Making Strategy Work Through Staff Agency in Times of Change

Abstract

This article examines how staff at a university of applied sciences experience strategic change and understand their own role in implementing the chosen organisational strategy. Previous research on strategic management has often focused on strategy formulation, organisational structures, leadership tools and performance outcomes, while less attention has been paid to employees’ everyday experiences of strategy. In knowledge-intensive organisations, this is a relevant question, as strategy must be interpreted and applied across different professional roles and work contexts. The research question is: How do staff at a university of applied sciences perceive their opportunities to influence the organisation’s strategy and to implement it during a period of strategic change? The study uses a mixed-methods case study design. The main dataset consists of interviews with staff members working in expert and managerial roles. These interviews are complemented by two rounds of survey responses on employees’ opportunities to influence strategic development and work in accordance with the chosen strategy. A third dataset, consisting of regional innovation ecosystem interviews, examines related questions from the perspective of cross-boundary collaboration. Together, the three datasets provide complementary perspectives on staff experiences and the organisational conditions that enable or constrain strategy implementation. The article contributes to the strategic management theme by examining strategy implementation as a process that takes shape in everyday professional work. Staff’s commitment to strategy appears to be closely related to perceived inclusion, the clarity and credibility of strategic priorities, and the extent to which strategy can relate to staff members’ own work. The regional innovation ecosystem requires shared goals, cross-boundary collaboration, and practices that enable staff and external stakeholders to participate in strategic development. For higher education leaders, the study points to the importance of creating practical conditions in which strategic priorities can be understood, discussed, and carried into daily practice.