Conceptualizing the development of strategic ideas: A grounded theory analysis

This paper presents the findings of a grounded theory study on the development of strategic ideas in a multinational organization. By drawing on the rich data generated from this longitudinal in-depth field study, this paper provides a theoretical framework for the development of strategic ideas. The theoretical framework developed offers an interesting and useful way of understanding and explaining the complex process of the early steps of the strategic decision process. This research illustrates the development of strategic ideas through strategic debate, the key theme that emerged from the study and the interaction of its four constituent themes: strategic warriors, patterns of interaction, strategic language and strategic syntheses. Drawing on the empirical findings, this study also discusses some implications for developing strategic ideas in managerial practice.