Creating Market Orientation in a Professional High-Tech Organization

In e na ional Jou nal o Business and Managemen ; Vol. 10, No. 5; 2015 ISSN 1833-3850 E-ISSN 1833-8119 Published by Canadian Cen e o Science and Educa ion 44 C ea ing Ma ke O ien a ion in a P o essional High-Tech O ganiza ion Helena Lambe g1 & Elina Nä änen1 1 School o Managemen , Uni e si y o Tampe e, School o Managemen , Tampe e, Finland Co espondence: Elina Nä änen, Uni e si y o Tampe e School o Managemen , A5006, FI-33014, Uni e si y o Tampe e, Finland. Tel: 358-405-968-884. E-mail: Elina.na anen@u a. i Recei ed: Feb ua y 28, 2015 Accep ed: Ma ch 18, 2015 Online Published: Ap il 20, 2015 doi:10.5539/ijbm. 10n5p44 URL: h p://dx.doi.o g/10.5539/ijbm. 10n5p44 Abs ac Despi e he con inuous academic in e es owa d he concep o ma ke o ien a ion, he e is s ill a need o esea ch ha explo es how i is implemen ed in o ganiza ions. This s udy is based on an inqui y o a global, p o essional high- ech o ganiza ion. The me hodology o he s udy is ac ion esea ch which enables a close access o da a and an inside ’s pe spec i e combined wi h heo e ical ele ance and analy ical igo . We analyze he p ocess o implemen ing ma ke o ien a ion in he case o ganiza ion and as a esul , p esen a s age model. Th ough da a analysis, we iden i y ou s ages: 1) ini ia ion o change, 2) building commi men , 3) building unde s anding h ough ins i u ionaliza ion and 4) main enance. The s udy con ibu es by inc easing heo e ical insigh on he c ea ion o ma ke o ien a ion wi h a eal empi ical case ha has been s udied longi udinally. The s udy has implica ions o heo y and p ac ice, yielding also me hodological insigh s o s udying he implemen a ion o ma ke o ien a ion in he u u e. Keywo ds: ac ion esea ch, longi udinal, ma ke o ien a ion 1. In oduc ion Ma ke o ien a ion has been a widely and ex ensi ely s udied concep in he li e a u e o e he pas decades (Kohli & Jawo ski 1990; Na e & Sla e 1990; Déshpande e al., 1993; Kennedy, Goolsby, & A nould. 2003; S ong & Ha is, 2004; Remli, Wan Daud, Zainol, & Muhammad, 2013). The e is signi ican e idence ha becoming ma ke o ien ed is bene icial and s a egically impo an o o ganiza ions (Kuma , Sub amanian, & Yauge , 1998; Sla e & Na e , 2000; Rod iguez-Cano, Ca illa , & Ja amillo, 2004; Shoham, Rose, & K opp, 2005; Ellis, 2006). Acco ding o a summa y de ini ion, “ma ke o ien ed o ganiza ions a e o ganiza ions ha a e well in o med abou he ma ke and ha ha e he abili y o use ha in o ma ion ad an age o c ea e supe io alue o hei a ge cus ome s” (Van Raaij & S oelho s , 2008). Howe e , he li e a u e is s ill ela i ely silen on he implemen a ion o ma ke o ien a ion, e en hough he e ha e been epea ed calls o such esea ch (e.g., Day 1994; Jawo ski & Kohli, 1996; Van Raaij & S oelho s , 2008; Saa ijä i, Kuusela, Neilimo, & Nä änen, 2014). A heo e ical e iew o he li e a u e conce ning ma ke o ien a ion implemen a ion a gues ha he li e a u e gi es a agmen ed and complex iew which is no easily ansla ed o manage ’s use (Van Raaij & S oelho s , 2008). Hence, he e is a p essing need o s udies o e ing adequa e desc ip ions o implemen a ion p ocesses and conc e e ad ice o managemen on how o implemen ma ke o ien a ion. One eason o he lack o s udies on he implemen a ion o ma ke o ien a ion may be ha s udying he p ocess o implemen a ion wi hin o ganiza ions is di icul , ime-consuming and equi es ex ensi e access. Me hods ha gene a e “snapsho s” o o ganiza ional ac i i ies do no necessa ily allow o he depic ion o analysis o a complex change p ocess owa d ma ke o ien a ion. To unde s and complex p ocesses ha ake ime, esea che s need o ha e an ex ensi e access o he o ganiza ion in ques ion and be able o con inue in es iga ing he p ocess holis ically. The pu pose o his s udy is o analyze he p ocess o implemen ing ma ke o ien a ion in a p o essional high- ech o ganiza ion. Employing a longi udinal esea ch s a egy and he me hodology o ac ion esea ch, he s udy enables insigh s om an empi ical case o a global high- ech p o essional i m combined wi h heo e ical ele ance and analy ical igo . As a esul , we p esen a s age model depic ing he p ocess. The esul s yield ele an and imely manage ial implica ions and also has me hodological implica ions o esea che s wi hin his ield. Fu he mo e, ou ex ensi e li e a u e e iew ep esen ed in a concise o ma (Table 1) will help especially newcome esea che s o map he e ain o implemen ing ma ke o ien a ion. www.ccsene .o g/ijbm In e na ional Jou nal o Business and Managemen Vol. 10, No. 5; 2015 45 This a icle is o ganized as ollows. In he li e a u e e iew we i s discuss he p e ious esea ch ocusing on he implemen a ion o ma ke o ien a ion. We summa ize he key poin s and issues p esen ed in his esea ch s eam in a able. Nex , in he me hodology sec ion we explain he me hodology o ac ion esea ch and he da a gene a ion and analysis. The empi ical sec ion p esen s he na a i e o he change p ocess based on case desc ip ion, in oducing he s ages iden i ied. As a esul , we p esen a model o he s ages. Finally, in he conclusions, we e lec upon ou indings in e ms o how hey ela e o he p e ious indings in he li e a u e. Then, we discuss he s udy’s con ibu ion, implica ions o p ac i ione s, and u u e esea ch di ec ions. 2. Li e a u e Re iew E en hough i has been a much less in es iga ed opic compa ed o o ins ance measu emen and modeling issues, implemen a ion o ma ke o ien a ion has ye ecei ed some esea ch in e es o e he pas decades. These s udies and hei main me hods as well as key esul s ha e been summa ized in Table 1. Rega ding me hodology, s udies by Na e , Sla e and Tie je (1998), Foley and Fahy (2004) and Ki ca, Jayachand an and Bea den (2005) as well as he mo e ecen e iew by Van Raaij and S oelho s (2008) ep esen a heo e ical o me a-analy ical analysis o he opic. Resea ch based on su ey indings has been conduc ed by S ong and Ha is (2004) and Gouna is, A loni is and Papas ha opoulou (2004). In con as o quan i a i e indings, Kennedy e al. (2003) as well as Gebha d , Ca pen e , and She y (2006) ha e used e hnog aphy o s udy he ma ke o ien a ion implemen a ion p ocesses in di e en kinds o o ganiza ions. As a key heo e ical con ibu ion, p e ious esea ch has also buil s age models o desc ibe he mo e owa d ma ke o ien a ion. Day’s (1999) model ocuses on o mal managemen ac ions, such as changing incen i es and o ganiza ional s uc u es. This model is es ed in he ields o e ail, cons uc ion and indus ial manu ac u ing. Gebha d e al. (2006) emphasize he impo ance o cul u al change and changes in o ganiza ional membe ’s mindse s. The s age models o Day (1999) and Gebha d e al. (2006) di e in e ms o how hey iew he cul u al change. Day (1999) a gues ha he cul u al change ollows om beha iou al change while Gebha d e al. (2006) a gue ha o icial manage ial change ac ions such as s uc u e and ewa d sys ems ollow a mo e undamen al cul u al shi . S udies by S oelho s and Van Raaij (2004); Van Raaij and S oelho s (2008) ha e made a g ea con ibu ion by summa izing he implemen a ion o ma ke o ien a ion li e a u e in o an in eg a i e and holis ic amewo k ha akes in o accoun o ganiza ional s uc u e, p ocesses, echnological and ewa d sys ems as well as leade ship, no ms and alues and compe ence managemen . Table 1. P e ious ocal esea ch on an eceden s o c ea ion o ma ke o ien a ion Au ho (s) Pu pose Me hod Resul s Na e e al. (1998) How a business can bes c ea e and inc ease ma ke o ien a ion. Examines he e ec i eness o wo lea ning s a egies o c ea e a ma ke o ien a ion. Theo e ical analysis o p e ious esea ch. Impo ance o op-managemen leade ship in c ea ing a ma ke o ien a ion. C ea ing a ma ke o ien a ion is all abou lea ning. Bo h he abs ac lea ning in he "p og amma ic app oach" and he expe ien ial lea ning in he "ma ke - b ack app oach" con ibu e o achie ing ma ke o ien a ion. They mus be managed as a coo dina ed join s a egies. Day (1999) Es ablish condi ions ha ensu e change p ocess success owa ds ma ke -d i en o ganiza ion. Case analysis o ou di e en change p og ams. A model o o ganiza ional change o g ea e ma ke o ien a ion including 6 s ages: (1) demons a ing leade ship commi men , (2) unde s anding he need o change, (3) shaping he ision, (4) mobilizing commi men o all le els, (5) aligning s uc u es, sys ems, and incen i es, (6) ein o cing he change. Kennedy e al. (2003) How an o ganiza ion adop s a cus ome o ien a ion by e ining unde s anding o he oles o leade ship, in e unc ional coo dina ion and he collec ion and dissemina ion o cus ome - ocused da a in he ans o ma ion p ocess. E hnog aphic esea ch using 2 elemen a y schools as "labo a o ies". Non-p o i con ex – a majo public school dis ic . Suppo he impo an ole o leade ship h oughou he o ganiza ion in implemen ing cus ome o ien a ion. Fo s a membe s o in e nalize a cus ome o ien a ion, hey mus expe ience an unb oken ci cui o uni ied leade ship om op le el o local manage s. Resul s a e in a o o in e unc ional coo dina ion equi ed in cus ome o ien a ion. Also, cus ome ocused da a should be widely ci cula ed and should become a sha ed o ganiza ion-wide pla o m om which decisions a e made in o de o cus ome o ien a ion o p ospe and become sel - ein o ced. Foley & Fahy P esen a heo e ical Theo e ical, A concep ual model o an eceden s o ma ke o ien a ion is de eloped www.ccsene .o g/ijbm In e na ional Jou nal o Business and Managemen Vol. 10, No. 5; 2015 46 (2004) amewo k ha uses decomposi ion o he ma ke -sensing capabili y as a way o acili a e unde s anding o he c ea ion o ma ke o ien a ion. concep ual analysis o p e ious esea ch. wi hin a capabili ies amewo k, based on he decomposi ion o he ma ke -sensing capabili y. Comp ised o ou dimensions, which ha e o do wi h de eloping ma ke o ien a ion wi hin an o ganiza ion: O ganiza ion sys ems, ma ke ing in o ma ion, o ganiza ion communica ion and lea ning o ganiza ion. Gouna is e al. (2004) In es iga es beha io al implica ions o a company ha adop s ma ke o ien a ion. Su ey on 444 G eek companies. Findings sugges ha ou aspec s o i m's p ac ices a e in luenced when i de elops a ma ke o ien a ion: The planning p ocess, s a egy o ma ion, s a egy implemen a ion and con ol. S ong & Ha is (2004) Explo es ac o s ha d i e he de elopmen o cus ome o ien a ion. Key objec i e is o p o ide insigh s in o o ganiza ional app oaches and ac ics ha impede o acili a e cus ome o ien a ion. Su ey o an eceden s o cus ome o ien a ion in high- ech companies. One o he i s holis ic ca ego iza ions o ac ics designed o enhance cus ome o ien a ion. Re eals s ong e idence o signi ican associa ions be ween ela ional ac ics (i.e. ela ional managemen , sa is ac ion measu emen , and in e -g oup dynamics) and he ex en o cus ome -o ien ed o ganiza ion. Highligh s he cen ali y o ela ionships o e ec i e exchange and he c i ical impo ance o managing hose ela ionships in a conside ed and s uc u ed manne . Ki ca e al. (2005) To p o ide a quan i a i e summa y o he an eceden s and consequences o ma ke o ien a ion. Quan i a i e me a-analysis agg ega ing empi ical indings om he ma ke o ien a ion li e a u e. Iden i ies h ee ac o s as an eceden s o a g ea e ma ke o ien a ion: op managemen ocus, in e depa men al coope a ion, and ewa d sys ems. Each o hese ac o s is belie ed o ope a e independen ly o enhance ma ke o ien a ion. Gebha d e al. (2006) Explo e he p ocess h ough which o ganiza ions change o adop a g ea e ma ke o ien a ion In-dep h, longi udinal mul i i m (6 i ms) e hnog aphic in es iga ion o i ms ha seek o c ea e a g ea e ma ke o ien a ion. A heo e ical model o explain how i ms c ea e a ma ke o ien a ion. Model iden i ies 4 pa h-dependen s ages o change: (1) ini ia ion, (2) econs i u ion, (3) ins i u ionaliza ion, (4) main enance. Finds ha c ea ing a ma ke o ien a ion equi es d ama ic changes o an o ganiza ion's cul u e and he c ea ion o o ganiza ionally sha ed ma ke unde s andings. Highligh s he ole o in a-o ganiza ional powe and o ganiza ional lea ning in c ea ing and sus aining a ma ke o ien a ion. Be e land & Lindg een (2007) Examines he change p ocess o g ea e ma ke o ien a ion d awing upon Lewin’s h ee s age change p ocess model. Mul iple case s udy on change p og ams o wo New Zealand-based ag icul u al o ganiza ions D awing upon Lewin’s h ee-s age change p ocess model (un eezing – - mo emen – e eezing) he s udy iden i ies ha c ea ion o ma ke o ien a ion in ol es unco e ing long-held assump ion. Mo ing he i m owa ds se o alues in ol es changes in he ole o leade ship, use o ma ke in elligence and o ganiza ional lea ning s yles. To e eeze hese alue, suppo i e policies a e needed. an Raaij & S oelho s 2008 Re iew he ma ke o ien a ion li e a u e om manage ial pe spec i e and in eg a e he implemen a ion lessons ha can be d awn om i Li e a u e e iew o manage ial implica ions o ma ke o ien a ion li e a u e. Summa iza ion o he implemen a ion o ma ke o ien a ion li e a u e in o an in eg a i e amewo k ha akes in o accoun he ollowing p ocess enable s: 1) s uc u e ( educing cen aliza ion and inc easing in e unc ional coo dina ion) 2) p ocess design (imp o ing alue c ea ion and deli e y) 3) ICT sys ems (enabling new alue c ea ion p ocesses and s o ing ma ke in o ma ion) 4) ewa d sys em (measu ing, analyzing and ewa ding pe o mance on he basis o ma ke - based indica o s) and de elopmen enable s 5) leade ship ( op managemen commi men and leade ship s yle) 6) beha io al no ms & alues ( os e ing desi ed beha io s and no ms) 7) compe ence managemen ( ec ui men , selec ion and aining o wo k o ce wi h ma ke -o ien ed skills) G ay (2010) In es iga ed how cus ome In dep h A icle sugges s ha how well ma ke o ien ed p ac ices a e implemen ed www.ccsene .o g/ijbm In e na ional Jou nal o Business and Managemen Vol. 10, No. 5; 2015 47 and compe i o ocused p ac ices can be ine uned o c ea e di e en ial ad an ages in he se ices sec o . quali a i e case s udy on 3 se ice i ms in New Zealand. is much mo e impo an han he ange o p ac ices ha a e adop ed. Chad e al. (2013) Examine he success ul in oduc ion o ma ke o ien a ion in o h ee Aus alian cha i ies and iden i y he s ages o implemen a ion. Discou se ans o ma ion pe spec i e on h ee non-p o i cases Ma ke o ien a ion was implemen ed wi hin he cha i ies in h ee ansi ional phases: a new manage ialism phase, a p o essionalism phase and subseques embedding phase. Finally a concep ual p axis amewo k o implemen ing MO in o cha i ies was de eloped. Muke jee (2013) Manage ial pape o p esen concep ual amewo k o implemen ing cus ome o ien a ion. Li e a u e e iew. Th ee majo ini ia i es ha o ganiza ions mus ake o be cus ome o ien ed: a) de eloping deep unde s anding o wha cus ome ’s uly alue, b) d i ing he deli e y o he desi ed cus ome alue and con inually acking cus ome sa is ac ion; and c) ewa ding and e aining loyal and p o i able cus ome s. Gup a e al. (2013) P opose a amewo k based on he heo y o cons ains (TOC) as a mechanism o achie e op imal deg ee o ma ke o ien a ion. Case s udy Pape demons a es ha TOC (1) me hodology ensu es ha managemen e o s a e exe ed o op imize he business uni ’s cons ain s which is limi ing i s abili y o inc ease sales and imp o e inancial pe o mance, (2) measu es guide and ewa d managemen ini ia i es ac oss he unc ional a eas, and (3) mindse ensu es ha managemen decisions esul in inc eased business pe o mance wi hou jeopa dizing employees, cus ome and compe i o o ien a ion. While he li e a u e has ce ainly been ad anced la ely especially by in eg a ing wha is known so a , he e is s ill a lack o especially empi ical, longi udinal and in-dep h inqui ies o implemen ing ma ke o ien a ion wi hin o ganiza ions. Mos o he exis ing s udies a e ei he based on heo e ical e iews o on mul iple case s udies whe e he b ead h o inqui y is emphasized o e he dep h o insigh s gained by a mo e ocused app oach. This s udy aims o con ibu e o he li e a u e by ocusing on a single case wi h a mo e p o ound, ex ensi e manne and by using he me hodology o ac ion esea ch which is new o he li e a u e as well. 3. Me hodology This s udy adop s ac ion esea ch which has a long his o y in he social sciences bu is ela i ely less used in managemen s udies (Lewin, 1946; E iksson & Ko alainen, 2008; Pe y & Gummesson, 2004; Mele, 2011). One eason o he lack o use o ac ion esea ch in ma ke ing is ha i is adi ionally o ien ed owa d he in e nal pe spec i e o he o ganiza ion whils he ex e nal pe spec i e, ha o he cus ome s in pa icula , is mo e impo an o ma ke ing (Pe y & Gummesson, 2004, 313). Also, he ma ke ing and managemen esea ch communi y has adi ionally a o ed posi i is and quan i a i e me hodologies which aim a gene aliza ion. Ac ion esea ch deno es o an app oach whe e he co e idea is o do esea ch wi h people a he han on hem. In he con ex o managemen and ma ke ing, ac ion esea ch is used o unde s and o ganiza ions, ma ke s and cus ome s be e , usually o make an ope a ion mo e e icien (Gummesson, 2000). An ac ion esea ch p ojec en ails he esea che ’s pa icipa ion and in ol emen in he o ganiza ion ha is s udied. The esea che is no only in ol ed (as in e hnog aphic inqui y), bu also pa icipa es in inding solu ions o a p oblem o imp o ing he si ua ion. Howe e , i has been s essed ha in b inging abou he o ganiza ional change, he e should also be a con ibu ion o he de elopmen o heo y. Also, he e a e di e en ways and le els o esea che pa icipa ion anging om a echnical, consul an ole o a p ocess acili a o and a co- esea che in an emancipa o y p ojec (Pe y & Gummesson, 2004). Ac ion esea ch has been speci ically sugges ed as a esea ch s a egy when he esea ch ques ion is ela ed o ollowing a p ocess o e ime (E iksson & Ko alainen, 2008). I is a collabo a i e p ocess whe e he deg ee o in ol emen o he esea che may also a y. An ac ion esea ch s a egy also o en en ails he use o se e al di e en me hods o gene a ing da a o e ime. The s eng hs o he ac ion esea ch app oach a e in i s abili y o gi e he esea che an in-dep h, long- e m and ex ensi e access o he esea ch phenomenon. I is also likely o be able o yield mo e p ac ice-d i en heo e ical insigh s han o he me hodologies (Huxham & Vangen, 2003). The objec i es o his s udy we e p edominan ly heo e ical. Hence, he indings gene a ed in his s udy should no be seen as me ely con ex -bound. Ins ead, he aim is o be able o use analy ical gene aliza ion o o he www.ccsene .o g/ijbm In e na ional Jou nal o Business and Managemen Vol. 10, No. 5; 2015 48 con ex s (Yin, 1994). Like Huxham and Vangen (2003) sugges , ou app oach is also no ideologically bound and he s udy has been ini ia ed as a coope a ion be ween he esea che s and he case o ganiza ion. 3.1 Da a Gene a ion Gi en he pu pose o his esea ch o analyze he implemen a ion o ma ke o ien a ion in a p o essional high- ech o ganiza ion, he ac ual case composes o wo in e dependen elemen s – i s ly, he case o ganiza ion ha his esea ch has in es iga ed, and secondly, he change p ocess ha his o ganiza ion has been going h ough. As his s udy in es iga es a change p ocess, deep in ol emen in he case company is aluable in o de o unde s and he many-sided na u e o he phenomenon. The i s au ho o his pape was wo king o he case company a he ime o he da a gene a ion and con inues o wo k o he company oday. S udies ocused on p ocesses ha e o come o an end, whe eas he p ocesses in he eal wo ld con inue. The pe iod ollowed in his esea ch was app oxima ely 3.5 yea s s a ing om Sep embe 2002. The change p ocess was ollowed un il he end o he yea 2005, which seemed na u al, as he sa u a ion poin o he da a collec ed had been eached. The da a gene a ion s a egy combined in e iewing, obse a ion as well as documen analysis. As he main sou ce o da a, 22 in-dep h in e iews we e conduc ed. Fi s ly, se en in e iews concen a ed on he managemen iews. Nex , 15 mo e in e iews ocused on he cus ome in e ace and especially di e en unc ions and uni s in he cus ome in e ace. The in o man s we e chosen pu pose ully. The idea was o ge di e en pe spec i es on he phenomenon as he in e iewees ep esen di e en uni s and unc ions. In e iewing people in di e en oles adds o he ich da a needed o s udy his kind o a mul i-laye ed phenomenon. An in e iew guide was used o make su e ha ele an opics and hemes would be co e ed du ing he in e iews. The in e iews we e conduc ed no only by asking ques ions, bu p ima ily by encou aging he in o man s o “ ell a s o y” in hei own wo ds as eely as possible. In e es ing aspec s eme ged du ing he analyses o he i s se o da a, which we e co e ed du ing he second ound o in e iews. The p elimina y esul s o he i s ound o in e iews we e u ilized in o ming he in e iew guide o he second ound o in e iews. The in e iews we e all ape- eco ded and a e wa d ansc ibed. The eco ded ime amoun s o almos 30 hou s al oge he . T ansc ip s amoun o 566 pages. Being an ac o in he case o ganiza ion, he i s w i e ’s own aci knowledge abou he o ganiza ion in ques ion has played a ema kable ole in his s udy. Ha ing had a us ing ela ionship wi h he in o man s has been a s eng h. Also he cul u al exp essions o an o ganiza ion we e unde s ood, allowing he esea che o ge s aigh o he poin wi h he in o man s. Pa icipa o y obse a ion and documen s p o ided by he case o ganiza ion ha e been used as seconda y da a in his s udy. The obse a ions we e no eco ded sys ema ically; no es we e aken and w i en ma e ial such as memos we e a ailable. The sel -documen a ion o he o ganiza ion was also u ilized as da a, including minu es o mee ings, o icial s a egy documen a ion, and o he o icial documen a ion including p esen a ions, b ochu es, in-house magazines, in ane , and company's annual e iews. The documen s u ilized po ay bo h he eco d keeping o an o ganiza ion's in e nal eali y and sel -p esen a ion o o he s (see e.g. A kinson & Co ey 2004). The ole o documen s and obse a ions in his s udy was wo old. Fi s ly, hey p o ided a ehicle o iangula ion. In o de o cons uc a eliable case desc ip ion, i was essen ial o acqui e compe ing accoun s o ac i i ies and compa e and assess hese accoun s ca e ully in o de o see whe he hey suppo ed he same conclusion (see Pe ig ew, 1990). 3.2 Da a Analysis The da a analysis had wo aims in his s udy. Fi s ly i was o p o ide an analy ical desc ip ion o he empi ical case and secondly o de elop an empi ically g ounded s aged model o c ea ing ma ke o ien a ion wi hin a p o essional high- ech o ganiza ion. The case desc ip ion i sel al eady shows on one le el he link be ween empi ical eali y and heo e ical concep s. The esea ch ma e ial including in e iews, documen s o he case o ganiza ion and no es o obse a ions was analyzed by coding, heme-based ca ego iza ion, o he segmen ing o da a, as well as by w i ing summa ies and by abula ing. N i o so wa e has been used as a ool and aid o handling he da a. The analysis was s a ed by eading he ma e ial h ough se e al imes. Du ing ha p ocess, key wo ds i.e. coded he da a and ound hemes we e picked up. The iden i ied hemes we e hen o ganized in o ca ego ies. In addi ion, he da a was segmen ed o o ganized 'p ocess-based' by iden i ying s ages o he change p ocess. Finally, connec ions be ween concep s o be ween empi ical phenomena we e sough om he da a. Pa e n codes we e used o indica e logical and explana o y ela ionships be ween di e en concep s and e en s in he da a. www.ccsene .o g/ijbm In e na ional Jou nal o Business and Managemen Vol. 10, No. 5; 2015 49 4. Empi ical Findings The empi ical case company is a global, p o essional high- ech o ganiza ion which wan s o highligh he p opo ion o di e en kinds o p o essional se ices in i s o al ma ke o e ing. A p o essional high- ech o ganiza ion is a combina ion o h ee know-why based o ganiza ion ypes: High- ech i m, expe se ice and know-why-based knowledge se ice. The case o ganiza ion's o al o e ing comp ises o high- echnology p oduc s bu also o a la ge ex en di e en kinds o se ices. Some se ices a e mo e conc e e indus ial main enance se ices and an inc easing p opo ion a e di e en kinds o knowledge se ices. The case o ganiza ion is cha ac e ized by ypical ea u es o p o essional o ganiza ions. Howe e , he high echnology is in a cen al ole as well. The chosen case o ganiza ion is called Powe & P ocess Au oma ion Solu ions, acco ding o i s o e ing o he cus ome indus ies i se es. I is a business uni o Me so Au oma ion, and Me so Au oma ion is one o h ee o Me so co po a ion’s business a eas. Me so co po a ion cu en ly (in 2015) has a u no e o 3.9 billion eu os and i ope a es globally. In Sep embe 2002, he e was an o ganiza ion change in Me so Au oma ion. As a esul o his change, a p ocess au oma ion sys em’s business was o ganized in o wo business uni s–whe e he case o ganiza ion is one o hem. When analyzing he change p ocess o he case i showed ha a change p ocess owa ds inc eased ma ke o ien a ion has ou in e dependen s ages ha ha e mul iple o e lapping ac i i ies in hem. These s ages a e:  Ini ia ion o change,  Building commi men ,  Building unde s anding h ough ins i u ionaliza ion, and  Main enance. In he analysis, he change p ocess o he case o ganiza ion was compa ed o wo p e iously in oduced s aged change models by Day (1999) and Gebha d e al. (2006). Bo h he models desc ibe and explo e he change p ocess o a g ea e ma ke o ien a ion. 4.1 Ini ia ion o Change Wha ini ia es he change e o s owa ds ma ke o ien a ion is he igge o change. This igge can be ei he ex e nal o in e nal–i can be e.g. change in cus ome s’ needs, e e -inc easing compe i ion, echnological o inancial h ea o p essu e, o i can on he o he hand be o ganiza ional change and hi ing a new leade . In he case he e was an o ganiza ion change s a ing Sep embe 2002. In he o ganiza ion change, he powe and p ocess business o med one business uni . The new business uni go a new leade om inside Me so Au oma ion, who had ex ensi e managing expe ience in a a ie y o posi ions in di e en business a eas o Me so Au oma ion. The change p ocess owa ds inc eased ma ke o ien a ion was ini ia ed in he case o ganiza ion. The new leade as well as o he in e iewees poin ed ou in he in e iews ha he new leade was in a key ole ini ia ing he change in he o ganiza ion. He was he key d i ing o ce especially a he s a . The new leade i s go amilia wi h he p esen ma ke , cus ome s and in e nal si ua ion. This led o he ecogni ion and unde s anding he need o change. The leade was commi ed o change and was a eal d i e o change especially in he beginning. I came ou clea in he in e iews ha in he change p ocess, he leade should openly show his commi men o he o ganiza ion. A e ecognizing and unde s anding he need o change, he leade s a s p epa a ions o change. In he case o ganiza ion he leade i s made a d a o he basic s a egic ideas– he ision, goals and ac i i ies–and d a ed he main s uc u e. Then he s a ed sys ema ically o ede elop he ope a ing co e o he o ganiza ion. Fi s ly, he buil up a managemen eam ha had a uni ied idea o he cou se o change, and hus had he willingness o change he business o he chosen cou se. Mo eo e , he eam’s capabili ies and know-how suppo ed he change owa ds inc eased ma ke o ien a ion. In building a managemen eam, one has o make su e ha he combined knowhow and capabili ies a e enough o each he wan ed goal. Leade The leade s a ed sys ema ically o build up he commi men and unde s anding o change among he managemen eam membe s. Also, he delega ed he esponsibili y o he change o o he eam membe s by in ol ing hem in o implemen a ion. Thus, one impo an ac i i y in he p epa a ion o change is he de elopmen o a guiding coali ion ( e m used by Gephad e al., 2006), who has a sha ed se o alues and ag eemen on he change. This guiding coali ion is esponsible o he ac ual implemen a ion o he change p ocess. A e building up a managemen eam, he leade buil up he uppe le el main o ganiza ional s uc u e – www.ccsene .o g/ijbm In e na ional Jou nal o Business and Managemen Vol. 10, No. 5; 2015 50 he li e cycle o ganiza ion. Then he managemen eam i.e. he guiding coali ion, buil up a uni ied goal based on sha ed alues, and w o e down he basic ideas o he s a egy and he s a egic a ge s o cla i y key poin s in he s a egy. Thus, a pa o he p epa a ion is o c ys allize he goal in he guiding coali ion’s minds. A he beginning o he change p ocess, I ha e o ensu e he igh di ec ion mo e s ongly, and choose he igh people. Then my ole changes. A he beginning my ole was s onge in e ms o wha we a e aiming a . La e on I ha e backed away a li le and coached he eam o succeed, and encou aged hem o explain hei successes. Leade I came ou clea ly in he in e iews ha i ook some ime o o he managemen eam membe s o eally ully unde s and wha he new ma ke o ien ed s a egy was eally all abou . I was exp essed as a lea ning p ocess o e e yone. The ac ha he e was “new blood” in he managemen eam made he in e naliza ion o new hings easie . The managemen eam’s s a egy mee ing ha was o ganized six mon hs a e he o ganiza ion change wo ked as a u ning poin . Acco ding o bo h he business uni leade as well as o he managemen eam membe s, i was no un il his mee ing, ha he eal idea o he new s a egy was c ys allized in e e ybody’s mind. As one managemen eam membe desc ibed i , i was as i all he sepa a e pieces o a puzzle had ound hei place. This was a so o awakening o he new ma ke o ien ed s a egy. This ma ked a poin whe e he esponsibili y o he change p ocess was eally delega ed, as he business uni leade desc ibes i : Then as we wen h ough ou s a egy in he s a egy mee ing in May, we speci ied ha we ha e a cus ome ocus. I hink ha i was his mee ing when hese guys eally unde s ood wha his s a egy is all abou . I ook six mon hs o ge in o he eal insigh . I wasn’ a adi ional s a egy mee ing; we b ains o med, discussed and ma elled… Bu i was his pa icula mee ing when i was all c ys allized o e e yone, and hey knew why we a e doing hings in a new way. The sel -es eem was buil o hese guys. The esponsibili y was hen delega ed. Leade Acco ding o Gebha d e al. (2006) in he ini ia ion phase, i s ly he ex e nal h ea is ecognized which leads o a p epa a ion o he change including he de elopmen o a guiding coali ion as well as ag eeing on a b oad plan o change. Day (1999) emphasizes in his change model, he demons a ion o leade ship commi men in he i s place and h oughou he en i e change p ocess. Day (1999) also poin s ou ha unde s anding he need o change o he key implemen e s is a cen al pa in he ini ia ion o he change p og am. He emphasizes also ha mobilizing commi men and shaping he ision s a s in he ini ia ion phase. A e unde s anding he need o change p epa ing, he implemen a ion can be ini ia ed. The ac ual implemen a ion o he change can be di ided in o wo in e dependen s ages ha ha e sligh ly di e en ia ed aims–building commi men and building unde s anding hough ins i u ionaliza ion. We wan o poin ou ha hese s ages and he ac i i ies in hem a e in e dependen and no easily g ouped unambiguously. 4.2 Building Commi men In he implemen a ion, he business uni managemen i s paid a en ion o he mos c i ical pa s ha ha e o do wi h se ing he cus ome . The i s hing was eno a ing he sales and se ice ne wo k ab oad. Then a en ion was paid o sales and p ojec execu ion he compe i i eness o which was in line. Au oma ion p ojec execu ion is a co ne s one o he business and many imes is conside ed a s a ing poin in building ela ionships wi h cus ome s. The business uni leade had an idea in his mind ha by combining he sales and p ojec execu ion o ganiza ions, he p oduc i i y could be imp o ed. The coope a ion be ween hese unc ions ha a e adi ionally o ganized sepa a ely would also imp o e he cus ome se ice le el. Thus, he i s ac i i y in he implemen a ion phase is ede eloping he c i ical pa s o business. Some imes…you need o s a o a ec he mindse and you need o awaken he change somehow. In p ac ice his means ha you need o sc een ha uni and eno a e he co e. Only hen you can s a he nex phase, when you can s a o de elop new hings. Leade S a ing he implemen a ion in he case o ganiza ion, he change was i s e oked in he o ganiza ion. The managemen eam s a ed sys ema ically o communica e he easons o a need o change by e.g. in o ma i e mee ings and in e nal eleases. This way he managemen eam wan ed o c ea e a posi i e p essu e o change in he o ganiza ion. Thus, he i s implemen a ion ac i i y is he awakening o change o he o ganiza ion. Then he o ganiza ion was engaged in he s a egy de elopmen s by o ganizing a c oss- unc ional wo kshop. This collabo a i e s a egy de elopmen aims a u ilizing he collec i e capabili ies and knowledge o he o ganiza ion o make su e ha he s a egy is ealis ic and manageable. Fu he mo e, he engagemen o he www.ccsene .o g/ijbm In e na ional Jou nal o Business and Managemen Vol. 10, No. 5; 2015 51 pe sonnel in o he s a egy de elopmen led o o ganiza ion-wide commi men o change. I seemed easie o commi o a s a egy ha was a esul o collec i e ponde ing ins ead o being dic a ed om he managemen . The in e ac ion is emendously impo an – ha you eally explain and le people in e nalize why hings a e changing. Leade Then he key leading oles in he o ganiza ion we e selec ed. The managemen eam wan ed o make su e ha eam leade s would sha e he alues ha a e necessa y o he chosen cou se o change. I was hus necessa y o emo e he dissen e s o he new s a egy and o hi e belie e s ins ead. Qui e o en he change is p e en ed because he leade s don’ ha e “ he balls” o a e a aid. Then i migh be easie o swi ch he leade s. I is his so o a posi i e an asy ha someone would lea n o walk again…i is ex emely di icul . I you wan o change as , you need o be c i ical and and sc een you esou ces e y ca e ully… ha p e y much can sol e hings. Leade Along wi h building commi men in he o ganiza ion, new alues we e de eloped – alues ha emphasize cus ome ca e and he impo ance o c ea ing alue wi h he cus ome s. Mo e impo an ly, no ms o p ocedu e we e de eloped o ensu e ha hose alues would become a common way o do hings in p ac ice. The unde s anding o new alues, he way o ope a e and he easoning behind he new ela ional s a egy s a ed o e ol e as ime wen by and as conc e e changes we e made. Indeed, one heme ha was equen ly discussed was he impo ance o lea ning by doing, as one manage exp essed: They ha e o li e he change and make a di e ence. Unde s anding he o al pic u e comes by expe iencing hings. Leade The e a e simila i ies also in his s age o he change p ocess compa ed o Gebha d e al’s (2006) and Day’s (1999) change models. Gebha d e al. (2006) also men ioned ha i s he change is e oked. They use he e m dema ca ion as an ac i i y whe e he guiding coali ion p esen s i s plan o change o he en i e o ganiza ion. Also Gebha d e al. (2006) poin ed ou ha collabo a i e s a egy de elopmen makes su e ha he s a egy is ealis ic and can be implemen ed in p ac ice. They also included in o hei model an ac i i y o emo ing he dissen e s and hi ing o he belie e s o he new s a egy in o de o make he change happen. Also Gebha d e al. (2006) and Day (1999) ound ha new alues and no ms a e de eloped in he p ocess. As Day (1999) men ions in his model, one ac i i y along he change p ocess is e ining he cus ome alue p oposi ion. This was done also in he case o ganiza ion by ongoing cus ome con ac s ha will be men ioned in he main enance pa (4.4). 4.3 Building Unde s anding h ough Ins i u ionaliza ion The unde s anding o new alues, he way o ope a e and he easoning behind he new s a egy s a ed o e ol e as ime wen by and as conc e e changes we e made. The change was hus in a way ins i u ionalized h ough s uc u es, inancial ollow-up and incen i es, as well as h ough he de elopmen o o al se ice o e ing. S uc u ing he main o ganiza ion as a p ocess was an ac i i y ha in he beginning ecei ed con adic o y opinions. As ime wen by and people go o expe ience how he o ganiza ion ac ually ope a es, he ai h owa ds he o ganiza ion imp o ed. The same was wi h he c oss- unc ional cus ome speci ic eams– he expe ience and posi i e eedback om he cus ome s esul ed in o unde s anding he way o ope a e in close coope a ion wi h o he unc ions. In addi ion o s uc u es, he e we e some changes done in he inancial ollow-up. The goal was o make each cus ome con ac employee o ealize how hey can con ibu e wi h hei ac i i ies in building he esul . Mo eo e , he ac ual alue o indi idual cus ome ela ionships was measu ed o he i s ime. One cen al ac i i y in ins i u ionaliza ion is hus aligning he s uc u es and inancial ollow-up o suppo he de elopmen owa ds inc eased ma ke o ien a ion. One cen al ac i i y in he ins i u ionaliza ion o change has been he de elopmen o a o al o e ing by undamen ally inc easing he p opo ion o se ices ou o he o al o e ing. The idea is o se e key cus ome s along hei p ocess li e cycle. This is a way o main ain and deepen long- e m cus ome ela ionships. The se ice was de eloped in a di ec ion ha ul ima ely aims a imp o ing he cus ome s’ p oduc ion pe o mance. Mo eo e , Me so Au oma ion could ake mo e comp ehensi e esponsibili y o imp o ing ha pe o mance. The se ice was de eloped no only in he mo e adi ional a ailabili y se ices side bu also in he a ea o mo e consul a i e ypes o expe se ices. Along he de elopmen o o al o e ing, he ole o p oduc manage s undamen ally changes. They go close o cus ome s, and his way he new se ices we e de eloped in close coope a ion wi h cus ome s. www.ccsene .o g/ijbm In e na ional Jou nal o Business and Managemen Vol. 10, No. 5; 2015 52 We se e hem [ he cus ome s] so well ha we don’ lose hem a any poin . Then along he cus ome ’s p oduc ion p ocess, we se e hem wi h a a ie y o ou solu ions, so ha we can g ow alongside hem. This is he basic idea. Managemen eam membe Du ing he en i e change p ocess and especially in he implemen a ion phase, communica ion seems o play an impo an ole. In he case o ganiza ion, he idea o open and ac i e communica ion was o make su e ha he whole o ganiza ion is all he ime awa e o wha has been accomplished, and wha is o be done nex . We s a ed li le by li le o ge successes. Communica ion has been cons an ly alongside he change p ocess. We go posi i e expe iences, we go o de s and he ma gins wen up and we go new p oduc s and se ices. Then people s a ed o unde s and ha all his migh ha e a poin . Leade This way he unde s anding and commi men was buil -up. The en i e o ganiza ion was engaged wi h he communica ion. The communica ion was no only one-way communica ion bu also in e ac i e. In e ac i e communica ion wo ked a he same ime as a aining o um o he pe sonnel. Also p i a e supe io -employee con e sa ion was an impo an means o communica ion in he case o ganiza ion, o make su e ha e e yone unde s ands he change in he indi idual le el. I is ex emely impo an in a change p ocess ha you do he supe io -employee con e sa ions co ec ly. The ideas o he new s a egy need o be explained o each and e e y one in e ms o wha i means in p ac ice o ha pa icula indi idual. I is he supe io s’ job o do ha . Many supe io s don’ ealize how impo an i is o an indi idual o ho oughly unde s and he change and wha i means o you sel and o ge eedback. People don’ make conscious mis akes, bu you canno know hings i no one has old you. Leade Demons a ing leade ship commi men seems o be an impo an aspec in he change p ocess in all he s ages, and especially in he implemen a ion s age. I means he leade s walking he alk and ge ing hemsel es close o cus ome s seemed an impo an posi i e aspec o change. Also bo h Gebha d e al. (2006) and Day (1999) ound ha aligning s uc u es as well as ewa d and inancial ollow-up is a cen al elemen o ins i u ionalizing he change. In he case o ganiza ion one new ac i i y was o u he he measu emen o he eal alue o indi idual cus ome ela ionships. The de elopmen o a o al o e ing was a clea exp ession o ins i u ionalizing he change in he case o ganiza ion. This is no men ioned in ei he Gebha d e al’s (2006) o Day’s (1999a) change models owa ds inc eased ma ke o ien a ion. In he case o ganiza ion he de elopmen o he o al o e ing was clea ly an ac i i y ha aimed o conc e e main enance and de elopmen o long- e m cus ome ela ionships. Thus, i can be said ha i is an impo an de elopmen a ea in which o pu sue owa ds inc eased ma ke o ien a ion. Communica ion was an ac i i y ha came ou s ongly as a key aspec du ing he whole change p ocess in he case o ganiza ion. This ac i i y was no men ioned in ei he o he compa ed change models. Howe e , aining is an ac i i y men ioned in Gebha d ’s e al. (2006) model. In he case o ganiza ion aining is conside ed a cen al pa o in e ac i e communica ion. Also Day (1999) emphasized in his model he impo ance o demons a ing he leade ship commi men along he change p ocess. 4.4 Main enance One ocal ac i i y in main aining he de elopmen is he ollow-up o he e ol emen in he change p ocess. In he case o ganiza ion, he ollow-up was done occasionally by compa ing he p esen si ua ion wi h he assigned goals ha we e se in he beginning. Mo eo e , possible new employees we e sc eened in acco dance o he o ganiza ion’s alues. Main aining he spi i o succeeding is also an ac i i y ha d i es he posi i e de elopmen . Conc e e mone a y success seemed o build ai h in he new s a egy. This success was ac i ely communica ed o he pe sonnel Ge ing success is emendously impo an in making he change happen. and ha people ha e un in doing hei job and money comes– his eeds he sel con idence. As he change s a s o wo k and he e comes success s o ies, he e also comes he sel con idence and ai h o i . Leade Cul u e main enance i uals a e also a way o main ain he de elopmen . Ce ain hings we e epea ed egula ly. In communica ion, he ac i i ies and success s o ies wi h cus ome s we e emphasized in connec ion wi h p esen ing he inancial si ua ion, o example. The ongoing cus ome connec ions we e used o check along he way ha he di ec ion o change is igh .