Perceptions on strategy in general and strategic management a survey on common strategic perception among medium-high level managers in Turkey

The usage of the notion of strategy, defined as the ways to be followed for the military units and the countries to reach specified goals has a history that can be traced back to 2500 years ago. The theory of strategy is under a process of development for the last 170 years related to fields of wars, international relations and state administration. During this development phase, the interrelation between politics and strategy, both in theoretical and practical domains, has been a subject of debate.The strategic management of corporations has been in the limelight of academic and managerial circles as an area of scientific management for the last 50 years. Many important works has been made related to multinational and large-scale corporations both in theoretical and practical areas.However, it is observed that those works, carried out in the two different areas has been quite feeble, in the context of comparison of them and searching the relations between them.The behaviour of human beings and societies are shaped under the influence of various concrete and abstract factors. There is no doubt that culture, conceptions and perceptions have a special position among the aforementioned abstract factors.When the subject is approached from this aspect, it can be considered that the level of strategic culture-strategic management relation and the level of a common strategic perception that the managers of different organizations in a country have a special place in the determination of national, sectoral and organizational priorities and the formation of policies to be applied. These levels can be defined as ?strategic culture and perception capacity? or ?total strategic thinking quality?.Therefore, the behaviour of medium-high level managers of various organizations in a country has a specific importance. These people form the basis for the strategic decisions of upper level managers with their ideas and propositions while they also produce goods and services in their specific areas. It is natural that the cultures, understanding and perceptions of medium-high level managers of organizations of various sectors can have differences both in sectoral and organizational fields. However, it should also be specified at what areas those differences are cumulated and at what levels they are.The purpose of this study is the determination of different and common areas of strategic perceptions of medium-high level managers that have contributions and effects in the strategic decision making process of different sectors.The factors that determine the differences in strategic perception are specified by a literature survey covering the areas ?historical background and development of strategic thought?, ?the dimensions of strategy from military point of view and principles of war?, ?strategy and strategic management in business world? and ?methodological strategic foresight?.Although the targeted area of this subject covers a wide area, the target population of this study is confined to three representative groups for the sake of brevity and specification. These three groups are ?civilian bureaucratic managers?, ?military bureaucratic managers? and ?business sector managers?.In order to clarity the views and perceptions of those groups, this study has used a descriptive method and applied the ?purposive sampling? technique. Interviews have been carried out on the sampled groups under the headings of ?strategic culture and understanding in general?, ?relations between strategy in general and strategic management? and ?level of the awareness of the problems on strategic perception? and the results have been evaluated accordingly.