Abstract
For strategists working in and for firms, acquiring knowledge about the business world is dependent on a rational process of collecting, organizing, and interpreting information. As such, these individuals are best conceived not as knowers, but as self-directing learners who are motivated to acquire, create, and apply new knowledge. To facilitate these processes, in this paper an axiomatic foundation for strategic thinking is established regarding the nature of the object of strategic thinking, the nature of strategic thinking, and the nature of knowledge. Next, four boundary references set by these axioms are used to establish a new conceptual frame of reference for strategic rationality. Interconnections between the boundary references are subsequently used to infer six canons for strategic rationality. It is concluded that strategic rationality may be found where all references overlap. Finally, to contribute towards greater rationality in strategic management practice, an actionable definition of strategic rationality is formulated that includes all references and canons.
Highlights
Most issues in strategy are, in the final analysis, questions of judgment (Bennis and O'Toole 2005)
The foregoing means that, in strategic thinking, the firm and its environment constitute the object of thinking that is linked to the subject of thinking, being the individual strategist and his or her thinking skills and activities
The research is built on a theoretical base of conceptual truths and axioms regarding the nature of a firm, the nature of strategic thinking, and the nature of knowledge
Summary
Most issues in strategy are, in the final analysis, questions of judgment (Bennis and O'Toole 2005). The foregoing means that, in strategic thinking, the firm and its environment constitute the object of thinking that is linked to the subject of thinking, being the individual strategist and his or her thinking skills and activities Within this micro foundational conception of strategy, the rational strategist needs to develop the thinking and learning paradigms that enable attainment of the said holistic and dynamic perspective. The mental model could be used to hypothesize about where to find the best opportunities for value creation for the firm, or it could be used in a process that is not just about decisions, and about the legitimating of particular choices or practices (Vaara and Whittington 2012) This demand for cognitive flexibility makes the effective use of language paramount; language is what is used to create meaning, to frame action, and to prompt creativity (Dougherty 1993). Strategists are posed here not as knowers, but as self-directing learners who want to counter naive or false beliefs, and who are intrinsically motivated to acquire, create, and apply new knowledge (De Déa Roglio and Light 2009; Rousseau 2012)
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