Strategic thinking ability: Cognitive and personality effects

Kimberly Carbo Pellegrino, Louisiana Tech University

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore an individual's ability to think strategically. Specifically, it was proposed that variables such as critical thinking, creative thinking, openness to experience, independence of thought, intuition, and risk-taking determine an individual's ability to think strategically.

This study contends that strategic thinking ability has been conspicuously overlooked in the field of strategic research. No definition for strategic thinking ability existed in the literature. The term "strategic thinking ability" was defined in this study as the ability to acquire knowledge surrounding a strategic issue for use in strategic management and strategic decision making. This research was an analysis of the personal characteristics an individual must possess in order to participate in strategic thinking.

The data used in the reported study were acquired from a questionnaire that was distributed to 254 students at a southeastern university. Fourteen hypotheses were tested using stepwise multiple regression.

Results indicate that intuition, autonomy, and risk-taking are related to an individual's ability to think strategically. These findings provide a possible means of determining those individuals who have the ability to think strategically.