Participation Research and Open Strategy

doi:10.1017/9781108347921.003

Chapter 2 - Participation Research and Open Strategy

from Part I - The Concept of Open Strategy

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 July 2019

Eero Vaara ,

Anniina Rantakari and

Edited by

Georg von Krogh and

David Seidl: Affiliation:
Universität Zürich
Georg von Krogh: Affiliation:
Swiss Federal University (ETH), Zürich
Richard Whittington: Affiliation:
Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

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Summary

Recent studies have raised participation as one of the key issues of Open Strategy (Luedicke et al., 2017; Mack & Szulanski, 2017). However, participation has a longer tradition in strategy research (Laine & Vaara, 2015; Mantere & Vaara, 2008) from which Open Strategy could learn from and contribute to. In this chapter, we review research on participation in strategy and discuss its implications for Open Strategy and vice versa. Participation is a dynamic and multifaceted phenomenon, the nature and effects of which are not easy to pin down in strategy making. Participation can generate engagement and create commitment to strategy and similarly improve the quality of decision making (Floyd & Wooldridge, 2000). In contrast, limiting participation through secrecy and exclusion may result in ineffective implementation (Mintzberg, 1994), and from a critical perspective, exacerbate organizational inequality (Knights & Morgan, 1991; McCabe, 2010). However, participation can also slow down decision making and constrain the strategy process (Collier et al., 2004; Anderson, 2004). Moreover, widespread participation can create expectations that are then not satisfied, particularly where the decision might be contrary to the advice given by participants (Kornberger & Clegg, 2011).

Type: Chapter
Information: Cambridge Handbook of Open Strategy , pp. 27 - 40

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108347921.003 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2019

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