01.07.2024Open Strategy Workshop

Just now, we wrapped up the inspiring first Oxford & Zurich Open Strategy Workshop, hosted by David Seidl and Richard Whittington. The event brought together a diverse group of scholars and practitioners to explore the dynamic field of Open Strategy.

Over the past two days, participants engaged in deep discussions about various facets of inclusive and transparent strategy-making processes. The workshop featured insightful panels, lively poster sessions, and valuable practitioner perspectives.

Starting with an informal pre-conference dinner on Sunday, the official program began with a welcome lunch and an opening session led by David Seidl and Richard Whittington. This was followed by an expert panel featuring Leonhard Dobusch, Julia Hautz, Basak Yakis-Douglas, Alex Wilson, and Fleur Deken, who provided a comprehensive overview of current research, setting a strong foundation for the workshop.

Monday afternoon included a vibrant Poster Session, where we delved into themes such as integrative frameworks, meaning creation, and novel contexts in open strategizing. The day concluded with a Practitioner Panel chaired by Paula Jarzabkowski, featuring experts from 20 Minuten (Felix Langenmayr & Annina Flückiger) and Innovative Management Partner IMP (Prof. Dr. Stephan Friedrich von den Eichen) who diligently reflected on their experiences with Open Strategy projects in praxis. We wrapped up the day with a cozy conference dinner at the traditional Zunfthaus zur Zimmerleuten, located in the heart of Zurich’s old town.

Today’s opening session prompted more critical views on Open Strategy, with contributions from Paula Jarzabkowski, Eero Vaara, Martin Friesl, and Tomi Laamanen, chaired by Violetta Splitter. Today’s poster session showcased great ideas and research projects at different stages, focusing on dilemmas, tensions, and experiences of Open Strategy. The workshop concluded with a technology-enabled synthesis of insights and a forward-looking agenda that included the entire audience, both present and online. The expert panel, chaired by Richard Whittington, featured Peter Smith, Sotirios Paroutis, Violetta Splitter, and Winky Wu.

We would like to thank all panelists, facilitators, and participants for their invaluable contributions! It was a highly inspiring event!

We look forward to continuing the workshop as a series, with the next Open Strategy Workshop in Oxford on June 25-26, 2025. Pre-registration is also possible now.