Rethinking Strategic Thinking Through the Lens of Strategic Coherence

Abstract

In light of the rapidly evolving complexities in strategic management and organizational behaviour, the aim of this research is to explore the conceptualization of strategic thinking in the context of innovative developments that have occurred in the research field over the past decades. This study is a follow-up upon the findings of a bibliometric analysis of publications between 1962 and 2024 obtained from the Scopus database and conducted to investigate shifts and trends in the research landscape of strategic thinking. Key conceptual shifts were identified through a co-occurrence analysis with a minimum threshold of 3. The study was also complemented with a qualitative analysis that offered a richer exploration of strategic thinking as a multidimensional construct. The research indicates that strategic thinking is no longer the sole purview of the C-suite but rather is being pushed down throughout the organization. Within this paper, four key dimensions of strategic thinking were identified: (1) analytical reasoning, (2) systems thinking, (3) strategic intuition, and (4) creativity – each critical to decision-making under uncertainty. Beyond mapping these dimensions, we demonstrate how they interact to produce strategic coherence – defined as the mutually compatible configuration of meanings, choices, and resource deployments that shape long‑term advantage. The research also explains how digital transformation and AI-based decision augmentation transformed strategic thinking from a rigid, top-down function to a dynamic, distributed, and ecosystem-centric model. An outcome of this is that strategic decision-making has become more dynamic, with employees at all tiers now expected to engage in strategic thinking. Drawing on these insights, along with an analysis of the strategic choices laying ahead, the paper outlines an alternative understanding of strategic thinking that takes into consideration both real-world and technological dimensions of it. This refinement in conceptualization enhances literature in strategic management and organizational psychology by showing that leaders must strengthen their muscle of strategic agility, digital literacy, and navigating uncertainty in pluralistic business ecosystems. The paper closes by outlining leadership‑development, strategic‑learning, and policy implications that flow from a strategically coherent mindset.