Strategizing and “strategifying” for the common good: the case of deprived neighborhoods in the Swedish city of Gothenburg

Figures & data

Table 1. Interviewees.

Organization	Interviews	Purpose
Parent corporation	Five interviews with people at a management level: CEO, staff managers, and other managers	To understand the aim of the new strategy and how it was to be realized
Municipal housing corporations	Nine interviews with district managers, two CEOs of subsidiaries, and project leaders	To gain insights into strategy application from those “receiving” the strategy
Private construction corporations	Three managers from three private construction corporations interested in working in the neighborhoods	Private construction companies were included as they showed interest in investing in the targeted areas and were therefore included in collaborative projects
Private housing corporations	One district manager and one employee responsible for social sustainability	Private actors were affected by the new strategic intentions and were included in collaborative projects
Other	Five interviews with employees of the school department, the planning department, and a local school, as well as a manager of a BID^2 organization	The city’s various departments were involved as they “owned” issues and had responsibilities that the housing corporations were to address with the new strategy

Table 2. Data analysis.

Activities	Second-order practices	Strategifying work	Linking strategifying and strategizing
Talking about and disseminating the new strategy Taking and showing responsibility The municipal housing corporations are given a strategic role	Problem definition The premise of the strategic intention Links between problems and solutions—everything is related Linking the development to what is to be regarded as the “common good,” especially as the task is not “owned” by the housing corporations A goal shared among the municipal housing corporations, various collaborating partners, and Framtiden subsidiaries	Cognitive coupling Shifting the boundaries, both mentally and organizationally, of what the strategy implies	The cognitive coupling leads to strategizing, as actions are justified in a new way Sayings such as “better to ask for forgiveness than permission” describe strategifying work and lead to many actions Strategizing also means “being bold enough to act”—any action is preferable to no action
Developing new and/or stronger forms of collaboration Jointly signing documents Getting others on board Employing individuals with varied backgrounds and professions New documents and other management tools	Shared challenge requires collaboration Links between the organizations and the common good Expanding expertise and knowledge by inviting and employing others in the process Trust building Empowering employees	Relational coupling Creating new relations and inviting other experts Coupling and decoupling activities relative to the strategic work	Framing strategic aspirations as for the common good favors involving more partners, since the issues are shared
Discussions of how investments in hard projects will lead to better handling of soft issues Positioning ongoing work relative to the new strategy Showing youths alternatives	Systemizing Explanation of what a strategic project is and why it is considered strategic Discussions of how to connect the projects to the overall strategic intention Discussions of cause and effect as well as reflexive and pragmatic discussions of what to do	Material coupling Decoupling and recoupling between the housing corporations and the parent corporation	Various actions are conducted or being planned; these have previously been “strategified” and are now seen as “strategic”
Doing all everyday tasks first to make room for new activities Doing more than just everyday tasks New employees have new everyday tasks	Shared responsibility for activities and goals Measuring and systemizing are challenges due to the strategy’s shared character as well as the long-term focus, yet there is a need to show action and results quickly	Accountability coupling New relationships, experts, and employees imply discussion of responsibility and accountability both within and across organizations	Action—no matter what! Over time, more or less in accordance with the initial ambition