Benefits of Institutionalizing Strategic Thinking in Sports Federations

The aim of this study was to identify the benefits of institutionalizing strategic thinking in sport federations.

This research work was a qualitative exploratory study that was conducted through a thematic analysis. The statistical population included experts of sports management with the experience of familiarity with the principles of futurology, and according to the research nature, 16 experts were interviewed through snowball sampling until reaching theoretical saturation. The tool used in the research work was a semi-structured interview. The intra-subject agreement method was used to ensure the reliability of the interviews, and the validity was confirmed by consulting sport management experts and reviewing based on their opinions.

The thematic analysis by Braun and Clarke’s (2006) method led to the extraction of 168 codes, 12 sub-themes, and 4 main themes. The findings demonstrated that "Sports Development", "Economic Development", "Organizational Excellence" and "Coping with Crisis" were different benefits of institutionalization of strategic thinking in sports federations.

Considering the special benefits that the institutionalization of strategic thinking brings for sports federations, the focus of sports management trustees on the development and strengthening of strategic thinking in sport federations, and sports managers can be the source of significant changes in the field of sports.