Strategizing‐as‐(Flexible) System: An Examination of Systemic Flexibility in Strategizing

Amid the growing body of research on strategy‐as‐practice (SAP) and systemic flexibility (SF), existing studies remain fragmented, leaving a significant theoretical gap in linking strategizing, flexibility and systems thinking. To address this gap, this study integrates SAP and SF in the context of Indian nongovernment organizations (NGOs). Constructivist grounded theory (CGT) was applied to study three Indian NGOs. Data collection was conducted through focus group discussions (FGDs) and personal interviews (PIs). The sample size was determined using the theoretical saturation approach, and data analysis was performed using theoretical coding with a reflective and interpretive lens. Furthermore, the constant comparison method of CGT and qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) was applied to develop a systemic model. Through empirical grounding, the study develops a framework, the strategy‐as‐(flexible) system. The study conceptualizes strategizing as a dynamic, feedback‐driven and self‐regulating system, identifying five interdependent dimensions: strategizing dispositions, sensemaking in strategizing, flexible strategizing, structural flexibility across subsystems and flexibility through systemic feedback. This advances the systems thinking by showing how flexibility, interdependence, self‐regulation and feedback occur through everyday strategy work. Moreover, the study bridges the micro–macro divide between SAP and systems thinking, extending both literature streams by theorizing SAP in SF.