Open Strategy as a dispersed process : A Study in the Field of Electric Mobility

This study examines the open strategy process reporting on multiple-case studies within the emerging domain of electric mobility. Building on extensive field research on R&D initiatives, we derive an empirically grounded process framework that suggests open strategies to develop along three distinct phases: initiation, negotiation, and execution. We argue that open strategy-making oscillates between meta- and firm-level and unfolds within constructed strategic arenas via repeated and iterative negotiation between autonomous actors. Our findings suggest that third parties (e.g., public agencies or private institutions) play a pronounced role in inter-firm interaction and compensate for the absence of traditional hierarchical structures and authorities in collaborative arrangements. Our study also points towards the salient roles of individuals in building open strategies by linking actors that are spread across ecologies, as well as giving "voice and face" to interorganizational endeavours.