Learning the Ropes of Strategy: How Ambiguity Shapes Role Transitions in Problem‐based Strategy Education

Abstract Strategy education has faced enduring criticism over the last decades. Experiential approaches like problem‐based learning offer a promising pathway for strategy education by immersing students in the ambiguities of strategy work. Following Merton, we argue that experiential learning in higher education is not just about the acquisition of knowledge and skills, but ultimately about inhabiting new professional roles. In this sense, the strategy classroom becomes a site of transition: students learn not only about strategy and its analysis, but what it feels like to act as a strategist. This paper examines how ambiguity in problem‐based strategy education shapes students’ role transitioning and learning outcomes. Drawing on qualitative data from a post‐graduate strategy course, we find that students experienced a sequence of unfolding ambiguity types (‘entry ambiguity’, ‘content ambiguity’ and ‘outcome ambiguity’) that closely mirror the ambiguities of real‐world strategy work. The interplay between students’ ambiguity experiences and their responses fostered a strong sense of the strategist role by the end of the course. This process was supported by evolving forms of peer collaboration and mentor interventions. We incorporate these findings into a conceptual model, contribute to strategy education literature and offer practical implications for strategy pedagogy.