Press release: Open Strategy - Why doing strategy in a participatory way is key to success and engagement?

How to get all employees on board when making the organization’s strategy? The Department of Industrial Engineering and Management at Aalto University, in collaboration with University of Oxford, is conducting a research project titled 'Open Strategy: Dynamics and Success Factors.' Funded by the Wallenberg foundation until 2026, this project aims to examine the challenges and opportunities of participatory and self-managed strategy processes and seeks to identify key success factors and provide practical insights for effective implementation of participatory strategies.

The research project focuses on four organizations each offering unique perspectives on the challenges and opportunities of open strategizing. Reaktor and Futurice, cutting-edge tech consultancies from Finland, provide insights into the balance between strategy, participation, and self-management in ‘flat’ low-hierarchy organizations. Burning Man represents the dialogues of balancing centralized planning with emergent communal self-organizing - while organizing a 70,000+ people festival in a desert. Lastly, Wikimedia offers a perspective on engaging virtual crowds in strategy processes in an organization renowned for its collaborative way of building Wikipedia, world’s largest encyclopedia.

Why is this important? The proponents of open and participatory approaches argue that involving participants in setting organizational direction and strategy increases motivation, commitment, and goal alignment. Participation fosters autonomy and engagement while also leading to improved decision quality through tapping into collective intelligence. However, the construction of shared goals through participatory processes presents challenges that necessitate careful process design. An ill-designed process may result in power struggles, slowed decision-making, and other counterproductive outcomes.

Addressing the pitfalls and success factors of open strategy through its investigation of organizations recognized for decentralization and broad participation, the project aims to illuminate the best practices, design choices and conditions essential for the successful implementation of participatory strategies.

To disseminate the insights gained from research, the project will conduct various outreach activities. These activities include seminars, workshops, guidebooks, and articles, all aimed at disseminating the project's insights and thus helping all companies and organizations to improve the understanding and implementation of open strategy in practice.

For more information about the project, contact the researcher team:
Dr. Frank Martela, Aalto University, Professor Eero Vaara, University of Oxford, Dr. Jukka-Pekka Heikkilä, Aalto University, PhD researcher Mia Leppälä, Aalto University, PhD researcher Jori Mäkkeli, Aalto University

The Department of Industrial Engineering and Management at Aalto University is a research institution dedicated to exploring cutting-edge topics in management and fostering practical applications for organizational success. The institution conducts interdisciplinary research projects, collaborates with industry leaders, and disseminates knowledge through various channels to advance the field of management science.

Saïd Business School at University of Oxford is consistently ranked as one of the world's top business schools with its MBA program having a strong reputation for entrepreneurship and, in particular, social entrepreneurship.