The Role of Strategic Awareness in Developing the Practice of Strategic Foresight in Business Organizations -Epistemological Perspective-

Abstract

Current research aimed at investigating the role of strategic awareness in developing the practice of strategic foresight in business organizations; in an attempt to cope with an intellectual dilemma summarized in that the practice of strategic foresight is still very limited in business organizations in general and in Arab business organizations in particular, for three reasons, first: its novelty and lacking its awareness; second: anxiety towards the future; third: nature of consideration to the future. Furthermore, to achieve the foregoing, the qualitative approach was used employing the epistemological prospective, because this prospective fathoms on rooting the knowledge for exploring factors, variables, and dimensions affecting the stimulation to use the strategic foresight, and reduce the barriers to practicing this prospective in the lived reality thru stimulating out-of-the-box thinking on the one hand, and increase the cognitive movement sensibly, analytically, critically, synthetically, and evaluative on the other hand. Yet, as for the study sample, it was purposive consisting of many studies, literature, documents, and documented experiments that were predetermined and purposively. However, the research reached a number of conclusions most notably: that strategic awareness plays a (synergistic) role to strategic foresight from the realism simulation perspective. This research depends on the reliable knowledge already gathered from people of knowledge and books. Whereas, strategic awareness plays the (influential) role of strategic awareness from the rationalism simulation perspective which uses logical knowledge that inquires into the fact thru knowing the cause. The research has presented several recommendations first of which: the necessity to invest in the relation of strategic awareness with strategic foresight to activate the synergistic role thru stimulating critical thinking where this type of thinking would help in developing the area of strategic foresight. As well as to activate the influential role thru developing creative thinking, because this thinking encourages the detection of new relations, the adoption of authentic solutions, and the capability to sense problems.