Kyle J. Harkema is a scholar–practitioner who helps leaders see what’s actually happening inside their organizations—and make the smart moves to correct it.
His work sits at the intersection of strategy, behavior, and execution, helping organizations diagnose why growth stalls and how to realign for results.
Kyle didn’t set out to build a diagnostic system.
He set out to solve a problem that never seemed to go away.
Across roles as an executive leader, professor, and consultant, he watched organizations struggle with the same invisible disconnect. Strategies were clear on paper, but behavior across teams didn’t align. Marketing listened. Product thought. Sales acted. And execution quietly broke down in the gaps.
What troubled Kyle wasn’t the lack of intelligence or ambition. It was the absence of a shared behavioral orientation.
That question became the focus of his doctoral research—and eventually, his life’s work.
Kyle’s work bridges academic rigor and real-world application.
Drawing on decades of peer-reviewed research in entrepreneurial orientation, market orientation, and entrepreneurial marketing—and informed by two decades of executive leadership—Kyle developed the Strategic Orientation Index.
The Strategic Orientation Index is a research-backed diagnostic framework that reveals how organizations think, listen, and act in practice. It does not measure intention. It measures behavior.
This framework now underpins his consulting work, teaching, speaking, and the book Strategic Clarity.
Kyle is a professor, consultant, and author whose work is used by:
His approach is trusted because it is grounded in evidence, tested in practice, and designed for leaders who need clarity quickly.
Kyle is the author of Strategic Clarity: The Practical Method for Transforming Vision into Results.
The book introduces the Strategic Orientation Index and the five strategic personas that explain why some firms scale while others stall. It offers leaders a new lens for understanding misalignment—and a practical roadmap for correcting it.
At its core, the book reflects Kyle’s belief that strategy lives or dies in behavior.
Today, Kyle works with organizations at moments that matter.
He partners with leadership teams when growth stalls, execution fragments, or strategic debates persist without resolution. His work is diagnostic-led, focused on clarity, and designed to restore momentum.
Whether through consulting engagements, executive education, speaking, or licensing the Strategic Orientation Index, Kyle’s role is the same: to help leaders see clearly, align behavior, and act decisively.
Kyle believes the role of a scholar–practitioner is not to add more theory, but to make insight usable.
When leaders can see their organizations clearly, better decisions follow. Teams move together. Execution improves.
That is the work.
If you’re navigating complexity, pressure, or stalled growth, clarity is the place to start.
Sign up for the newsletter and get your strategic orientation.
