STRATEGIST’S COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVES, INNOVATION, AND COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY IN VIETNAM

Abstract

The main aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between strategists’ intuitive and analytical thinking, innovation, and corporate competitive advantage. This study not only proposes the new model to the academic world but also provides the empirical investigation on the direct and indirect effect of a strategist’s analytic reasoning perspective and strategist’s generative reasoning perspective on innovation and competitive advantage as well as the mediating role of innovation between the strategist’s cognitive perspective of reasoning and corporate competitive advantage. This study conducted questionnaires of 382 samples in state-owned companies, FDI, and private companies in Vietnam. Structure equation modelling was applied through smart PLS to analyse the valid data. The results provide substantial evidence of significant relationships between strategists’ cognitive perspectives of reasoning, innovation, and competitive advantage in the context of State own, FDI, and private companies in Vietnam. Besides, the findings also show that there are non-relationships in the direct effect between product innovation and competitive advantage and between marketing innovation and competitive advantage. Moreover, the research results imply various managerial implications regarding how organizations successfully increase their competitive advantage by increasing their leader’s cognition in management.