The Strategic Mindset of the Leader and Its Impact on Enhancing Digital Dexterity through the Mediation of Strategic Knowledge An Exploratory Analytical Study in the Ministry of Interior – The Higher Institute for Security and Administrative Development

A Dissertation

Submitted to the Council of the College of Administration and Economics, University of Karbala

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration Sciences

Written by

Bahaa Maytham Abd AL-Ali

Supervised by

Supervised by

First Supervisor Second Supervisor

Professor Dr Professor Dr

Faisal Alwan Al-Taie Fouad Hamoudi Abada Al-Attar

2025 AD

The current study aimed to present and interpret the role of the leader’s strategic mindset in enhancing digital dexterity through the mediating role of strategic knowledge, based on the perspectives of a sample of senior and middle executive officers in the Ministry of Interior – the Higher Institute for Security and Administrative Development. To achieve this, the strategic mindset was measured through three dimensions (systems thinking, reframing, and reflective thinking) based on the scale by (Pisapia et al,2005:45). Strategic knowledge, as a mediating variable, was measured through three dimensions (organizational environment, strategic priorities, and organizational capabilities) based on the scale by (Pappas,2001:41-42). Meanwhile, digital dexterity (a unidimensional variable) was measured using the scale by (Yu et al,2024:14) as the dependent variable.

The significance of the study centered on identifying the impact of the leader’s strategic mindset and its dimensions in enhancing the organization’s digital dexterity through the mediating role of strategic knowledge.

The research problem was represented by the main question: To what extent does the leader’s strategic mindset influence the enhancement of digital dexterity through the mediating role of strategic knowledge in the organization under study? A set of sub-questions emerged from this main question.

To achieve the study’s objectives and answer its questions, the descriptive-analytical approach was primarily adopted for presenting, analyzing, and interpreting the data. The questionnaire was used as the main tool for data collection, with (250) questionnaires distributed to executive officers in the studied organization as a purposive sample. Additionally, the study aimed to test several main and sub-hypotheses related to the correlation and impact relationships among the study variables, to determine the extent of adoption and application of those variables, as well as to address the research problem questions.

For the purpose of data analysis and statistical processing, a set of statistical techniques was employed, including the normal distribution test and confirmatory factor analysis as a basic structural test for the validity of the adopted scales. Furthermore, several descriptive and inferential statistical tools were used, such as Pearson correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling (SEM) to measure direct effects. These analyses were conducted using the statistical programs (SPSS v.23) and (AMOS.23).The study concluded with a set of theoretical and practical findings and, at the same time, provided several recommendations and suggestions.

Keywords: Strategic Mindset of the Leader, Strategic Knowledge, Digital Dexterity.