The Tracking of Strategic Thinking in Kutadgu Bilig

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to reveal whether Kutadgu Bilig, which had important contributions to the creation of Turkish management tradition, has emphasis on strategic thinking and offers a conceptual framework that can be referred to in contextual research concerning strategic management. Being one of the most important management books in the world and written by Yusuf Khass Hajib, Kutadgu Bilig was analyzed in its own right through a different methodology than those employed in the disciplines of history and literature and independently of the theories of strategic management. This analysis focuses on the dimensions of strategic thinking and attempts to reveal to what extent the dimensions of strategic thinking are emphasized in the work. The analysis results indicate that Kutadgu Bilig embodies such dimensions of strategic management as holistic perspective, creativity, focusing on not only results but also causes, and hypothesis-orientedness within the management cases and practices in it. The only strategic management dimension that does not take any obvious emphasis in the work is future-orientedness. The analysis of this work hints at the existence of a high-level strategic thinking in Kutadgu Bilig and shows that the work offers a framework that can be referred to in contextual research.

Keywords

• Strategy, Strategic Thinking, The dimension of strategic thinking, Kutadgu Bilig, Yusuf Khass Hajib

Kutadgu Bilig’de Stratejik Düşünmenin İzini Sürmek

Abstract

Bu çalışmanın temel amacı, Türk yönetim geleneğinin oluşmasında önemli bir katkısı olan Kutadgu Bilig’de stratejik düşünmeye ilişkin vurguların olup olmadığını ortaya koyarak, eserin stratejik yönetimle ilgili bağlamsal araştırmalara referans oluşturabilecek bir kavramsal çerçeve sunup sunmadığını tartışmaktır. Bu çerçevede, Yusuf Has Hacip tarafından yazılmış ve dünyanın en önemli yönetim kitaplarından biri olan Kutadgu Bilig, tarih ve edebiy at disiplinlerindeki incelemelerden farklı bir yöntem anlayışı ve stratejik yönetim alanındaki teorilerden bağımsız olarak incelenmiştir. Bahsedilen bu inceleme, stratejik düşünmeye ilişkin boyutlar temel alınarak, eserin stratejik düşünmenin boyutlarına ne derece vurgu yaptığını tespit etme odağında yapılmıştır. İnceleme sonuçları Kutadgu Bilig’de stratejik yönetimin bütüncül perspektif, yaratıcılık, sonuçlar kadar nedenlere odaklanma ve hipotez yönelimlilik boyutlarının eserde ele alınan yönetim olayları ve uygulamalarının değerlendirilmesinde ve analizinde bir bütün halinde bulunduğunu göstermektedir. Eserde, net vurguya rastlanmayan tek stratejik yönetim boyutunun ise gelecek yönelimlilik olduğu görülmektedir. Esere ilişkin inceleme bir yandan Kutadgu Bilig’de yüksek bir stratejik düşünme düzeyinin varlığına işaret ederken, diğer yandan da eserin bağlamsal araştırmalara referans oluşturabilecek önemli bir çerçeve sunduğunu göstermektedir.

Keywords

• Strateji, stratejik düşünme, stratejik düşünmenin boyutları, Kutadgu Bilig, Yusuf Has Hacip

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