Collaboration has become a mantra for companies to engage people in new strategic directions guiding organizational transformation. Yet, scholars and practitioners acknowledge that effective management of the collaboration process requires orchestrating a dramatic increasing level of complexity. One of the most salient collaboration challenges within this setting revolves around convergence. On the one hand, distant viewpoints need both to be included and aligned towards a shared understanding of the direction of change. On the other, a sense of cohesion needs to be ensured throughout the process despite the unpredictability and dynamicity of the environment. In the last decades, Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) Theory has been increasingly adopted to investigate how social systems collectively adapt and self-organize in facing complex business environments. Within the literature, studies in group learning and social information processing have described convergence as a phenomenon that allows individuals to develop a shared interpretation of the changing environment by exchanging meaning and perceptions. In opposition to a static and linear perspective of convergence, a recent line of research has called for further attention to the dynamic nature of convergence, pointing out a new paradigm for studying the phenomenon as an emerging and evolving process. While several studies have started investigating this topic from a cognitive perspective, the social and collaborative side is less clear. While collaboration enhances connectivity and adaptability among individuals, it inevitably opens up the potential for information overload and tensions between agents with different perspectives and goals. Yet, it is unclear how to collaboratively manage interactions locally so that convergence can emerge at a collective dimension. Based on these premises, this thesis aims to shed light on how individuals converge at a collective level when they collaboratively articulate a new strategic direction. Thereby, this thesis addresses two main sub-objectives: (i) the first objective compares the influence of alternative collaborative methods on convergence. Based on a longitudinal field experiment, the first paper tests the influence of two collaborative methods (i.e. selection, synthesis) on convergence. The second objective (ii) aims to shed light on the dynamic process through which individuals converge as a group when collaboratively articulating a new strategic direction. Thus, three empirical studies explore this topic from multiple perspectives. Paper II focuses at an individual level, investigating how people perceive synthesis during a convergence process. Paper III embraces a more dynamic stance, exploring how patterns (i.e. recursive schemes of interaction) emerge when people synthesize different contributions to converge towards a new strategic direction. Finally, paper IV reconciles the two previous perspectives by investigating how individual cognitions influence convergence when people collaborate in a group. The dissertation advances several contributions to both theory and practice. From a theoretical point of view, this work (i) brings clarity on the emergent process that enables individuals to converge towards a new strategic direction through a collaborative approach. Paper I introduces the role of synthesis, which allows individuals to mutually take others’ points of view by integrating different perspectives. This infuses a sense of internal cohesion among individuals and facilitates collective knowledge propagation over time. Building on findings from this first study, papers II, III explore the process of convergence through synthesis at different levels, contributing to (ii) highlight the positive perception of tensions in synthesis to create a new meaningful outcome in a process of collaborative visioning, and (ii) the role of tensions as enablers of convergence as they trigger different schemes of integration among ideas. Finally, Papers IV complement the findings from the first study by identifying how different forms of convergence emerge and evolve over time. Last, this dissertation also has some valuable implications for managers. First, (i) we translate CAS self-regulating norms into a set of collaborative rules to foster convergence during different kinds of organizational transformation initiatives. In particular, Papers I and II provide multiple insights about this topic. Secondly, (ii) papers I, II and III offer a set of guidelines to effectively employ synthesis to integrate different perspectives while articulating a new strategic vision. Finally, (iii) Paper I and IV suggest provide several insights to orchestrate different forms of convergence, helping individuals to develop a shared understanding over time.
La collaborazione è ormai considerata un ingrediente fondamentale per coinvolgere in modo partecipativo i dipendenti verso nuove direzioni di trasformazione organizzativa. Questo tuttavia ha creato la necessità di orchestrare un livello di complessità sempre più crescente. Una delle sfide cruciali nell’ambito della collaborazione ruota intorno al tema della convergenza. Da un lato infatti, convergere significa creare un’interpretazione condivisa del cambiamento, a partire da idee e prospettive diverse. Dall'altro, essa richiede la creazione di un senso di coesione e allineamento tra gli attori coinvolti per tutta la durata del processo di cambiamento. Negli ultimi decenni, la teoria dei Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) è stata sempre più adottata come lente per indagare come gruppi di individui si adattano collettivamente a cambiamenti organizzativi attraverso l’auto-organizzazione. Qui la convergenza è illustrata come un fenomeno sociale, che permette ai singoli individui di costruire un’interpretazione condivisa di un contesto di continuo mutamento grazie ad una serie di interazioni non lineari e dinamiche. Questo ha introdotto un nuovo paradigma per esplorare il tema della convergenza: non più come un fenomeno statico e lineare, ma come un processo emergente e in evoluzione. Ciò che non è ancora chiaro, è come dinamiche collaborative possono far emergere un senso di convergenza a livello di gruppo a partire da prospettive individuali diverse durante processi di trasformazione. Sulla base di queste premesse, questa tesi mira a far luce su come gli individui convergono a livello collettivo quando elaborano una nuova direzione strategica. Questa tesi si rivolge a due principali sotto-obiettivi: (i) il primo obiettivo mira a confrontare diversi metodi di collaborazione per stabilirne l’efficacia in un processo di trasformazione organizzativa che evolve nel tempo; (ii) il secondo obiettivo mira a far luce sulle dinamiche attraverso cui gli individui convergono come gruppo quando elaborano una nuova direzione strategica. Quattro studi empirici compongono questa tesi. Il primo articolo mette a confronto due metodi collaborativi - selezione e sintesi- sulla convergenza, testandone l’efficacia. Il secondo articolo si concentra sull’individuo, indagando come le persone percepiscono la sintesi durante un processo di convergenza. Il terzo articolo esplora la convergenza da un punto di vista dinamico, studiando quali sono gli schemi di interazione che permettono agli individui di creare un significato condiviso di una nuova direzione strategica. L’ultimo articolo invece unisce le prospettive, investigando come diverse tendenze a convergere influenzano gruppi di individui diversi a convergere. La dissertazione apporta diversi contributi sia alla teoria che alla pratica. Da un punto di vista teorico, questo lavoro fa luce sulle dinamiche emergenti che permettono agli individui di convergere verso una nuova direzione strategica. In particolare, la tesi sottolinea il valore della sintesi per integrare prospettive diverse durante la collaborazione. Infine, questa tesi offre anche alcune preziose implicazioni per i manager, traducendo norme di interazione per sistemi complessi in meccaniche collaborative che aiutano i gruppi a convergere durante processi di trasformazione.
Untangling convergence dynamics : how individuals converge when collaboratively articulating a new strategic direction
Magnanini, Silvia
2021/2022
Abstract
Collaboration has become a mantra for companies to engage people in new strategic directions guiding organizational transformation. Yet, scholars and practitioners acknowledge that effective management of the collaboration process requires orchestrating a dramatic increasing level of complexity. One of the most salient collaboration challenges within this setting revolves around convergence. On the one hand, distant viewpoints need both to be included and aligned towards a shared understanding of the direction of change. On the other, a sense of cohesion needs to be ensured throughout the process despite the unpredictability and dynamicity of the environment. In the last decades, Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) Theory has been increasingly adopted to investigate how social systems collectively adapt and self-organize in facing complex business environments. Within the literature, studies in group learning and social information processing have described convergence as a phenomenon that allows individuals to develop a shared interpretation of the changing environment by exchanging meaning and perceptions. In opposition to a static and linear perspective of convergence, a recent line of research has called for further attention to the dynamic nature of convergence, pointing out a new paradigm for studying the phenomenon as an emerging and evolving process. While several studies have started investigating this topic from a cognitive perspective, the social and collaborative side is less clear. While collaboration enhances connectivity and adaptability among individuals, it inevitably opens up the potential for information overload and tensions between agents with different perspectives and goals. Yet, it is unclear how to collaboratively manage interactions locally so that convergence can emerge at a collective dimension. Based on these premises, this thesis aims to shed light on how individuals converge at a collective level when they collaboratively articulate a new strategic direction. Thereby, this thesis addresses two main sub-objectives: (i) the first objective compares the influence of alternative collaborative methods on convergence. Based on a longitudinal field experiment, the first paper tests the influence of two collaborative methods (i.e. selection, synthesis) on convergence. The second objective (ii) aims to shed light on the dynamic process through which individuals converge as a group when collaboratively articulating a new strategic direction. Thus, three empirical studies explore this topic from multiple perspectives. Paper II focuses at an individual level, investigating how people perceive synthesis during a convergence process. Paper III embraces a more dynamic stance, exploring how patterns (i.e. recursive schemes of interaction) emerge when people synthesize different contributions to converge towards a new strategic direction. Finally, paper IV reconciles the two previous perspectives by investigating how individual cognitions influence convergence when people collaborate in a group. The dissertation advances several contributions to both theory and practice. From a theoretical point of view, this work (i) brings clarity on the emergent process that enables individuals to converge towards a new strategic direction through a collaborative approach. Paper I introduces the role of synthesis, which allows individuals to mutually take others’ points of view by integrating different perspectives. This infuses a sense of internal cohesion among individuals and facilitates collective knowledge propagation over time. Building on findings from this first study, papers II, III explore the process of convergence through synthesis at different levels, contributing to (ii) highlight the positive perception of tensions in synthesis to create a new meaningful outcome in a process of collaborative visioning, and (ii) the role of tensions as enablers of convergence as they trigger different schemes of integration among ideas. Finally, Papers IV complement the findings from the first study by identifying how different forms of convergence emerge and evolve over time. Last, this dissertation also has some valuable implications for managers. First, (i) we translate CAS self-regulating norms into a set of collaborative rules to foster convergence during different kinds of organizational transformation initiatives. In particular, Papers I and II provide multiple insights about this topic. Secondly, (ii) papers I, II and III offer a set of guidelines to effectively employ synthesis to integrate different perspectives while articulating a new strategic vision. Finally, (iii) Paper I and IV suggest provide several insights to orchestrate different forms of convergence, helping individuals to develop a shared understanding over time.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/187453