Shaping Elements While Maintaining Fit

Timo Ritakallio

Shaping Elements While Maintaining Fit

Julkaisun otsikon käännös: Organisaation toimintojen muokkaaminen niiden yhteensopivuutta heikentämättä

Timo Ritakallio

Tuotantotalouden laitos

Tutkimustuotos: Doctoral Thesis › Monograph

Abstrakti

Organisaation suorituskyky on seuraus sen toimintojen hyvästä ja toisiinsa nähden johdonmukaisesta suorittamisesta. Tiedetään, että organisaation toimintojen välinen yhteensopivuus, fit, on olennainen tekijä sen menestykselle, mutta vielä tarvitaan syvempää perehtymistä niihin prosesseihin, joita organisaatioilla on käytössään tämän yhteensopivuuden kehittämiseksi ja ylläpitämiseksi jatkuvasti muuttuvassa ympäristössä. Tämän väitöskirjan tavoitteena on täsmentää aiempaa tutkimustietoa strategisen yhteensopivuuden kehittämisestä. Toteutin pitkittäisen tapaustutkimuksen, jossa tarkasteltavana kohteena oli yksi Euroopan parhaiten menestyneistä pankeista vuosina 2000-2011. Organisaation toiminnot mallinsin hyödyntäen kvalitatiivista systeemikarttaa, jonka avulla pääsin havainnoimaan toimintojen pitkän aikavälin kehittymistä ja niiden välisen yhteensopivuuden säilymistä. Ensisijaisena tietolähteenä käytin julkisesti saatavilla ollutta tietoa yrityksen toiminnoista, jota täydennettiin yksilöhaastatteluilla. Aiemmista teorioista poiketen analyysini antoi viitteitä siitä, että yrityksen peruselementit itsessään kokivat muutoksia prosessissa, jonka myötä niiden keskinäiset suhteet alkoivat saada toisiinsa nähden yhteensopivia ominaisuuksia. Tätä prosessia voidaan kutsua muokkaamiseksi, shaping. Tämä löydös korostaa sitä, että strategian ymmärtäminen organisaation elementtien muodostelmana edellyttää paitsi keskittymistä näiden elementtien välisiin suhteisiin, myös ymmärrystä elementtien kvalitatiivisesta luonteesta ja niissä tapahtuvista muutoksista. Monet näistä muutoksista ovat paremmin luonnehdittavissa muotoutuviksi (emergent)kuin suunnitelluiksi (designed) prosesseiksi. Analyysin tulokset edistävät olemassa olevaa tutkimusta liittyen prosesseihin, jotka mahdollistavat organisaatioiden kasvun ja kehityksen kohti yhteensopivuutta. Siggelkow tunnisti neljä prosessia, joita yritykset käyttävät: thickening (sakeutuminen), patching (paikkaaminen), coasting (liukuminen) ja trimming (puhtaaksileikkaus). Tämä tutkimus määritteli viidennen prosessin – muokkaaminen – joka viittaa organisaation peruselementin muutokseen sen identiteetin ja suhteen muihin elementteihin kuitenkin säilyessä. Johtopäätöksenä voidaan sanoa, että strategisten peruselementtien muokkaaminen on olennainen keino yrityksille säilyttää yhteensopivuus peruselementtiensä välillä ja silti muuntautua ja kasvaa radikaalisti epävakaassa ja turbulentissa ympäristössä. Tästä johtuen tämän väitöskirjan löydökset tuovat keskeisen lisän tutkimukseen organisaatioiden eri toimintojen strategiseen yhteensopivuuteen johtavista prosesseista.

Julkaisun otsikon käännös	Organisaation toimintojen muokkaaminen niiden yhteensopivuutta heikentämättä
Alkuperäiskieli	Englanti
Pätevyys	Tohtorintutkinto
Myöntävä instituutio	Aalto-yliopisto
Valvoja/neuvonantaja	Vuori, Timo, Vastuuprofessori Laamanen, Tomi, Ohjaaja
Kustantaja	Aalto University
Painoksen ISBN	978-952-60-7023-0
Sähköinen ISBN	978-952-60-7022-3
Tila	Julkaistu - 2016
OKM-julkaisutyyppi	G4 Tohtorinväitöskirja (monografia)

Tutkimusalat

strateginen yhteensopivuus
strateginen muutos
aktiviteettisysteemi
organisatorinen elementti
pankkitoiminta

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abstract = "Organizational performance is a result of doing many activities well and consistently with one another. While existing research has recognized that the fit between organizational activities is an important determinant of success, there is a need for more study of the processes that organizations use to develop and maintain fit in the presence of environmental change. This thesis set out to elaborate theory on fit development. I used the previous theory as a starting point and to formulate open-ended research questions rather than specific hypotheses. I then used empirical material to build on top of the prior literature and to challenge the prior literature. I did this to extend and refine the existing theories on fit development. To investigate how strategic fit is developed over time and how emergent and behavioral processes might be related to the process of developing and maintaining fit between organizational elements, I conducted a longitudinal case study of one of the most successful European banks covering its performance from 2000 to 2011. I modeled the organization´s activities by using qualitative organizational-system maps to determine how the activities evolved over time and how the fit between them was maintained. My primary data source was public information about the company´s activities and these data were complemented by private interviews. In contrast to what the previous theory would suggest, I found that the company´s core elements themselves underwent major changes through a process that I call shaping, during which the elements´ relationships between one another continued to have a fit-like character. This highlights that to understand strategy as a constellation of organizational elements, it is not sufficient to focus on the relationships between the elements, one must also to be mindful of the qualitative nature of the elements themselves and changes in them. Many of these changes are better characterized as {"}emergent{"} rather than as {"}designed.{"} My findings contribute to the research on the processes that allows companies to evolve toward fit. Siggelkow recognized four processes that a company uses: thickening, patching, coasting, and trimming. I identified a fifth one—shaping—which refers to the process of transforming a core element while maintaining its identity and relationships with other elements. My conclusion is that shaping strategic core elements is an essential way through which companies maintain fit between their core elements and yet transform and grow radically during the periods of volatility and turbulence in the surrounding environment. Therefore, my findings are essential for the research on the processes that allow companies to evolve toward fit.",

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author = "Timo Ritakallio",

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N2 - Organizational performance is a result of doing many activities well and consistently with one another. While existing research has recognized that the fit between organizational activities is an important determinant of success, there is a need for more study of the processes that organizations use to develop and maintain fit in the presence of environmental change. This thesis set out to elaborate theory on fit development. I used the previous theory as a starting point and to formulate open-ended research questions rather than specific hypotheses. I then used empirical material to build on top of the prior literature and to challenge the prior literature. I did this to extend and refine the existing theories on fit development. To investigate how strategic fit is developed over time and how emergent and behavioral processes might be related to the process of developing and maintaining fit between organizational elements, I conducted a longitudinal case study of one of the most successful European banks covering its performance from 2000 to 2011. I modeled the organization´s activities by using qualitative organizational-system maps to determine how the activities evolved over time and how the fit between them was maintained. My primary data source was public information about the company´s activities and these data were complemented by private interviews. In contrast to what the previous theory would suggest, I found that the company´s core elements themselves underwent major changes through a process that I call shaping, during which the elements´ relationships between one another continued to have a fit-like character. This highlights that to understand strategy as a constellation of organizational elements, it is not sufficient to focus on the relationships between the elements, one must also to be mindful of the qualitative nature of the elements themselves and changes in them. Many of these changes are better characterized as "emergent" rather than as "designed." My findings contribute to the research on the processes that allows companies to evolve toward fit. Siggelkow recognized four processes that a company uses: thickening, patching, coasting, and trimming. I identified a fifth one—shaping—which refers to the process of transforming a core element while maintaining its identity and relationships with other elements. My conclusion is that shaping strategic core elements is an essential way through which companies maintain fit between their core elements and yet transform and grow radically during the periods of volatility and turbulence in the surrounding environment. Therefore, my findings are essential for the research on the processes that allow companies to evolve toward fit.

AB - Organizational performance is a result of doing many activities well and consistently with one another. While existing research has recognized that the fit between organizational activities is an important determinant of success, there is a need for more study of the processes that organizations use to develop and maintain fit in the presence of environmental change. This thesis set out to elaborate theory on fit development. I used the previous theory as a starting point and to formulate open-ended research questions rather than specific hypotheses. I then used empirical material to build on top of the prior literature and to challenge the prior literature. I did this to extend and refine the existing theories on fit development. To investigate how strategic fit is developed over time and how emergent and behavioral processes might be related to the process of developing and maintaining fit between organizational elements, I conducted a longitudinal case study of one of the most successful European banks covering its performance from 2000 to 2011. I modeled the organization´s activities by using qualitative organizational-system maps to determine how the activities evolved over time and how the fit between them was maintained. My primary data source was public information about the company´s activities and these data were complemented by private interviews. In contrast to what the previous theory would suggest, I found that the company´s core elements themselves underwent major changes through a process that I call shaping, during which the elements´ relationships between one another continued to have a fit-like character. This highlights that to understand strategy as a constellation of organizational elements, it is not sufficient to focus on the relationships between the elements, one must also to be mindful of the qualitative nature of the elements themselves and changes in them. Many of these changes are better characterized as "emergent" rather than as "designed." My findings contribute to the research on the processes that allows companies to evolve toward fit. Siggelkow recognized four processes that a company uses: thickening, patching, coasting, and trimming. I identified a fifth one—shaping—which refers to the process of transforming a core element while maintaining its identity and relationships with other elements. My conclusion is that shaping strategic core elements is an essential way through which companies maintain fit between their core elements and yet transform and grow radically during the periods of volatility and turbulence in the surrounding environment. Therefore, my findings are essential for the research on the processes that allow companies to evolve toward fit.

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KW - strategic change

KW - activity systems

KW - organizational elements

KW - banking

KW - strateginen yhteensopivuus

KW - strateginen muutos

KW - aktiviteettisysteemi

KW - organisatorinen elementti

KW - pankkitoiminta

KW - strategic fit

KW - strategic change

KW - activity systems

KW - organizational elements

KW - banking

M3 - Doctoral Thesis

SN - 978-952-60-7023-0

T3 - Aalto University publication series DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS

PB - Aalto University

ER -

Shaping Elements While Maintaining Fit

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