Strategic Thinking and Competitive Intelligence: Comparative Research in the Automotive and Communication Industries

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to examine the effect of strategic thinking skills of executives on competitive intelligence in high competition intense industries. The concept of strategic thinking represents a cognitive process that was examined along with system thinking, creativity and vision dimensions. On the other side the concept of competitive intelligence was evaluated with the dimension of competitive intelligence context and the competitive intelligence process as a process that represents the systematic collection of information about competitors through legal and ethical ways. In this study, the concepts of strategic thinking and competitive intelligence are examined around the related literature and to what extent these concepts are related to each other was investigated as well. Since the research on this relationship has a unique attribution, it contributes to the related literature. To test the model formed in line with the main purpose of the research, data were collected from 628 executives, who work in five high competition intense automotive industries and three communication industries, using a questionnaire method. The developed hypotheses were evaluated with appropriate analysis methods. In addition, industrial differences were revealed by comparing the two industries with appropriate analyses. According to the findings of the analysis, the strategic thinking skills of both executives participating in the research as well as the executives working in both industries have a positive and meaningful effect on their competitive intelligence. The study has made a significant contribution to the literature in terms of examining and explaining the relationship between the concepts of strategy and competition through the interaction of strategic thinking and competition intelligence.