branches of psychology and management. Late researchers have proposed a hybrid approach that has led to the development of an organizational competency. To this end, the purpose of this study was to develop a process model of strategic thinking as an organizational competency and in terms of two dimensions of content and strategy for managers of Gas Company, as its content and strategic elements, based on environmental requirements and the underlying factors. This research was carried out within the framework of a qualitative approach that was explained through the Grounded Theory and coding of the meta-synthesis of elements and components of the competence of strategic thinking. To this end, data was collected using a targeted sampling method and semi-structured interviews with experts as well as a snapshot of documents. Then, concepts and effective categories were extracted through theoretical coding with a systematic approach, as well as meta-synthesis questionnaires. Consequently, a general proposition that expresses the conceptual and generalized relationships between the components of the model of competence of strategic thinking is presented. The findings showed that the content dimension (central category) of strategic thinking, which was named as insight, includes five divergent ways of thinking that aim to produce creative and effective strategic options. And thinking strategies, which include six convergent and goal-oriented ways of thinking, select effective strategic options with an analytical approach. Also, the content dimension of strategic thinking (insight) is necessary in response to environmental requirements and through thinking strategies, develops organizational capabilities in accordance with environmental requirements.

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