The Role of Strategic Thinking in Enhancing Innovation Indicators and Organizational Development in Iranian Sports Federations

Abstract

The objective of this study is to investigate the role of strategic thinking in enhancing innovation indicators and organizational development in Iranian sports federations. This research employed an exploratory mixed-methods approach consisting of qualitative and quantitative phases. Semi-structured interviews with sports managers and experts formed the qualitative phase, analyzed through thematic analysis. Based on qualitative findings, a researcher-developed questionnaire was designed and distributed among managers and specialists of sports federations. The statistical population included senior and middle managers, organizational development experts, and sports governance specialists. Quantitative data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicated that strategic actions derived from strategic thinking had the strongest effect on organizational outcomes, with the path “strategic actions → outcomes” showing a highly significant and strong coefficient. Causal conditions had a significant effect on the core phenomenon, while contextual and intervening conditions significantly strengthened strategic actions. All constructs demonstrated strong factor loadings, reliable measurement indices, satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity, high R² values, and significant Q² predictive relevance. All direct and indirect hypothesized paths in the model were confirmed. The findings underscore that strategic thinking is a multidimensional and influential organizational capability that, when institutionalized within sports federations, can directly and indirectly enhance innovation, strengthen organizational development, improve performance, and increase overall responsiveness.