Agency in Circular City Ecosystems—A Rationalities Perspective

The concept of agency is increasingly used in the literature on sustainability transitions. In this paper, we add to that discussion by arguing that the concept of rationality opens new avenues to theorizing relational agency in transitions toward a circular economy. To this end, we compare rationality conceptions from management (e.g., collaboration and competition) with critical theory perspectives on rationality (e.g., instrumental and communicative rationality). This leads us to develop a typology matrix for describing plural rationalities underpinning relational agency. We illustrate this typology using excerpts from an in-depth case study of an ongoing city-coordinated ecosystem that develops a smart technology-enabled urban area based on the principles of circularity. The first contribution of this interdisciplinary paper is to offer a rational perspective on theorizing the antecedents of relational agency in circular economy transitions, where communicatively rational action enables agency and change. Secondly, our paper contributes to the literature on circular cities through conceptualizing circular transition as simultaneous collaboration and competition. Thirdly, our paper introduces a dyadic perspective on rationality to the literature on coopetition and provides an operating space from which professionals can navigate, depending on the type of coopetitive situation

Agency in Circular City Ecosystems-A Rationalities Perspective

The concept of agency is increasingly used in the literature on sustainability transitions. In this paper, we add to that discussion by arguing that the concept of rationality opens new avenues to theorizing relational agency in transitions toward a circular economy. To this end, we compare rationality conceptions from management (e.g., collaboration and competition) with critical theory perspectives on rationality (e.g., instrumental and communicative rationality). This leads us to develop a typology matrix for describing plural rationalities underpinning relational agency. We illustrate this typology using excerpts from an in-depth case study of an ongoing city-coordinated ecosystem that develops a smart technology-enabled urban area based on the principles of circularity. The first contribution of this interdisciplinary paper is to offer a rational perspective on theorizing the antecedents of relational agency in circular economy transitions, where communicatively rational action enables agency and change. Secondly, our paper contributes to the literature on circular cities through conceptualizing circular transition as simultaneous collaboration and competition. Thirdly, our paper introduces a dyadic perspective on rationality to the literature on coopetition and provides an operating space from which professionals can navigate, depending on the type of coopetitive situation

Inter-organizational knowledge creation during conflict of interest - a study of interaction in a facilitated workshop

The dissertation examines the facilitated interaction process of knowledge creation across organizational boundaries during conflict of interest. The dissertation combines two inter-related phenomena: knowledge creating interaction between the members of different organizations, and the activity of a facilitator in guiding such interaction. The objective is to create new theoretical knowledge in the area of organizational knowledge creation where a need to examine the political process on the micro level of interaction has been identified. The objective is also to create new theoretical knowledge in the area of facilitation of knowledge creation. The context of the dissertation is a facilitated workshop aimed at developing two firms´ joint sales process towards a joint customer. Different interests between the two firms lead to conflicts in the interaction between the employees of the firms and to the political process of kowledge creation. I apply conversation analytic research methods and theory to the study of this situation from the viewpoint of verbal interaction. I draw conclusions of how the structure of interaction and the firm's interests relate to each other, and how the interests emerge as a result of the interaction. Further, I draw conclusions of the political process of knowledge creation and the activity of the facilitator in guiding the process. As a result, I provide an empirically grounded description of the events observed in the political process. These events are (1) explication of the interests, (2) conflict of interests, (3) stance change, (4) warranting of interests and (5) transition from the political process towards knowledge creation. The facilitator influences directly the explication of interests. The facilitator influences change in the employees' viewpoints by guiding the iteration of the political process, thus influencing indirectly the transition toward knowledge creation. The results contribute to the study of organizational knowledge creation by showing how organizational interests manifest themselves through interactional structures and by identifying the events of a political process, during which conflicting interests both create barriers to and stimulate knowledge creation. The results contribute to the study of facilitation by describing how a facilitator can influence the political process. Facilitation assists organizations to manage their differences in a constructive manner. In this way conflicting interests can be utilized as grounds for accelerating inter-organizational innovation.Tutkimukseni kohteena on organisaatioiden välinen tiedon rakentaminen fasilitoidussa vuorovaikutuksessa eturistiriidan aikana. Tutkimuksessani yhdistyy kaksi toisiinsa sidoksissa olevaa ilmiötä: eri organisaatioiden edustajien välinen tietoa rakentava vuorovaikutus eturistiriidan vaikuttaessa, sekä fasilitoijan toiminta vuorovaikutuksen ohjauksessa. Tavoitteena on tuottaa uutta tietoa organisaatioiden tiedon rakentamisen tutkimukseen, jossa on havaittu tarve mikrotason vuorovaikutuksen tarkempaan tutkimukseen. Samalla tavoitteena on tuottaa uutta tietoa fasilitoinnin vaikutuksesta tiedon rakentamiseen. Tutkimuksen kontekstina on fasilitoitu kehittämistyöpaja, jossa kaksi yritystä kehittää yhteistä myyntiprosessia yhteiselle asiakkaalle. Yrityksillä on erilaiset liiketoiminnalliset edut, mikä johtaa eturistiriitoihin työpajan ryhmässä tapahtuvassa vuorovaikutuksessa, eli tiedon rakentamisen poliittiseen prosessiin. Sovellan keskustelunanalyyttistä menetelmää ja teoreettisia lähtökohtia vuorovaikutuksen tarkasteluun. Teen päätelmiä siitä, miten vuorovaikutuksen rakenteet ja yritysten edut ovat yhteydessä toisiinsa, eli miten yritysten edut vuorovaikutuksen tuloksena ilmenevät, ja millainen tiedon rakentamisen poliittinen prosessi on. Tuloksena on kuvaus tiedon rakentamisen poliittisen prosessin sisältämistä tapahtumista. Nämä ovat (1) etujen julkitulo, (2) eturistiriita, (3) näkökulman muutos, (4) oikeutus omalle edulle ja (5) siirtyminen tiedon rakentamiseen. Fasilitoija vaikuttaa vuorovaikutuksessa suoraan etujen julkituloon. Fasilitoija vaikuttaa poliittisen prosessissa tapahtuviin näkökulmien muutoksiin ohjaamalla poliittisen prosessin kertautumista, ja vaikuttaa välillisesti siirtymiseen tiedon rakentamiseen. Tulokset tuovat uutta tietoa tiedon rakentamisen tutkimukselle tuomalla näkyviin, miten organisaatioiden liiketoiminnalliset edut tulevat julki vuorovaikutuksen rakenteiden avulla, ja millaisista tapahtumista poliittinen prosessi koostuu. Tutkimukseni laajentaa fasilitoinnin tutkimusta selvittämällä, miten fasilitoija voi vaikuttaa tiedon rakentamisen poliittiseen prosessiin. Fasilitoinnin avulla organisaatiot voivat käsitellä poliittista prosessia rakentavalla tavalla. Tällä tavoin eturistiriitaa voidaan myös hyödyntää organisaatioiden välistä innovaatiota edistävänä tekijänä

Transforming a Supply Chain towards a Digital Business Ecosystem

This study describes the intervention process of transforming a peat production supply chain towards a digital business ecosystem. We conducted a series of participative, co-creative workshops to facilitate and to research the transformation process. According to our findings, a wider ecosystem perspective to transformation helped to overcome the initial motivational challenges felt by the supply chain members. In the workshops, the participants were able to create joint meanings of social, financial, and use value of digital data, and to collaboratively make decisions about the transformation towards a digital business ecosystem. This was due to the participants’ collaborative knowledge creation and negotiation processes, supported by the facilitators applying co-creative methods. Our results suggest that a developmental intervention provided a temporary governance structure for the participants to collaboratively create a shared logic for the digital business ecosystem creation.Peer reviewe

Interventions for the Co-creation of Inter-organizational Business Process Change

Part 1: Co-creating Sustainable Business Processes and EcosystemsInternational audienceThis paper increases scientific knowledge about developmental interventions in inter-organizational processes by applying coordination theory. The interventions interfere intentionally with the process they aim to develop, reveal interdependencies between the participants, and coordinate their interaction for knowledge creation. The three elements of the developmental intervention are: (1) the participants from the different organizations, (2) the boundary objects that represent the inter-organizational business process, (3) the external facilitator, responsible for designing the other two elements, and for establishing among the participants the knowledge-creating conversational interaction mediated by boundary objects. In a successful intervention, the facilitator and the participants co-develop the necessary coordination mechanisms to support the knowledge co-creation of the participants from the different companies towards the common goal, i.e. the shared knowledge about the inter-organizational process