Background: Succession is not only a significant moment but also a major challenge for a family business’s life. The new CEO’s performances can play a critical role in the post-succession process, which consists of a series of strategic changes. Although the new CEO and various stakeholders can influence the post-succession process to different extents, previous literature has shown a lack of focus on the interactions between the new CEO and multiple other stakeholders in the post-succession process. To understand both the context filled with organizational changes and the interactions between individuals, the lens of sensemaking can be applied for the research.  Purpose: This study attempts to explore the perspectives of the new CEO and multiple other stakeholders regarding the strategic changes happening in the post-succession process in a family business through the lens of sensemaking.  Methodology: This thesis is based on a case study. Data was collected from previous literature, semi-structured interviews with 10 interviewees and public information. NVivo and manual coding were applied in data analysis.  Findings: The sensemaking map as the main finding shows that strategic changes in the case include two stages, the formulation stage and the implementation stage. Sensehiding conducted by the new CEO at the beginning of implementation classifies strategic changes into covert and overt type. The new CEO was the only one actively involved in the formulation stage. The managers and grassroot employees performed actively in the implementation stage instead, where the new CEO was rarely involved. The findings also analyzed the new CEO’s characteristics to illustrate the formulation of strategic changes centered on the new CEO.

The study aimed to develop the knowledge and provide a broader understanding of how management consultants (MC) manage strategic change, by examining their approach in relation to their function in strategic change processes. The literature review explored the function of MCs as change agents from four perspectives: standards setters, information sources, knowledge integrators, and knowledge brokers. Highlighting the client-consultant relationship as an aspect within their function. Additionally, the planned and emergent approach to change was presented. Based on the presented concepts, a conceptual framework was developed. A qualitative approach was taken where semi-structured interviews were conducted with MCs from different consulting firms to gather relevant data. Finally, the data was structured and thematically analyzed through our conceptual model.   There is no one-size-fits-all regarding managing strategic change. MCs focus on recognizing the unique context of each change process and client, implying that the MCs can function differently in different change processes. Furthermore, MCs approach strategic change processes in relation to their function as change agents by utilizing activities from both planned- and emergent activities, depending on the specific function they perceive they have.

Changes to the marketing environment occur in numerous ways and with a wide range of characteristics. This research examines the effects of - and responses to - surprise, which is defined as disruptive, discontinuous events that result in unexpected changes to the environment. Some authors have suggested that organizations have tended to overestimate their ability both to predict and to control calamitous environmental events, resulting in relatively little attention being paid to environmental surprise in the marketing literature (Cunha et al, 2006). Indeed, much of the research in this domain has focused on improving organizations' ability to recognize - or even anticipate - such events, thus rendering them not surprises (Ansoff, 1975; Lampel & Shapira, 2001). But, as Cunha and associates respond, "... researchers should investigate how organizations might deal with unanticipated events," not just how to avoid them (2006, p. 320, emphasis added). This research addresses a portion of the identified gap. Just as there is a range of possible changes and change types, organizations' responses also vary. Depending on the nature of the environmental event(s), the appropriate form of strategic response can be quite different. Therefore, how organizations respond to environmental change is a critical element of their marketing strategies. Remaining properly aligned with their external surroundings has repeatedly been shown to produce significant benefits in terms of marketing performance and financial success (Venkatraman & Prescott, 1990). Barney and associates state that "... to the extent some firms in a rapidly changing environment are more nimble, more able to change quickly, and more alert to changes in their competitive environment, they will be able to adapt to changing market conditions more rapidly than competitors, and thus gain competitive advantage" (2001, p. 631). Study 1 What happens when firms are confronted by a strategic surprise - defined as "sudden, urgent, unfamiliar change" (Ansoff 1975, p. 22) - such as the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001? Numerous studies have examined how strategic change, in the aftermath of a significant environmental event, contributes to organizational survival and success. But, is strategic change the appropriate response to unexpected and disruptive environmental change? And is there a preferred trajectory for change, such that certain strategies are better suited than others to the post-surprise environment? This exploratory research examines whether or not strategic change is an appropriate response to strategic surprise by considering the actions of motor carriers in the aftermath of 9/11. The data evidences significant disruption to the trucking industry following the event; for example, among the sample, mean operating ratios declined by more than 50%. But while nearly 40% of the carriers studied changed their strategies in the post-9/11 environment, this did not guarantee better performance. In fact, all carriers fared worse following the attacks, but those carriers that changed strategies actually performed significantly worse than those that persisted with their pre-9/11 strategies. Study 2 In Study 2, a scoring model of strategic resilience is developed that enables motor carriers to assess their likelihood of withstanding disruptive environmental change. Supply chain resilience is an emergent research stream that considers the ability of a supply chain network to anticipate, prepare for, and adapt to significant environmental risks in the form of disruptions and unanticipated events (Ponomarov & Holcomb, 2009). This study examines the ability of motor carriers - a critical and essential component of most supply chains - to survive such events. Using variables identified in Study 1, together with those from numerous previous studies in the prediction-model research domain, the second study considers which factors are significant and contribute the most utility to an overall resilience score. In addition, this study approaches the model-building process using a proven methodology (conjoint analysis) which previously has not been applied to this type of research, while examining an especially broad range of possible alternatives. The resultant model provides firms in the motor-carrier industry with a "resilience score" that suggests their likelihood of survival in the post-event marketing environment. The resilience model enables motor carriers to self-assess their ability to withstand disruptive events in the marketing environment, including strategic surprises such as 9/11. Motor carriers with weaker scores (i.e., less than 600, on a scale from 300 to 900) are more likely to exit - though clearly are not guaranteed to do so. This model correctly identified nearly 70% of carriers that ultimately exited from the industry. In addition, the model provided evidence of where motor carriers should focus their attention in a post-disruption marketing environment. Six factors emerged as most significant to carriers' resilience as evidenced by the model. These elements are recommended as the metrics to which carriers themselves - and dependent supply chain network members - pay most attention following an environmental disruption. / Business Administration/Marketing

Problem statement – The strategic roles and responsibilities of professional middle managers (at a South African university) are not aligned with the accountability and authority required while strategising to effect strategic change. Through an in-depth exploration of practitioners, their practices, behaviour, cognition and emotions during strategising, insights in the development of practical wisdom was gained. Purpose – The purpose of the empirical research study was to investigate how professional middle managers strategise to effect change during strategic change. The study context was a South African higher education institution undergoing internal organisational change. Four main research themes were explored with particular reference to the professional middle manager as a strategic practitioner, namely one who DOES, THINKS, FEELS and REFLECTS. Design, methodology and approach – An explorative and interpretive study was conducted utilising a single case and qualitative research methodology. An interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was conducted, which aimed to explore the rich experiences of the participants and the way they make sense of their personal journeys during the strategic change initiative. Strategy as practice theory was selected as the theoretical foundation for the study. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted, and participants provided self-reflection assessments contributing to a unique data gathering method. Findings – The results suggested the professional middle managers make use of holistic and comprehensive practices to effect change as they strategise during strategic change. Five formal strategic roles were confirmed relevant as enacted by the professional middle managers, i.e. implementing strategies, interpreting and communicating information, facilitating adaptability, downward supporting and upward influencing. In addition, six distinctive practices were identified, namely adapting, effecting change, collaborating, mobilising, peacekeeping and overseeing. v Research limitations and implications – The results of the study cannot be generalised due to the single case methodology; however, key learnings and insights can be utilised. Practical implications – It is recommended that the middle managers’ key performance indicators be aligned with the required accountability and authority required to fulfil their strategic roles while effecting change. In addition, the development of tailor-made training programmes as well as coaching and mentoring is advocated in order to transition adequately into a middle management role. / Graduate School of Business Leadership / D.B.L.

Bakgrund och problemdiskussion: Företag behöver anpassa sig till förändringar i omvärlden för att överleva och för att fortsätta växa. Denna typ av anpassning benämns som strategisk förändring. År 2010 avskaffades revisionsplikten för mindre bolag i Sverige. Nu, sex år senare står branschen inför ytterligare en förändring. Att revisionsverksamheten minskat och att konsultverksamheten inom revisionsbranschen kommit att ta större plats sedan avskaffandet av revisionsplikten kan tydas som en slags förändring, men hur har egentligen The Big Four som dominerar inom revisionsbranschen upplevt denna förändring? Är det en förändring som skett per automatik i samband med lagändringen eller ligger ett strategiskt agerande till grund och kan det således betraktas som att revisionsbyråerna genomgått en strategisk förändring sedan avskaffandet av revisionsplikten? När branschen står inför ytterligare en lagändring 2016 frågas hur The big Fours revisorer förväntar sig att lagändringen kommer påverka byråerna och vilken typ av förändring som revisionsbyråerna kommer genomgå i samband med lagändringen? Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att redogöra för hur The Big Fours revisorer i Sverige upplever att revisions- och konsultverksamheten har påverkats sedan lagändringen 2010 samt hur revisorerna förväntar sig att revisions- och konsultverksamheten kommer påverkas i samband med lagändringen 2016, för att vidare analysera revisorernas upplevelser samt förväntningar för att bidra med kunskap om byråerna har eller kommer genomgå en strategisk förändring i samband med lagändringarna. Metod: Uppsatsen är kvalitativt uppbyggd och en flerfallsstudie har använts. Primär datainsamling har skett genom semi-strukturerade intervjuer. Respondenterna var 10auktoriserade revisorer från åtta av The Big Fours kontor. Slutsats: Uppsatsens författare har genom sitt analysarbete dragit slutsatserna att revisionsbyråerna har genomgått strategiska förändringar sedan lagändringen 2010 och att revisionsbyråerna kommer genomgå ytterligare strategiska förändringar i samband med lagändringen 2016. För att behålla sina positioner på marknaden behöver revisionsbyråerna genomgå strategiska förändringar i samband med att omvärlden ständigt förändras. / Background and problem discussion: In 2010, Sweden abolished the audit requirement for small companies. Now six years later, the industry is facing further adjustments. Companies need to adapt to changes in the environment to survive and continue to grow. This type of adjustment is referred to as strategic changes. That the audit activity is decreasing and consulting activities in the auditing industry have come to take more space since the removal of the audit requirement can be interpreted as a kind of change, but how have The Big Four that dominate the auditing profession experienced this change? Is it a change that has taken place automatically in connection with the amendment or is it a strategic action and can it thus be considered that firms have undergone a strategic change since the abolition of the audit requirement? Objective: The purpose of this thesis is to describe how The Big Four’s auditors in Sweden feel that audit and consulting business has been affected since the amendment in 2010, the auditors’ expectations of how auditing and consulting operations will be affected in connection with the amendment 2016, and to further analyse the auditors’ experiences and expectations to contribute knowledge regarding if the agencies have, or will undergo, a strategic change associated with changes in the law. Method: The essay is qualitatively constructed and multiple case study was used. Primary data collection took place through semi-structured interviews. Respondents were ten accountants from eight of the Big Four’s offices. Conclusion: The essay writers have through their analysis concluded that accounting firms have undergone strategic changes since the amendment in 2010 and that accounting firms will undergo further strategic changes in connection with the amendment in 2016. In order to maintain their positions on the market, accounting firms need to undergo strategic changes when the world is changing.

This thesis considers strategic change from the novel perspective of a manager practically ‘activating’ it within a complex organisation. It involved 18 months of action research and participant observation within BBC Global News, where joint processes were developed across two converging businesses. A journal was maintained of meetings and events, access was granted to internal documentation, and 12 interviews were conducted. One contribution of this thesis is a new conceptualisation of the developing elements of organisational strategic posture and related environmental events as ‘stremes’: strategic memes representing relevant subsystems, ideas, and subcultures. The posture is depicted as a construction of multiple voices, often combining, sometimes clashing, as ideas compete for legitimacy. This allows the practitioner outlook to be presented through three linked perspectives. A ‘process’ approach maps the unfolding streme system; a ‘people’ approach considers the building of consensus to legitimise stremes; and a ‘practice’ approach considers the efficacy of action research in helping to craft change. It is found that not only do the actions of people shape the streme network; the complex, interdependent network also partially shapes their actions. This research builds on previous work on strategic change, but provides new narrative insight from a practitioner’s outlook. It also created ‘practical knowledge’, since many outputs of the process were implemented within the BBC, and may have relevance elsewhere.

<p>Abstract</p><p>Planned change and change-related communication are perceived very differently by the members of an organization. Strongly varying perceptions of new tasks, work processes and goals make joint action difficult and cause the failure of many change initiatives. The purpose of this study is to investigate how internal communication and sensemaking processes contribute to the perception of strategic change among the members of a public service organization. The following questions are answered: How does the management plan and perform internal communication during a strategic change of the Swedish public service television company Sveriges Television (SVT)? How do the members of the organization make sense of a strategic change and the internal communication related to the changes that are planned and carried out?</p><p>A social constructivist perspective combined with theories of sensemaking, communication, social identities, roles, groups, power and status constitutes the analytical framework. The investigation is designed as two case studies of the SVT production facilities in Malmö and Örebro. The empirical material consists mainly of personal interviews. Written documents and observations have also been used. The case studies took place between 2002 and 2004. Some main conclusions are as follows:</p><p>1) Internal communication is central for how members of an organization make sense of, and participate in, major change. Yet, not even in ideal communication situations do the employees experience that the information has been sufficient and that they have been included in the change process. There are thus reasons for more balanced expectations of what is possible to achieve with internal communication during strategic change. 2) The most influential factor determining how people make sense of change-related communication is the practical everyday reality that constitutes their frames of reference. The reluctance to consider, and act upon, how other individuals conceive of a situation leads to misdirected internal communication and gaps of understanding. 3) Organizational identities, group membership, roles and status function as frames of reference when employees make sense of changes. But irrespective of whether the changes take place on an organizational, departmental or group level, personal identities are the most influential frames of reference for interpreting organizational change. The investigation thus establishes an order of precedence for frames of reference that has important implications for internal communication during strategic change.</p><p>The thesis contributes to sensemaking theories by demonstrating their extensive ability to explain mutually related phenomena, such as attention, resistance and self-fulfilling prophecies. The apparent ability to explain basically all sensemaking-related issues in organizations, and thus leading to reductionism, is also concluded to be one of the weaknesses of the theories. By connecting sensemaking theories with roles, social identities and power, the study contributes to clarifying the frame concept.</p><p>Key words: internal communication, sensemaking, strategic change, public service, Sveriges Television, frames of reference, organizational identity, roles, status.</p><p>Kontakt: saradalfelt@yahoo.se</p>

Medlemsägda företag utgör en betydande del av svenskt och internationellt näringsliv. Många av dessa företag genomgår i dessa dagar djupgående strategiska förändringar, som fusioner, bolagiseringar och alliansbyggande. Denna avhandling analyserar hur denna typ av omdaningsprocesser hanteras av ägare och företagsledningar. För att effektivt kunna organisera förändringsarbetet krävs ökad kunskap om företagsformens särdrag. Det unika består bland annat i en månghövdad krets av ägare som har både ekonomiska och idébaserade mål för sitt engagemang. Boken bygger på två fallstudier av kooperativa livsmedelsföretag: samgåendet mellan mejeriföreningarna i Dalarna, Hälsingland och Värmland samt fusioner och allianser inom Lantmännen. Ingående analyseras tre huvudmodeller för förändringsarbete: ägarmonolog, VD-monolog samt dialog. I detta sammanhang klargörs behovet av att utveckla ett brobygge mellan nyttjarintressen och affärslogik. Därigenom kan förhållandet mellan ägare och ledning organiseras i en tydlig form – en infrastruktur. Avhandlingen avslutas med en diskussion om hur företagsformens särart påverkar utfallet av de strategiska förändringsprocesserna. / Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögskolan, 1994

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This dissertation focuses on strategy formation of firms as it unfolds over time and in context. The research questions are defined to take into account the complexity of this phenomenon, in that the themes emanating address the involved structures, processes and managerial agency as the roles and influences of managers.A "semi-deductive" methodology is introduced in order to make use of the richness of theories that pertain to the research questions. The logic behind this conduct is to first construct an interdisciplinary interpretation system based on a thematic bridging of theoretical texts. In a second stage of creating knowledge, the themes are not only retained but also extended by virtue of empirical texts. A case study covers both the organizational and sectorial level of analysis during a period of six years; thus including all the competing firms within an industry, as well as the broader context in which these companies operated. The individual level is represented by the top management groups of all firms. On both theoretical and empirical grounds, a socio-cognitive perspective emerges in which an emphasis is placed on the reciprocity between individuals as acting subjects and their social contexts. The interaction is seen as the linkage that binds actors, structures and processes. Strategy formation of the firm is uncovered as a process of structuration encapsulating distinguishable structures, interaction processes and actors. The managerial role of coupling interactions is featured. The influence of managers is discussed in terms of a freedom of interpretation and a freedom of physical action. This study carries empirical as well as theoretical implications for several research fields such as industrial evolution, the management of strategic change and the theory of the firm in general. Here, the socio-cognitive framework generated may serve as a basis for uniting individual and social aspects. The "semi-deductive" methodology may also find a broad field of application. / <p>Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögskolan, 1993</p>