Given the increasing role played by strategic think tanks and considering the growing challenges facing decision-makers, this study was prepared with the aim of identifying the role of strategic thinking centers in supporting decision-making among senior leaders. The descriptive-analytical approach was used by reviewing and analyzing literature on the subject; accordingly, the study relied on secondary sources including books, studies, and reports. The results revealed that strategic thinking centers help raise and improve performance in decision-making, enhance the ability to handle risk management and project management, and strengthen skills to achieve strategic goals. They also contribute to increasing the capacity for innovation and continuous improvement, improve output quality, and bolster the ability to confront various challenges. Strategic thinking centers work to increase the ability for strategic planning and business development through in-depth study of the environment and the ability to anticipate the future. Therefore, the study recommends establishing national strategic think tanks specialized in all areas of interest to the state. It also recommends increasing support and funding for these centers and providing material, human, and other capabilities to drive them to expand their research output. The study further recommends linking these centers to universities to benefit from academic theories and for stakeholders to benefit from applied cases and studies conducted by universities.
Strategic thinking centers are institutions that operate through teams of scholars across multiple disciplines with the aim of conducting research on policies and issues spanning diverse topics—social, economic, political, cultural, and more. They engage in scientific research, hold discussions and generate ideas, monitor public policies, and provide intellectual resources to serve the public (Manal, 2016).
These centers focus on studies and research directed at decision-makers by providing specific recommendations on domestic and international issues. They seek to enable decision-makers to make decisions and set policies on public matters that affect the state. They are independent research bodies devoted to public interest issues, providing information to support decision-makers. Their affiliation may be governmental, semi-governmental, or non-profit (Al-Siqeili, 2019).
Strategic thinking centers supply relevant state entities with information on key issues so leaders can craft and make decisions. Staffed by diverse experts distinguished by capability and scientific experience, these centers analyze reality and anticipate the future, thus enabling leaders to make decisions that support success (Amin, 2017).
The contemporary world is characterized by speed and complexity, making decision-making increasingly challenging. This has led to interest in strategic thinking centers that help decision-makers address complex issues by providing data relied upon in decision-making. Staffed by experts and specialists from various fields, these centers research and analyze important issues and offer recommendations to governmental, private, and non-governmental bodies. By leveraging staff expertise, these centers can provide the data required for decision-making and help ensure decisions are efficient, effective, and beneficial to society (Taylor & Bosch, 2011).
Strategic thinking centers are defined as independent research bodies that dedicate their time to a public issue and analyze it (Arab Socialist Baath Party, 2008). They are organizations with relative independence that operate broadly in research to obtain results influencing public affairs. They focus on research and education, differing from universities in that they do not offer coursework. They are non-profit institutions concerned with public policy research and have an active influence on such policies, emphasizing economic, social, political, security, and defense dimensions. They rely on in-depth analysis to influence decisions (Wiarda, 2008).
They are also described as institutions concerned with political research activities aimed at educating society and assisting decision-makers, exerting considerable influence on political decision-making, especially in decentralized systems (Bouchia & Rouiou, 2009). They are institutions that regularly and continuously conduct research on topics related to public policies, serving as a bridge between knowledge and power in democracies (Mahmoud, 2013).
From these definitions, strategic thinking centers may be independent, relatively independent, partisan, or non-profit institutions aimed at studying diverse phenomena and issues to obtain information that helps leadership in decision-making.
Strategic thinking centers are key sources of information and analyses derived from research and studies. Communication media play a major role in promoting these institutions and conveying ideas to large beneficiary segments. They are significant information sources for the media, supplying data and statistics. Staff at these centers maintain strong relationships with politicians and policymakers and seek to recruit hidden talents and thinkers. These centers are among the most important institutions influencing decision-making (Arafa, 2011).
Thus, strategic thinking centers—governmental or non-governmental—focus on producing studies and research related to issues of great importance to the public. They use specific tools and methods to obtain required results and influence decision-makers to adopt their findings in preparing and designing public policies and making strategic decisions. These centers are closely linked to institutions responsible for decision-making and foresight.
Research centers focus on conducting studies and research directed to decision-makers, ending with specific recommendations on domestic and international issues, aiming to enable decision-makers to build and formulate public policies. They include elite experts who conduct in-depth studies to provide future-oriented consultations helping decision-makers design future policies. Some view them as purely academic centers. Strategic thinking centers, however, have future-oriented strategic aims; they are repositories of ideas that do not rely solely on academic studies but engage in deeper, more analytical treatment of various issues linked to consequential decisions with long-term impacts (Al-Aloul, 2016).
The beginnings of such centers were in the United States, especially concerning foreign policy in the early twentieth century. Politicians and intellectuals sought to establish institutions combining researchers from the private and public sectors to discuss local, regional, and international public issues and provide information on them to public policymakers. Early U.S. institutions included the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (1910), the Hoover Institution (1919), and the Council on Foreign Relations (1927). The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research emerged in 1943 with a focus on foreign issues. After World War II, the RAND Corporation appeared in 1946 as part of Douglas Aircraft and became independent in 1948, linking military planning with research and development. In the 1970s, many specialized research centers emerged to advise political and military sectors. By the late 1970s, these institutions increased, some with partisan or ideological leanings (Rzaiqiya, 2017).
By the early twenty-first century, the number of such centers exceeded 1,200 in the U.S., addressing public opinion and policy issues, with diverse funding sources. Many were affiliated with universities, such as the Middle East Research Center at Columbia University, the Brookings Institution linked to the Democratic Party, and the Heritage Foundation aligned with the Republican Party (Namek, 2009).
Drivers behind the growth of these institutions included the need for decision-makers to access independent information, data, and advice on foreign policy, increased responsibilities of decision-makers regarding U.S. policy and its global role, and the aim to support leadership in developing national security policies (Abelson, 2002).
Think tanks in the Arab world constitute about 6% of global strategic thinking centers, mostly concentrated in North Africa, the Middle East, and the Gulf. Arab research centers are largely linked to governments or universities, with some affiliated with the private sector. University-based research centers in the Arab world often enjoy greater credibility with states and decision-makers compared to their Western counterparts. Recently, many partnerships have formed between Arab research/thinking centers and the private sector, enhancing their role in achieving state objectives (Al-Khazandar & Al-Asaad, 2012).
Arab countries have established many independent or university-affiliated research centers tasked with conducting research across sciences and knowledge domains. The Arab Research and Studies Center of the Arab League, founded in 1952, was the first research center in the Arab world. Subsequent centers include Egypt’s National Research Center (1956), Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies (1968), the Center for Arab Unity Studies (1975), and the Arab Development Center in Tripoli (1976) (Al-Barq, 2020).
These centers work across multiple fields, contributing to societal development and the advancement of life dimensions involving human capital as a vital asset. Thus, strategic thinking centers have focused on social, economic, political, environmental, and other domains (Hajal et al., 2021).
Despite this, strategic thinking centers in Arab countries still require development and an increase in number commensurate with the changes and challenges these countries face, especially given the urgent need of decision-makers for information. Many studies indicate these centers do not effectively contribute to public policy-making and decision-making, and many lack capabilities and tools for foresight and for guiding decisions across domains.
Indicators that signal the effectiveness and efficiency of strategic thinking centers and can be used to support decision-making include (Mahfouz, 2017):
Producing highly professional, high-quality, and credible research, working papers, and consulting outputs.
Scientific and academic reputation and credibility.
Achieving integration among actors in public policy-making and decision-making.
Effective communication with media and political activists.
Defending policies and political options of communities and states.
Attracting researchers across specialties, research orientations, and experience levels.
Focusing on publishing and on seminars and conferences.
Relying on policy actors.
Ability to translate ideas into actionable policies.
Handling creative thinking and out-of-the-box thinking to offer new ideas and proposals.
Strategic thinking centers are an essential element for any organization seeking success in today’s complex environment. They focus on problem analysis, exploring alternative solutions, and determining outcomes. In today’s changing business environment, merely reacting to events as they occur is insufficient; organizations must think proactively and plan according to environmental changes. This makes strategic thinking centers increasingly important in supporting organizations. They are vital in helping organizations adapt to evolving challenges, remain competitive, and excel. They are highly important for shaping organizational direction, preparing for future challenges and opportunities, and enabling prudent decisions through scenario analysis and risk–benefit assessment, thus supporting decision processes.
Several strategic thinking centers operate in Qatar, including:
Strategic thinking centers play a pivotal role domestically and internationally for any state. They provide research that contributes to crafting and evaluating public policies, offering advice, and achieving a degree of independence from government and political parties. Key roles include mediating between state and society, building trust in public institutions, transforming ideas and societal issues into political issues, evaluating these issues, and offering proposals and programs that help interpret issues and events via media, and understanding domestic and international political issues and their societal impacts. Forms of influence include (Faq, 2021):
Reviewing prior work on strategic thinking centers shows focus on: (a) political dimensions and the role of strategic thinking centers in political decision-making; (b) predominantly Western contexts; (c) a scarcity of Arab studies evaluating the current state of strategic thinking centers in Arab countries; and (d) some studies addressing the role of Israeli strategic thinking centers in foreign policy.
This study differs by evaluating the current state of strategic thinking centers generally and in Qatar specifically, assessing the extent to which these centers support decision-making in Qatar, and emphasizing the need for nationally oriented strategic thinking centers capable of studying economic, social, political, and other phenomena within one or more specialized centers to achieve state goals.
Strategic thinking centers play an important role in public policy-making and supporting decision-makers by studying phenomena and providing information on issues affecting public policies (Al-Barq, 2020). A preliminary review of Qatar reveals some existing centers, mainly affiliated with universities or foreign non-profit organizations, but no specialized strategic thinking center under governmental institutions tasked with continuously providing information to support decision-making, monitoring phenomena, and supplying information to improve decision quality. Thus, there is no dedicated national center to study local, Gulf, regional, and international variables and their impact on Qatar, nor a specific entity to provide information aiding leadership decisions, despite the state’s capability to establish such a center.
The study problem centers on: To what extent are current research centers able to provide the data required to support leadership in crafting and making decisions?
What are strategic thinking centers and what are their functions?
To what extent do leaders need strategic thinking centers?
What is the role of strategic thinking centers in supporting leaders in crafting and making decisions?
What is the current state of strategic thinking centers in Qatar?
The study’s importance lies in analyzing strategic thinking centers and their role in assisting leadership in making decisions affecting public policies; identifying and analyzing the role of existing strategic thinking centers in Qatar; and adding practical material to enrich the literature and support researchers in this field.
Identify the importance of strategic thinking centers amid contemporary challenges.
Analyze the current state of strategic thinking centers in Qatar.
Determine the role of strategic thinking centers in supporting decision-making.
Offer a proposed vision for establishing a national strategic thinking center.
The study adopts a descriptive-analytical approach to review and analyze literature and data on the role of strategic thinking centers in supporting decision-making among senior leaders. Data sources are secondary: books, references, and relevant internet sites.
Main challenges include limited available references on the topic and difficulty conducting an applied study due to limited access to stakeholders, given the absence of fully-fledged strategic thinking centers in Qatar.
As societies grow more complex and dynamic, decision-makers need access to up-to-date, documented information and expert analyses. Strategic thinking centers provide this, enabling high-quality policymaking. Governments worldwide rely on these centers’ expertise for critical decisions. Strategic thinking centers play a vital role in decision-making, prompting leaders to value their role in supplying data that supports efficient decisions, improves decision quality, and enables leaders to address phenomena, issues, and problems.
Studies show that officials across institutions highly value strategic thinking centers, supporting them with expertise, talent, and analytical tools. This underscores these centers’ importance in supporting leadership decisions.
Decision-making style is a main factor in leadership success. Decision-making style reflects how situations are perceived and thought about, providing insight into how leaders handle information relevant to decision-making (Prince, 2015).
Decision-making is difficult as it tests a manager’s ability and intelligence to assume responsibility and manage affairs. As an organization grows, complexity increases with more goals and tasks. The broader the public affected, the more complex the decision. Group-level decisions are influenced by members’ values and norms (Ghanem, 2015).
Key decision-making problems (Younes, 2005, p.168):
Accurate decision-making demands precision because poor information undermines decision quality. Influential factors (Abu Qahf, 2002, p.140):
Emotional intelligence is a key element affecting leadership and decisions. Effective leaders possess emotional intelligence, inspiring and motivating employees, creating positive work environments, and making prudent decisions considering varied factors. Leaders lacking emotional intelligence tend to make hasty, irrational decisions and foster tension. The ability to gather, process, critique, and analyze information contributes to good decisions.
Leadership and decision-making are inseparable in organizational success. Effective leaders, with clear vision and timely, appropriate decisions, deeply influence organizational success. They possess strong communication, conflict-resolution, and team-building skills, essential for a healthy culture and sound decisions, enabling organizations to overcome challenges and adapt. Leadership and decision-making are pivotal in any organization—private, public, or non-profit—making it vital to focus on leader qualities, leadership styles, and decision processes to succeed in complex leadership and decision contexts. Good decisions, chosen at the right time, are crucial for navigating challenges.
Decision-making is one of the hardest leadership tasks, requiring high-quality information; shortages negatively affect decisions and organizations. Decision-making is characterized by ambiguity and complexity, not governed by fixed theory but dependent on information and studies. Strategic thinking centers play a crucial role in obtaining such data and facts through research, a role heightened by current global changes that strongly influence decision-making (Ranjah, 2015).
Decision-making relies on institutional practices varying by certainty, uncertainty, internal/external environments, and risk. Information shortages affect decision nature. Traditional operational decisions differ from strategic decisions that bear significant organizational impact, requiring extensive information, research, analysis, and foresight (Al-Shammari, 2017).
Leaders must develop information and strategies to connect with society and obtain data that support decisions (Mathis & Calderon, 2013). This requires researchers and specialists to generate decision-supporting information, given their influence on decision-making (Taylor & Bosch, 2011). Research plays a major role in providing documented information that enhances institutional effectiveness and supports decision credibility. This underscores the need for specialized centers in decision-making processes (Alford, 2011).
Thus, strategic thinking centers are essential for decision-making, enabling leaders to decide amid high complexity. Access to information, conducive decision environments, accurate problem definition, and necessary human and material resources (funding) can only be achieved through specialized strategic thinking centers.
Strategic thinking institutions influence decision-making via five pathways (Hussein, 2018):
Providing diverse ideas and alternatives that help shape policy.
Securing experts to develop alternatives that serve government needs.
Offering suitable high-level forums for dialogue and discussion.
Educating the public across venues.
Completing official efforts by mediating conflict resolution.
Prior studies on strategic thinking centers emphasized their role in military domains and foreign policy design.
Most strategic thinking centers in Qatar are university-affiliated and not primarily focused on issues shaping state direction.
Strategic thinking centers are limited and weak in the Arab region, with a need to increase and activate their roles.
There are no national specialized research centers studying state issues amid global changes.
Western (especially U.S.) centers dominate strategic thinking globally.
Information greatly impacts decision-making, and leadership heavily influences decisions.
Arab countries face challenges in relying on strategic thinking centers, particularly those focused on foresight.
Strategic thinking centers help raise and improve decision-making performance and the ability to manage risks and projects, and enhance skills to achieve strategic goals.
They contribute to greater capacity for innovation and continuous improvement, improve output quality, and enhance the ability to face challenges.
They increase capacity for strategic planning and business development through in-depth environmental study and future prediction.
Establish national strategic thinking centers specialized in all areas of state interest.
Encourage scientific research focusing on issues affecting the state—political, economic, social, and others—and urge researchers in research centers to adopt, study, and resolve them.
Increase support and funding for these centers and provide material and human resources to boost their research output.
Link these centers with universities to benefit from academic theories and enable stakeholders to leverage applied cases and studies produced by universities.
Provide an integrated database to help staff and experts study targeted topics.
Strengthen cooperation, coordination, and interaction among strategic thinking centers—governmental, private, and non-governmental—to keep outputs relevant.
Urge strategic thinking centers to prioritize studies on sustainable development, especially economic, environmental, and technological issues, to propose solutions fostering sustainable development.
The study focused on strategic thinking centers and their role in decision-making by top management. It was theoretical, without fieldwork, concentrating on strategic thinking centers in the Arab world generally and Qatar specifically.