Investigation the Relationship of Knowledge Management and the Formation of Strategic Thought with the Mediating Role of Thought Investment in Knowledge-Based Companies

Today, knowledge plays a strategic role in organizations, thus, identifying, acquiring, and managing knowledge has become a competitive advantage for organizations. From another perspective, in an environment with complexity and continuous changes, strategic thought is at the heart of creating competitive advantage. The aim of the present study is to examine the relationship between knowledge management and the formation of strategic thought with the mediating role of thought investment. Research population includes all managers in knowledge-based companies located in Pardis Technology Park and sample size is 73 based on Cochran formula. Data gathering instrument is a standard questionnaire whose reliability is confirmed through Cronbach Alpha Coefficient. This research is practical in aim and descriptive-correlational in data gathering procedure. To analyze the data obtained from the questionnaire, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) applying Partial Least Squares (PLS) was used. The results show that there is a significant relationship between knowledge management and the formation of strategic thought. This means that knowledge management in knowledge-based companies located in Pardis Technology Park leads to the formation of strategic thought. The results also show that thought investment plays a mediating role in the relationship between knowledge management and strategic thought