Collaborative learning and emotions supporting the implementation of organizational strategy: a mixed-method study of knowledge-based work

Modern working life demands active development, change management and strategic renewal – especially from specialist organizations. Growing instability emphasizes the importance of successful strategy implementation for organizational success, employee well-being and the sustainability of working life. However, research shows that strategy implementation fails with unsustainable frequency. Previous research has identified the challenges of strategy implementation as lack of clarity of strategy, weak commitment to strategy, and problems with interaction and communication. Successful strategy implementation requires the involvement of all staff in strategy-related interaction processes, where strategy designers and implementers meet and make sense of strategy content, so that the whole organization is brought together to work towards a common goal. Therefore, this dissertation approaches strategy implementation from the perspective of a collaborative learning process, specifically exploring the role of organizational participatory practices and the emotions (psychological safety) involved in interactions in strategy implementation.

The collaborative learning process as a perspective for strategy implementation is novel and the connection between learning and strategy implementation has not been studied before. There is previous research on the connection between emotions and the strategy process, but the specific connection between psychological safety and strategy implementation has not been explored. This dissertation addresses this research gap and utilizes and develops the concepts of strategic change, collaborative learning and psychological safety using a socio-cultural and constructivist learning theory framework, focusing on collaborative learning and interaction and the organizational change process in a Finnish expert organization.

In the target organization of the study, an intervention of co-creation is being implemented to pilot a digital tool and method for participatory learning.