The role of rationality and intuition in creating strategic military documents

Abstract

Background: Managers can plan strategically based on a rational and/or intuitive approach. In the past, intuition and rationality were seen as opposing approaches, one or the other of which was used. Currently available sources confirm the combination of both approaches as effective, and thus their complementarity.

Purpose: The main goal of the paper is to reveal the characteristics of using intuition and rationality in the process of creating the strategic documents of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic (MoD CR). Further, there are two sub-goals: to analyse the proportions, characteristics and consequences of using the revealed ratio of intuition and rationality in the process mentioned.

Study design/methodology/approach: The general research design is a qualitative paradigm. The data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire. The sample amounted to 18 authors of strategic documents of the MoD CR. The data were evaluated using the grounded theory method, which defines the procedures of open and axial coding of the text. The arrangement of relationships between the identified data categories was carried out using a paradigmatic model according to grounded theory.

Findings/conclusions: The conclusions confirm the use of a combination of intuition and rationality in the process of creating strategic documents. However, intuition prevails in the ratio of both approaches, which can be the cause of not quite optimal output. Processed strategic documents suffer from some shortcomings (i.e. inconsistency of formal and content aspects, insufficient measurability, objectivity and comparability), which are related to insufficient or incorrect use of exact methods and a systematic approach.

Limitations/future research: The conclusions are valid for the MoD CR, specifically for the process of creating strategic documents. It would be useful to compare them with other types of organizations in the state, public and private sectors. The use of intuition and rationality in other processes of strategic management can be examined and compared with the processes of middle and lower management.