Edinburgh reached the semi-finals of the Heineken Cup this year, famously beating Toulouse along the way, but successes were few and far between in the league - something Docherty wants to rectify.
Edinburgh's incoming foreign contingent include Georgian No. 8 Dimitri Basilaia, New Zealand centre/full-back Ben Atiga, Welsh duo Richie Rees and John Yapp as well as South African-born prop WP Nel.
And while Docherty is adamant their arrivals are necessary if Edinburgh are to fight strong campaigns on two fronts, he promised that Scottish players will be given a slight preference at Murrayfield.
"We want to be competing in both the Heineken Cup and RaboDirect PRO12," Docherty told the Scotsman.
"If it comes down to someone who is Scottish that is equal with somebody from outside we would obviously go for the Scots guy. We have got to get balances right.
"In the front row having someone come in like WP Nel or John Yapp can only be good for Robin Hislop (20-year-old prop).
"Michael Bradley is very proactive and has thought through a long-term play. We are not going to flood it with foreigners just for the hell of it."
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