Pursuit of change versus organizational inertia: a study on strategic renewal in the Finnish broadcasting company

This doctoral dissertation explores the intra-organizational dynamics of a strategic renewal process. The main research question is how the pursuit of change and organizational inertia co-exist, intertwine, and collide in organizational cognition and capabilities during the strategic renewal. It is a comprehensive study on how organizational capabilities, organizational cognition, and structure enhance and inhibit change. Theoretically, the study is positioned in the modern tradition of strategy research, using the dynamic capability view and the organizational and managerial cognition research tradition as the main theoretical frames. Empirically, the study is a longitudinal case study of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle), following the organizational changes during the years of 2011-1014. The analysis is based on both quantitative and qualitative data, which was collected during the research process using surveys, interviews, and archives. The main theoretical contribution is the application of the two theoretical approaches in one study. Empirically, the study contributes to operationalization of the concepts related to the dynamic capability view and organizational cognition, in a media context that is going through drastic changes due to digitalization. Furthermore, the case of a public broadcasting company extends the application of the theoretical concepts to the context of public management. The results suggest that renewal is a complex process, in which an organization’s perceptions intertwine with the strategic actions and decision-making. The change evolves pathdependently: the past experiences, routines, and organizational structures tend to dictate the future visions, desires, and actions. The study also reveals how the public nature of an organization adds to the tensions between change and organizational inertia, and hampers the decision-making. The doctoral dissertation consists of six research papers, each of which explores the phenomenon under study from a different perspective.

Organizing for Systemic Innovations – Research on Knowledge, Interaction and Organizational Interdependencies

Systemic innovation has emerged as an important topic due to the interconnected technological and sociotechnical change of our current complex world. This study approaches the phenomenon from an organizing perspective, by analyzing the various actors, collaborative activities and resources available in innovation systems. It presents knowledge production for innovation and discusses the organizational challenges of shared innovation activities from a dynamic perspective. Knowledge, interaction, and organizational interdependencies are seen as the core elements of organizing for systemic innovations. This dissertation is divided into two parts. The first part introduces the focus of the study and the relevant literature and summarizes conclusions. The second part includes seven publications, each reporting on an important aspect of the phenomenon studied. Each of the in-depth single-case studies takes a distinct and complementary systems approach to innovation activities – linking the refining of knowledge to the enabling of organizations to participate in shared innovation processes. These aspects are summarized as theoretical and practical implications for recognizing innovation opportunities and turning ideas into innovations by means of using information and organizing activities in an efficient manner. Through its investigation of the existing literature and empirical case studies, this study makes three main contributions. First, it describes the challenges inherent in utilizing information and transforming it into innovation knowledge. Secondly, it presents the role of interaction and organizational interdependencies in innovation activities from various novel perspectives. Third, it highlights the interconnection between innovations and organizations, and the related path dependency and anticipatory aspects in innovation activities. In general, the thesis adds to our knowledge of how different aspects of systems form innovations through interaction and organizational interdependencies. It highlights the continuous need to redefine information and adjust organizations and networks based on ongoing activities – stressing the emergent, systemic nature of innovation.

Value of Information Logistics Integration in Digital Business Ecosystem

Digital business ecosystems (DBE) are becoming an increasingly popular concept for modelling and building distributed systems in heterogeneous, decentralized and open environments. Information- and communication technology (ICT) enabled business solutions have created an opportunity for automated business relations and transactions. The deployment of ICT in business-to-business (B2B) integration seeks to improve competitiveness by establishing real-time information and offering better information visibility to business ecosystem actors. The products, components and raw material flows in supply chains are traditionally studied in logistics research. In this study, we expand the research to cover the processes parallel to the service and information flows as information logistics integration. In this thesis, we show how better integration and automation of information flows enhance the speed of processes and, thus, provide cost savings and other benefits for organizations. Investments in DBE are intended to add value through business automation and are key decisions in building up information logistics integration. Business solutions that build on automation are important sources of value in networks that promote and support business relations and transactions. Value is created through improved productivity and effectiveness when new, more efficient collaboration methods are discovered and integrated into DBE. Organizations, business networks and collaborations, even with competitors, form DBE in which information logistics integration has a significant role as a value driver. However, traditional economic and computing theories do not focus on digital business ecosystems as a separate form of organization, and they do not provide conceptual frameworks that can be used to explore digital business ecosystems as value drivers—combined internal management and external coordination mechanisms for information logistics integration are not the current practice of a company’s strategic process. In this thesis, we have developed and tested a framework to explore the digital business ecosystems developed and a coordination model for digital business ecosystem integration; moreover, we have analysed the value of information logistics integration. The research is based on a case study and on mixed methods, in which we use the Delphi method and Internetbased tools for idea generation and development. We conducted many interviews with key experts, which we recoded, transcribed and coded to find success factors. Qualitative analyses were based on a Monte Carlo simulation, which sought cost savings, and Real Option Valuation, which sought an optimal investment program for the ecosystem level. This study provides valuable knowledge regarding information logistics integration by utilizing a suitable business process information model for collaboration. An information model is based on the business process scenarios and on detailed transactions for the mapping and automation of product, service and information flows. The research results illustrate the current cap of understanding information logistics integration in a digital business ecosystem. Based on success factors, we were able to illustrate how specific coordination mechanisms related to network management and orchestration could be designed. We also pointed out the potential of information logistics integration in value creation. With the help of global standardization experts, we utilized the design of the core information model for B2B integration. We built this quantitative analysis by using the Monte Carlo-based simulation model and the Real Option Value model. This research covers relevant new research disciplines, such as information logistics integration and digital business ecosystems, in which the current literature needs to be improved. This research was executed by high-level experts and managers responsible for global business network B2B integration. However, the research was dominated by one industry domain, and therefore a more comprehensive exploration should be undertaken to cover a larger population of business sectors. Based on this research, the new quantitative survey could provide new possibilities to examine information logistics integration in digital business ecosystems. The value activities indicate that further studies should continue, especially with regard to the collaboration issues on integration, focusing on a user-centric approach. We should better understand how real-time information supports customer value creation by imbedding the information into the lifetime value of products and services. The aim of this research was to build competitive advantage through B2B integration to support a real-time economy. For practitioners, this research created several tools and concepts to improve value activities, information logistics integration design and management and orchestration models. Based on the results, the companies were able to better understand the formulation of the digital business ecosystem and the importance of joint efforts in collaboration. However, the challenge of incorporating this new knowledge into strategic processes in a multi-stakeholder environment remains. This challenge has been noted, and new projects have been established in pursuit of a real-time economy.

Understanding organizational wrongdoing

The topic is white collar crime in its organizational form. The research question is why otherwise law-abiding people engage in wrongful behavior within legitimate organizations and what kinds of dynamics are involved in wrongful organizational processes. This is a theoretical inquiry the method of which is to bring together relevant literature on organizational behavior regardless of the branch of science. In addition to criminological and sociolegal writings, I mostly refer to works of social psychology and organization theory. At first, I discuss the terminological multiplicity related to organizational white collar crime. In conclusion from a critical analysis of the dominant terms and definitions, I argue for the concept of organizational wrongdoing. The approach of organizational wrongdoing captures unethical, illegal and criminal organizational behavior. Thus, it is not retricted by legislative categories but ethical reasoning. The approach aims at grasping a behavioral entity, and state law crimes do not constitute an ontology of behavior. In order to understand organizational wrongdoing, the dominant criminological theories applied to white collar crime are discussed. To a surprisingly large extent, they lack a sophisticated organizational perspective and do not offer viable frameworks for building a plausible theory of organizational white collar crime. In order to fill the gap, I incorporate the social psychological dynamics of organizational behavior and present several findings on collective behavior that criminological theorization must come to terms with. ------ This publication has been first presented and accepted as a master's thesis at the Faculty of Law, University of Turku. It has been published on the series: Criminal Law and Judicial Procedure, Series B: 15, in print format. The publication was digitized in 2015 and published online.

Integration of biofuel production. How pyrolysis and torrefaction can be integrated

The main goal of this work is to clarify the idea of two thermochemical conversion processes of biomass - pyrolysis and torrefaction and to identify possible ways how and where exactly these processes can be integrated. Integration into CHP power plant process was chosen as one of the most promising ways. Multiple product development was determined by means of this integration concept. The analysis of the possible pros and cons was made based on some experimental data collected from the previous studies related to the topic of my work. In addition, one real integrated case was represented in the last part of the work. Finally, to highlight the main idea brief summarizing was done.

Sotilasyksikön integraatio – koulutuskulttuurien kohtaaminen ja konfliktit

Tutkimuksen kohteena on yksi sotilasyksikkö, Reserviupseerikoulun Esikunta- ja viestikomppania. Kyseisessä yksikössä koulutetaan reservinupseereita sotilaspo-liisi-, huolto-, johtamisjärjestelmä- ja komentopaikkatehtäviin. Sotilaspoliisilinja ja huoltolinja ovat liittyneet yksikköön vuoden 2014 lopulla. Tämä integraatio on saanut aikaan tiedonintressin koulutuslinjojen kulttuureihin liittyen. Tarkoituksena on selvittää miten linjojen koulutuskulttuurit poikkeavat toisistaan ja mitä kulttuurien integraatiossa tapahtuu. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on myös antaa suosituksia yksikölle mahdollisten kulttuuriristiriitojen ja konfliktien hallitsemiseksi. Tutkimus on luonteeltaan sosiaaliantropologista kauppatieteellistä kulttuurintutki-musta. Taustatieteinä ovat liiketaloustiede, antropologia, sosiologia ja osittain or-ganisaatiopsykologia. Tutkimusote on laadullinen ja aineiston hankinnan mene-telminä on käytetty yksikön kouluttajien haastatteluja ja osallistuvaa havainnointia. Tutkimusaineisto on analysoitu teoriaohjaavaa laadullista sisällönanalyysiä käyttäen. Analyysin tavoitteena oli tunnistaa erot integroituvissa koulutuskulttuureissa, ymmärtää eroista johtuvien konfliktien logiikkaa ja tarkastella kulttuurien vuotamisen logiikkaa. Esikunta- ja viestikomppanian koulutuskulttuurien erilaisuutta analysoitiin seuraavien teoriateemojen kautta: oppilaskäsitys, suhtautuminen upseerioppilaisiin, artefaktit (koulutusmenetelmät), arvot, asenteet ja kouluttamisen syväoletukset. Koulutuskulttuurien kohtaamista analysoitiin psykologisen omistajuuden, reviirikäyttäytymisen ja kulttuurin vuotamisen teorioiden kautta. Tutkimustulokset osoittavat, että kulttuurilla todella on merkitystä sotilasorganisaa-tion integraatiotilanteessa. Esikunta- ja viestikomppanian koulutuskulttuureissa on havaittavissa huomattavia eroja, mutta myös samankaltaisuuksia. Kulttuurien erot johtavat ristiriitaisuuksiin, konflikteihin, reviirikäyttäytymiseen ja saavat ihmiset osoittamaan mieltään eri tavoin. Toisaalta kulttuuripiirteillä on myös taipumusta vuotaa ympäristöön nopeuttaen uusien organisaation osien sopeutumista. Johtajan rooli kulttuurien hallinnassa on keskeinen. Johtajan oma kulttuuriorientaatio voi johtaa konflikteihin, mutta toisaalta myös ratkaista niitä. Tärkeimpänä johtopäätöksenä on, että suuressa sotilasyksikössä kannattaisi laatia strategia eli suunnitelma kulttuurin johtamista varten silloin, kun integraatio on tapahtumassa. Strategian avulla voidaan ottaa kantaa useisiin kulttuurillisiin ristiriitoihin, joita siis Esikunta- ja viestikomppaniankin tapauksessa ilmenee. Koko yksikön henkilöstä kannattaisi sitouttaa ja ottaa mukaan strategian laadintaan. Strategia selventäisi esimerkiksi yksikön arvoja, visiota, missiota, tehtäviä, erilaisten linjojen erityisasemaa ja poikkeuksia, haluttua ja toivottua toimintaa ja asennetta, palkitsemiskäytäntöjä, toisin sanoen kulttuurin eri tekijöitä. Strategia ei ole vain liiketaloudellinen tulosyksikön pitkän tähtäimen pakollinen työkalu, vaan myös sotilasorganisaation kulttuurin johtamisen väline.

Innovation process development and business process integration - a multiple case study

The main objective of this study was to find out the bases for innovation model formulation in an existing organization based on cases. Innovation processes can be analyzed based on their needs and based on their emphasis on the business model development or R&D. The research was conducted in energy sector within one company by utilizing its projects as cases for the study. It is typical for the field of business that development is slow, although the case company has put emphasis on its innovation efforts. Analysis was done by identifying the cases’ needs and comparing them. The results were that because of the variances in the needs of the cases, the applicability of innovation process models varies. It was discovered that by dividing the process into two phases, a uniform model could be composed. This model would fulfill the needs of the cases and potential future projects as well.

Innovation Process and Organizational Adoption of Disruptive Innovation: Empirical Evidence from Finnish Bio-Economy Companies.

The thesis aims to build a coherent view and understanding of the innovation process and organizational technology adoption in Finnish bio-economy companies with a focus on innovations of a disruptive nature. Disruptive innovations are exceptional hence in order to create generalizations and a unified view of the subject the perspective is also on less radical innovations. Other interests of the thesis are how ideas are discovered and generated and how the nature of the innovation and size of the company affect the technology adoption and innovation process. The data was collected by interviewing six small and six large Finnish bio-economy companies. The results suggest companies regardless of size consider innovation as a core asset in the competitive markets. Organizations want to be considered innovators and early adopters yet these qualities are limited by certain, mainly resource-based factors. In addition the industry, scalability and Finland’s geographical location when seeking funding provide certain challenges. The innovation process may be considered relatively similar whether the idea or technology stems from an internal or external source suggesting the technology adoption process can in fact be linked to the innovation process theories. Thus the thesis introduces a new theoretical model which based on the results of the study and the theories of technology adoption and innovation process aims on characterizing how ideas and technology from both external and internal sources generate into innovations. The innovation process is in large bio-economy companies most often similar to or a modified version of the stage-gate model, while small companies generally have less structured processes. Nevertheless the more disruptive the innovation, the less it fits in the structured processes. This implies disruptive innovation cannot be put in a certain mould but it is rather processed case-by-case.

Empirical studies on software quality construction: Exploring human factors and organizational influences

Software quality has become an important research subject, not only in the Information and Communication Technology spheres, but also in other industries at large where software is applied. Software quality is not a happenstance; it is defined, planned and created into the software product throughout the Software Development Life Cycle. The research objective of this study is to investigate the roles of human and organizational factors that influence software quality construction. The study employs the Straussian grounded theory. The empirical data has been collected from 13 software companies, and the data includes 40 interviews. The results of the study suggest that tools, infrastructure and other resources have a positive impact on software quality, but human factors involved in the software development processes will determine the quality of the products developed. On the other hand, methods of development were found to bring little effect on software quality. The research suggests that software quality is an information-intensive process whereby organizational structures, mode of operation, and information flow within the company variably affect software quality. The results also suggest that software development managers influence the productivity of developers and the quality of the software products. Several challenges of software testing that affect software quality are also brought to light. The findings of this research are expected to benefit the academic community and software practitioners by providing an insight into the issues pertaining to software quality construction undertakings.

Economics of Power-to-Gas integration to wastewater treatment plant

Solar and wind power produce electricity irregularly. This irregular power production is problematic and therefore production can exceed the need. Thus sufficient energy storage solutions are needed. Currently there are some storages, such as flywheel, but they are quite short-term. Power-to-Gas (P2G) offers a solution to store energy as a synthetic natural gas. It also improves nation’s energy self-sufficiency. Power-to-Gas can be integrated to an industrial or a municipal facility to reduce production costs. In this master’s thesis the integration of Power-to-Gas technologies to wastewater treatment as a part of the VTT’s Neo-Carbon Energy project is studied. Power-to-Gas produces synthetic methane (SNG) from water and carbon dioxide with electricity. This SNG can be considered as stored energy. Basic wastewater treatment technologies and the production of biogas in the treatment plant are studied. The utilisation of biogas and SNG in heat and power production and in transportation is also studied. The integration of the P2G to wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is examined mainly from economic view. First the mass flows of flowing materials are calculated and after that the economic impact based on the mass flows. The economic efficiency is evaluated with Net Present Value method. In this thesis it is also studied the overall profitability of the integration and the key economic factors.

The way to organizational longevity - Balancing stability and change in Shinise firms

THE WAY TO ORGANIZATIONAL LONGEVITY – Balancing stability and change in Shinise firms The overall purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the secret of longevity in Shinise firms. On the basic assumption that organizational longevity is about balancing stability and change, the theoretical perspectives incorporate routine practice, organizational culture, and organizational identity. These theories explain stability and change in an organization separately and in combination. Qualitative inductive theory building was used in the study. Overall, the empirical data comprised 75 in-depth and semi-structured interviews, 137 archival materials, and observations made over 17 weeks. According to the empirical findings, longevity in Shinise firms is attributable to the internal mechanisms (Shinise tenacity, stability in motion, and emergent change) to secure a balance between stability and change, the continuing stability of the socio-cultural environment in the local community, and active interaction between organizational and local cultures. The contribution of the study to the literature on organizational longevity and the alternative theoretical approaches is first, in theorizing the mechanisms of Shinise tenacity and cross-level cultural dynamism, and second, in pointing out the critical role of: the way firms set their ultimate goal, the dynamism in culture, and the effect of history of the firm to the current business in securing longevity. KEY WORDS Change; Culture; Organizational identity; Organizational longevity; Routines; Shinise firms; Stability; Qualitative research

Integration of marketing research data in new product development. Case study: Food industry company

The aim of this master’s thesis is to provide a real life example of how marketing research data is used by different functions in the NPD process. In order to achieve this goal, a case study in a company was implemented where gathering, analysis, distribution and synthesis of marketing research data in NPD were studied. The main research question was formulated as follows: How is marketing research data integrated and used by different company functions in the NPD process? The theory part of the master’s thesis was focused on the discussion of the marketing function role in NPD, use of marketing research particularly in the food industry, as well as issues related to the marketing/R&D interface during the NPD process. The empirical part of the master’s thesis was based on qualitative explanatory case study research. Individual in-depth interviews with company representatives, company documents and online research were used for data collection and analyzed through triangulation method. The empirical findings advocate that the most important marketing data sources at the concept generation stage of NPD are: global trends monitoring, retailing audit and consumers insights. These data sets are crucial for establishing the potential of the product on the market and defining the desired features for the new product to be developed. The findings also suggest the example of successful crossfunctional communication during the NPD process with formal and informal communication patterns. General managerial recommendations are given on the integration in NPD of a strategy, process, continuous improvement, and motivated cross-functional product development teams.