The measurement of strategic thinking type for top managers in Iraqi public organizations‐cognitive approach

This research suggests that strategic thinking can be measured depending on cognitive logic. By developing Jung’s model, we can reach a new model, which consists of five thinking types of human beings. The strategic thinking type stands at the central part of this model. This is due to the fact that this type of thinking, which has become essential to every modern manager, is the function of all other types of thinking. A strategic thinker is the main changing agent in every organization. The cognitive approach applied refers to thinking as a bridge between the environment and observed behavior. Behavior is a direct reflection of thinking. It is not just a reflection of environment and its stimulus, as behaviorists believe. Strategic process matches cognitive logic much more than behavior logic does. Depending on (Z) test, we can statistically define the area of the type of strategic thinking. This area shows that strategic thinking is a unique type of thinking which can be measured through a combination of attitudes measurement and thinking process measurement. The validity of this model is checked by the strategic change attitudes of the respondents. The result shows that the measurement of strategic thinking suggested by our model is valid. Nevertheless, the researchers believe that this result can not be fullproof unless more research tests their claims.