Abstract
This study employs a design science perspective to propose a methodology for open strategic planning (OSP). Habermas’ discourse theory and Bryson’s strategy change cycle are used as informing kernel theories. A methodology is proposed to satisfy the requirements retrieved from the kernel theories. The proposed methodology contains modules for a planning system and a planning process. Design principles are explained through a blueprint of the system and process. The proposed methodology is applied and evaluated in two cases. Contributions to the literature involve extending the literature on OSP to an applicable methodology with guidelines on how to implement open strategy.
6.2 Contributions
Developing a methodology for OSP according to the two kernel theories and empirically evaluating the methodology are the main contribution of this study. There is already a vast literature on strategic planning decentralisation and strategic planning actors in general. However, the existing literature is predominantly descriptive (for example: [72, 92]) rather than prescription or focused on the impact of participation (for example: [93-95]). This research took a different approach by (i) proposing a prescriptive methodology informed by kernel theories and (ii) by evaluating the proposed methodology empirically in two case studies.
In this study, presuppositions of an ideal discourse provided a meta-level basis for the requirements of the planning system as an essential component of OSPM. Habermas’ four pragmatic presuppositions of an ideal discourse [31, 79] and Bryson’s [32] strategy change cycle were used as theoretical lens to conceptualise and understand the requirements of a methodology for OSP. The methodology covers the required modules for a planning system and a planning process.
However, although the principles of open strategy are well studied in the strategic planning literature, the extent of openness remains unknown. This research offers the concept of online discourse as a benchmark for openness. Although online systems of strategic planning [16] and open strategy processes [7, 8, 24] have been suggested in previous studies, no studies have combined these two aspects in one single research design.
