Application of innovation in the relationship between strategic thinking and organizational performance in sports federations

Innovation can play a significant role in explaining strategic and functional approaches in organizations, including sports federations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the application of innovation in the relationship between strategic thinking and organizational performance in sports federations. Participants were the employees and managers of 13 selected sports federations, of which 230 people were selected by random sampling. Measurement tools included Lopez-Nicolas Organization Performance Questionnaire (2011), Prajgo and Sohl Organizational Innovation Questionnaire (2003) and Jane Lidka's Strategic Thinking Questionnaire (1998). The data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression at the first type error level of 0.05 with SPSS version 19 software. The results showed that there was a positive and significant correlation between strategic thinking (r>0.001, p=0.67) and innovation (r>0.001, p=0.71) with organizational performance. Also, strategic thinking and innovation could directly predict organizational performance (ADJ.R2=0.55). According to the obtained results, Innovation and strategic thinking improves the performance of sports federations' employees and enables federations to manage organizational challenges and perform better.