Developing a Strategic Thinking Model for the Presidents of Iraqi Sports Federations

Authors

  • Abbas Nazarian Madavani Associate Professor, Department of Sports Management, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Tehran, Iran Corresponding author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1219-5389
  • Mohammad Abbas Taha MA student, Department of Sports Management, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Tehran, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0007-7281-9276
  • Meysam Rahimizadeh Assistant Professor, Department of Sports Management, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Tehran, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6882-5592

Keywords:

Strategic Thinking, Sports Federations, Fuzzy Delphi, Interpretive Structural Modeling, Sport Management, Iraq

Abstract

The present study aimed to develop a strategic thinking model for the presidents of Iraqi sports federations by identifying and validating its key components and determining the structural relationships among them. This applied study employed a sequential exploratory mixed-method design conducted in three stages. In the first stage, the initial dimensions and indicators of strategic thinking were identified through a review of the literature and qualitative content analysis. In the second stage, the fuzzy Delphi method was used to screen and validate the extracted indicators. The expert panel consisted of 23 sports federation presidents, senior sport managers and experts, university faculty members, and specialists in sport and strategic management who were selected purposively. Expert judgments were converted into triangular fuzzy numbers and defuzzified using the centroid method, with 0.50 considered as the acceptance threshold. In the third stage, Interpretive Structural Modeling was applied to determine the relationships among the final indicators. The Structural Self-Interaction Matrix, initial and final reachability matrices, driving power, dependence, and hierarchical levels were calculated. The fuzzy Delphi results showed that 11 of the initial 23 indicators were retained. Hypothesis orientation and the shaman role received the highest defuzzified scores of 0.87, followed by systems perspective and searching for unspoken questions with scores of 0.80. Interpretive Structural Modeling showed that systems perspective, with a driving power of 11 and dependence of 1, was the most fundamental factor in the model. In contrast, creating generative and sustainable cycles, with a driving power of 1 and dependence of 11, was the most dependent outcome. The final model consisted of 10 hierarchical levels, with strategic intent, the shaman role, thinking in time, and hypothesis orientation functioning as important intermediary factors. Strategic thinking among presidents of Iraqi sports federations has a hierarchical structure that begins with systems perspective and progresses through leadership, temporal, hypothesis-based, and positional capabilities toward win-win relationships and sustainable cycles of value creation.

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How to Cite

Nazarian Madavani, A., Taha, M. A. ., & Rahimizadeh, M. . (1406). Developing a Strategic Thinking Model for the Presidents of Iraqi Sports Federations. Journal of Study and Innovation in Education and Development, 1-36. https://jsied.org/index.php/jsied/article/view/668