Does Opening Strategy in Organizations Lead to Effectiveness and Success?

Despite recent attention in information systems and strategy research considering inclusiveness, transparency, and use of IT tools in strategy formulation (also known as open strategy), the effectiveness of these principles has not been empirically studied in the literature. This research gap is even more prominent when we consider distinct positives and drawbacks of an open strategy approach when synthesising extant literature. This research in progress outlines a macro-level approach to further exploring this highlighted gap in our understanding. Here, research constructs are described and logically positioned within the literature and then, using existing studies from various fields, a number of items to measure each construct are presented. These items are proposed to consider various aspects of open strategy principles (i.e. internal and external, inclusive and transparent). Further, and based on the available literature on openness in strategy, we identify several points to facilitate measuring the open strategy phenomenon. The paper also briefly presents initial findings and an agenda for future steps in relation to data collection and analysis as this research-in-progress moves forward. The paper concludes by remarking intended contributions and potential implications of the study for both practice and research.