This study examined the concept, strategic management, using the literatures of management, health care management, and nursing management and Rodgers' (1989) technique of concept analysis. Differences in the use and application of the concept across disciplines demonstrated a lack of conceptual clarity regarding the concept, necessitating the analysis. Using Rodgers' (1989) technique, seven aspects of the concept were identified: (1) relevant use; (2) surrogate terms; (3) antecedents; (4) consequences; (5) related concepts; (6) references; and (7) attributes. Differences in the use and application of the concept were found in all seven of the aspects, with findings regarding attributes and references considered to be two of the most important. The six attributes identified in the management and health care management literatures were Strategy, Structure, Behavior, Perspective, Influentials and Systems. In the nursing management literature, five of these six attributes were identified. Attribute life cycle, dimensions, and the scope of dimensions and/or themes varied across discipline literatures.

References, the range of events, situations or phenomena over which the application of a concept is considered to be appropriate, was a concept analysis element unique to Rodgers' (1989) technique which reflected Rodgers' belief that the purpose of concept analysis is the exploration and explanation of differences in the use and application of concepts across contexts. Differences in the number and types of references were found across discipline literatures. References in management were the most restrictive, totaling four and consisted of the organization (in two forms, public and private), intra-organizational units, and phenomena. Five references of strategic management were identified in both health care management and nursing management. In health care management, these were the organization (one form, no distinction between public and private), intra-organizational units, phenomena, systems and people. Nursing management's five references were (1) the organization; (2) intra-organizational units; (3) phenomena; (4) people; and (5) resources. Collectively, findings indicated that the concept, strategic management, has enjoyed widespread use among these three disciplines, that among and within them, its analysis elements have changed over time, and that its scope of application continues to change and widen. Rodgers' (1989) technique appeared both philosophically and methodologically sound, and more philosophically appropriate than others in the nursing literature. Conceptual clarity of the concept, strategic management, resulted from this study, culminating in the proposal of a findings-based conceptual definition of strategic management specific to nursing management.