<![CDATA[Strategic management theory explains how organizations formulate, implement, and evaluate long-term direction, yet its application to value-based, non-bureaucratic religious institutions remains underdeveloped. This gap is acute in Indonesian pesantren, where sustained excellence in the Musabaqah Tilawatil Qur'an (MTQ) is studied mainly as a coaching outcome rather than a deliberate institutional strategy. This study examines strategic management at Pondok Pesantren Madrasatul Qur'an Tebuireng, Jombang, which has sustained national and international MTQ achievement. Using a qualitative single-case design, data came from twelve in-depth interviews, eighteen participant-observation sessions, and documents, analyzed through the Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña (2014) interactive model with source, method, and theory triangulation. Findings show environmental analysis relies on implicit, kiai-centered situational awareness rather than formal SWOT; strategy formulation combines rational planning with non-negotiable normative commitments; implementation is sustained by a layered competitive structure embedded in the lafdzan ma'nan 'amalan educational architecture; and evaluation combines a multilayered, technology-supported system with the kiai's normative oversight. The study proposes value-embedded strategic management (VESM), explaining how strategic effectiveness can be achieved through cultural and moral infrastructure rather than formal bureaucratic mechanisms. It extends Mintzberg's emergent-strategy thesis and complements Wheelen-Hunger's rational planning model, with implications for pesantren leaders, MTQ policymakers, and faith-based institutional management research]]>
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