Open Strategy: Big Potential, Real Challenges
Open strategy – the practice of involving a wider set of stakeholders in the strategy formulation process – can make organizations faster, smarter, and more innovative. By tapping into a broader set of perspectives, companies can spot opportunities and risks earlier, challenge entrenched thinking or build stronger buy-in for eventual decisions. It also helps break down silos: when people from different levels and functions work on strategy together, they see the bigger picture, and execution becomes smoother. But open strategy is not efficient by default.
Our study, published in the Journal of Management Studies, shows that open strategy can be powerful—but it is also challenging to create value from discussions between diverse people. We tracked the exchanges on the online open strategy forum at a large telecom company. We focused on 22 employees who participated in strategy discussions over the years and analysed their posts and comments to better understand how they, without having much of the experience in strategy jobs, engaged in strategy discussions.
Switching Hats: From Day Job to “Temporary Strategist”
One of the most fascinating insights from the study is the idea of how people switch hats at work. In open strategy settings, people who aren’t usually strategists—say, middle managers, technical experts, or frontline employees—temporarily step into a strategist role even if only for a moment. When people step into an open strategy process, they often have to temporarily “step out” of their usual job. This isn’t just about learning something new—it’s about creating a bit of distance from the roles they normally play, so they can think and speak differently. These transitions happen in what we call an ambiguous role environment, where no clear instructions are given on how exactly to play the role of a strategist and what counts as a ‘good’ strategic contribution.
Our research shows that newcomers to an open strategy forum adapt the way they communicate as their involvement deepens. In the early stages, many feel unsure about the value of their input and deliberately lower the stakes by downplaying their ideas — for example, saying things like “I’m just an IT guy.” As they become more engaged, participants start to position their contributions by connecting them to what they do know best: their own functional expertise (e.g., “After several years in [Telco] Research…”), examples from high-performing companies (e.g., Apple, Google), or insights from recognized strategy authorities (e.g., university professors, consultants).
It’s about creating a bit of distance from the roles they normally play, so they can think and speak differently.
It’s about creating a bit of distance from the roles they normally play, so they can think and speak differently.
The Temptation of Big Ideas
However, as conversations moved beyond immediate business priorities into broader strategic themes, participants began to idealize what strategy should be — emphasising the need to align it with overarching values and long-term aspirations. On one hand, this inspired wider engagement, attracting a diverse mix of voices and boosting their commitment to the process. On the other hand, discussions framed around big-picture challenges and aspirational visions often proved difficult to translate into the practical realities of day-to-day strategy work. For professional strategists, this made it harder to draw actionable insights for tasks such as risk assessment, market trend analysis, opportunity identification, operational planning, and competitive positioning. What does it tell us about starting an open strategy initiative?
Discussions framed around big-picture challenges and aspirational visions often proved difficult to translate into the practical realities of day-to-day strategy work.
Discussions framed around big-picture challenges and aspirational visions often proved difficult to translate into the practical realities of day-to-day strategy work.
Making Open Strategy Work: Practical Tips
Here are a few ideas on how to make open strategy work.
- When people are invited to contribute to strategy without a clear role description, they will create their own understanding of what a “strategist” means. This can be energizing but also lead to misalignment with leadership expectations. Managers should set clear role boundaries and goals for participation, while still leaving room for creativity.
- Employees stepping into a strategist role for the first time often use tactics like downplaying their inexperience or justifying their right to contribute. Leaders can reduce this need for self-legitimization by fostering psychological safety, offering encouragement, and validating contributions early on.
- Participants may align more with their peers in the open strategy process than with top management, which can cause ideas to drift away from organizational priorities. Ensure that open strategy forums have bridges—facilitators or feedback loops—linking participants’ discussions to the firm’s broader strategic discourse.
- Encouraging employees to distance themselves from their day-to-day roles can unlock fresh perspectives. But if the distance becomes too great, they may disengage from their core responsibilities. Managers should help participants navigate this balance—being a “temporary strategist” without losing commitment to their functional role.
- Open strategy often attracts certain kinds of contributors—those whose personal values or ideals about strategy match the group’s prevailing norms. This can enrich discussion but also narrow perspectives over time. Managers should actively invite diverse voices, not just rely on volunteers.
- How people express (or hide) confidence affects how their ideas are received. Some may underplay expertise to fit in; others may hold back to avoid being seen as arrogant. Leaders can normalize varied styles of contribution and ensure decision-making isn’t biased toward the loudest voices.
Ensure that open strategy forums have bridges—facilitators or feedback loops—linking participants’ discussions to the firm’s broader strategic discourse.
Ensure that open strategy forums have bridges—facilitators or feedback loops—linking participants’ discussions to the firm’s broader strategic discourse.
From Ideas to Action
Ultimately, open strategy works best when there is a clear link between participants’ contributions and the organization’s actual decision-making. Without this connection, even the most passionate discussions risk staying hypothetical. Clarity of role and expectations is key—participants need to know how their input will be used and what success looks like. At the same time, psychological safety and recognition from leaders ensure people can contribute confidently without having to prove their worth. And while open forums thrive on fresh perspectives, managers must actively bridge discussions back to strategic priorities so that creativity turns into action.
