Implementing strategy means changes for employees

Abstract

This article explores how employees perceive their roles when encountering and implementing strategy. The empirical data consist of semi-structured interviews in six different kinds of organizations to gain comprehensive understanding of what kinds of factors are experienced as enhancing the employees’ engagement in strategy implementation and thus strategy work. Especially middle-level practitioners such as middle managers and management assistants are interviewed. The data are reinforced with comprehensive collaborative pre-work. The research recognizes diverse factors that make it possible for the employees to have an active and empowered role in strategy work. Results suggest that employees are mostly interested in improving their contribution in the rather traditional roles in top-down strategy processes, but they need knowledge sharing and support. By empowering especially mid-level practitioners with unrecognized potential, it is possible to enhance their engagement, possibility to plan their work and adapt to strategic changes, and thus improve strategy implementation, performance and results. A dynamic model combining the results from previous research and the empirical data maps out the essential elements for employees to have an active role in the processes.