A Model of Strategic Thinking to Developing Performance of Sports Managers (Case Study: Sport Federations of Islamic Republic of Iran)

The study is to form a strategic thinking model for top managers of sports federations. In this study, there has been used the common models in form of the exploratory studies. Also, there has been used the descriptive-correlation method with the nature of descriptive/analytic researches. To design the conceptual model of the study, there has been used the documentary library studies with two-step Delphi method. During first step, 108 components were identified and then 28 components were selected. During second step, 8 components among 28 components were confirmed by experts. The statistical population was included 200 persons including managers, vice chairmen and chairwomen and secretaries of sports federations were selected based on Cochran statistical formula with 2% error rate and was doubled (160). The measurement tools were the strategic thinking questionnaire and researcher-made performance questionnaire of the sports managers with formal validity confirmed by experts and structure validity achieved by exploratory and reliability factor analysis. The strategic thinking questionnaire was 0,751 and the performances of the sports managers were 0,837 that were determined by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The conceptual thinking components, thinking over time, system thinking, looking ahead and having perspective were with highest correlation and clever opportunism and strategic determination were with lowest correlation. The findings of the study showed that there was the significant relationship between eight components of the strategic thinking and the performance promotion of sports managers (and r =0,76).