What Is Integrative Thinking? A Scoping Review
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| Title: | What Is Integrative Thinking? A Scoping Review |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Aisling Danielle Walsh Brody, Isabel Rivera, Colin Furness |
| Source: | Learning Organization. 2026 33(4):615-638. |
| Availability: | Emerald Publishing Limited. Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley, West Yorkshire, BD16 1WA, UK. Tel: +44-1274-777700; Fax: +44-1274-785201; e-mail: emerald@emeraldinsight.com; Web site: http://www.emerald.com/insight |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 24 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Information Analyses Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Metacognition, Cognitive Processes, Definitions, Intellectual Disciplines |
| DOI: | 10.1108/TLO-06-2025-0148 |
| ISSN: | 0969-6474 1758-7905 |
| Abstract: | Purpose: The term integrative thinking has become widely used but without consensus on its meaning. The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a scoping review of integrative thinking, toward establishing conceptual clarity with a unified and robust definition. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic search was conducted to characterize the literature and to identify and analyze existing definitions of integrative thinking. Thematic analysis was used to code definitions to identify patterns of conceptualization and application of the term. Emergent themes were synthesized to propose a unified definition. Findings: Definitions of integrative thinking were identified in 63 articles drawn from a wide range of time, geography and disciplines. Two primary contexts of use were identified: Shaping People, which was dominated by the education literature, and Shaping Practice, which was dominated by the business literature. Four themes were extracted from this collection of definitions: (T1) Perceiving holistic and interconnected systems; (T2) Synthesizing multiple disciplines and perspectives; (T3) Reconciling opposing ideas and creative tension resolution; (T4) Enacting reflection and metacognition. These two contexts and four themes were synthesized to propose a unified definition of integrative thinking. Originality/value: This study is the first known comprehensive analysis of the breadth and focus of definitions of integrative thinking and the first to synthesize a unified definition. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1508225 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Purpose: The term integrative thinking has become widely used but without consensus on its meaning. The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a scoping review of integrative thinking, toward establishing conceptual clarity with a unified and robust definition. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic search was conducted to characterize the literature and to identify and analyze existing definitions of integrative thinking. Thematic analysis was used to code definitions to identify patterns of conceptualization and application of the term. Emergent themes were synthesized to propose a unified definition. Findings: Definitions of integrative thinking were identified in 63 articles drawn from a wide range of time, geography and disciplines. Two primary contexts of use were identified: Shaping People, which was dominated by the education literature, and Shaping Practice, which was dominated by the business literature. Four themes were extracted from this collection of definitions: (T1) Perceiving holistic and interconnected systems; (T2) Synthesizing multiple disciplines and perspectives; (T3) Reconciling opposing ideas and creative tension resolution; (T4) Enacting reflection and metacognition. These two contexts and four themes were synthesized to propose a unified definition of integrative thinking. Originality/value: This study is the first known comprehensive analysis of the breadth and focus of definitions of integrative thinking and the first to synthesize a unified definition. |
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| ISSN: | 0969-6474 1758-7905 |
| DOI: | 10.1108/TLO-06-2025-0148 |
