Designing a Strategic Innovation Model in Sports Business based on Grounded Theory

The purpose of this study was to design a strategic innovation model in sports businesses using the grounded theory. The research method was analytical and qualitative methodology was used for this purpose. The research strategy was to use grounded theory. Participants in the study were 16 people including professors of sports management and sports managers of organizations and the sampling strategy was targeted in the qualitative part with maximum diversity or heterogeneity. Interview content and coding were used to analyze the data. The research tool was open interview and the results were analyzed based on three stages of open, axial and selective coding. The findings showed that the presentation of innovative ideas, entrepreneurial policy and innovative opportunities as causal factors by considering contextual conditions such as innovative infrastructure, business model and plans and causal conditions including Environmental, legal, economic and supportive factors affect strategic innovation. It seems that factors such as entrepreneurial policy along with the existence of innovative opportunities and therefore the ability to present innovative ideas, along with the existence of innovation infrastructure, the existence of an innovative culture in society, laws and other environmental factors can pave the way for Provide the movement of sports businesses towards strategic innovation.