The Future of Strategic Leadership Research: Mapping Intellectual Structures and Emerging Themes
Keywords:
strategic leadership, upper echelons, digital transformation, strategic agility, sustainability, qualitative research, thematic analysisAbstract
This study aimed to explore the future intellectual structure of strategic leadership research by identifying dominant knowledge foundations, emerging thematic trajectories, and methodological directions through the perspectives of strategic leadership scholars and senior management experts. This qualitative study used an exploratory thematic design based on semi-structured interviews. Participants consisted of 23 experts in strategic leadership, strategic management, organizational transformation, and executive development in Tehran, Iran, selected through purposive and snowball sampling. Interviews continued until theoretical saturation was achieved at the twentieth interview, followed by three additional interviews to confirm thematic stability. Data were collected through face-to-face and online interviews lasting between 45 and 75 minutes. All interviews were audio-recorded with informed consent, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis procedure. NVivo software was used for data organization, open coding, theme development, memo writing, and retrieval of coded segments. Credibility was enhanced through member checking, peer review, prolonged engagement with the data, and an audit trail. Analysis produced five main categories: theoretical fragmentation and integrative reconstruction, digital and hybrid strategic agency, agility and resilience under uncertainty, responsible and sustainable strategic leadership, and methodological renewal in future leadership research. Participants emphasized that strategic leadership research has moved beyond executive traits and firm performance toward a broader intellectual agenda involving digital transformation, ecosystem orchestration, ethical responsibility, strategic learning, and contextual pluralism. The findings also revealed that future research requires multi-level, longitudinal, mixed-method, and context-sensitive designs to capture leadership complexity in unstable environments. The future of strategic leadership research lies in integrating classical upper-echelons logic with dynamic capabilities, digital transformation, sustainability, and responsible governance. The study contributes a qualitative thematic map for guiding future theoretical development and empirical inquiry in strategic leadership scholarship.
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