The digital work of strategists: Using open strategy for organizational transformation

Abstract

Recent years have seen heightened interest in how information technologies (IT) are changing the nature of work in strategy and in the work of strategists. This paper highlights four ‘modes of open strategizing’ which represent the digital work activities of strategists, who in our case are top managers involved in developing and implementing a new five-year strategy at a large professional association. Top managers adopted an open strategy approach and included their organizational community in shaping a future direction for the professional association. Whilst IT-enabled openness in strategy has received significant interest recently, few studies have focused on the specific (digital) work practices of strategists and subsequently connected this to notable outcomes such as organizational transformation. We therefore respond to this by connecting the four outlined modes we identify to show realized strategic outcomes of digital work and how it can transform organizations.