The Quartet

Bridging Research and Reality, the Quartet represents the four distinct voices driving this community hub.

Partner	Focus & Expertise	Domain
Aalto University	Open Strategy: Pioneers in transparency, inclusion, and the digitalized practice of strategy.	OpenStrategy.fi
University of Turku (CCR)	Collaborative Research: Specializing in bridging business and society through impactful co-creation.	CCR Turku
Tampere University	Experience Economy: Redefining value creation through service design and meaningful impact.	Experience Economy
Noren Consulting	Science-Practice Dissemination: Translating complex academic findings into scalable business tools.	Jaakko Luomavaara

Internationally, we are part of Openstrategynetwork. The community is anchored by world-class scholars, including Eero Vaara, Professor at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and Visiting Distinguished Professor at Aalto University. His work focuses on how communication and narratives construct organizational reality

BIOs of our contributors

Frank Martela: A dual-PhD lecturer at Aalto University and project PI, Frank is an expert in human motivation and meaningfulness whose research explores how decentralized organizations can best unleash human potential. | LinkedIn

Eero Vaara: A Professor at Oxford’s Saïd Business School and Visiting Professor at Aalto, Eero is a world-renowned scholar specializing in how narratives and communication construct organizational reality during strategic change. | LinkedIn

Aki Koponen: Research Director at the University of Turku’s Centre for Collaborative Research, Aki specializes in business renewal, innovation dynamics, and the strategic impact of digital business disruptions. | LinkedIn

Heini Merkkiniemi: A Doctoral Researcher at Tampere University, Heini focuses on the "experience economy" and open strategy, bridging the gap between arts management and strategic organizational participation. | LinkedIn

Jukka-Pekka Heikkilä: An impact-driven scholar and founder of the Burning Stories collective, Jukka-Pekka blends entrepreneurship and organization science to study participatory cultures and co-creative strategic models. | LinkedIn

Mia Leppälä: A Postdoctoral Researcher at Tampere University and Visiting at Aalto University, Mia’s research focuses on the intersection of digital communication tools and open strategy to understand how emerging technology reshapes modern organizing. | LinkedIn

Jori Mäkkeli: An Aalto University PhD researcher and consultant, Jori is dedicated to questioning traditional hierarchies by studying post-bureaucratic organization design and participatory development. | LinkedIn

Jaakko Luomaranta: The strategy lead at Noren and a PhD researcher at the University of St. Gallen, Jaakko specializes in making strategy more humane and adaptive, having co-authored Finland’s first definitive book on open strategy. | LinkedIn