Purpose – This paper examines how interorganizational strategy processes unfold by analyzing cross-level decision-making challenges that recur when organizations jointly develop strategy while remaining embedded in their own organizational contexts.

Design/methodology/approach – We conducted a longitudinal qualitative case study of an interorganizational strategy process focused on a collective bridge inventory in a Dutch region. We followed an initiative for approximately one year, starting from its early formation. Using a layered analytical approach that distinguishes interpretation, structure and relations, we traced how the initiative transformed over time across organizational boundaries.

Findings – The study identifies three cross-level strategizing challenges: joint goal setting, shared ownership and pacing. These challenges did not appear as linear stages or discrete obstacles but repeatedly re-emerged. Joint goal setting was complicated by divergent organizational rationales, shared ownership emerged unevenly across actors and pacing reflected persistent temporal misalignments between interorganizational ambitions and intraorganizational capacities. Together, these cross-level dynamics shaped the trajectory of the strategy process.

Practical implications – For practitioners, we propose viewing these challenges as interpretive lenses to make sense of re-emerging tensions and diagnose when the strategy process may require temporary stabilization. Rather than designing “linking pins”, strategizing requires a continuous balancing effort between inter- and intraorganizational rationales.

Originality/value – The paper contributes to interorganizational strategizing research by conceptualizing cross-level challenges as dynamic and constitutive elements of strategy processes rather than background conditions. It offers a rare, in-depth, processual account of informal and horizontal interorganizational strategizing in response to complex societal challenges, extending open strategy research beyond the focal organization. ... Read more

The development of infrastructure can create synergies across multiple sectors, yet the governance and decision-making processes that drive such transformations often receive insufficient attention. This study aims to highlight key challenges in decision-making associated with the ‘infrastructural turn’ at the intersection of energy and mobility. The case focuses on a public transport provider’s initiative to leverage its metro power grid for the development of public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. We trace how the collaborative decision-making process navigated through various configurations. The initiative challenged established organizational roles and pervasive silo mentalities and ultimately reached two significant milestones after nearly a decade. The findings suggest that harnessing potential synergies requires developing more integrative thinking and allowing sufficient space for joint goal-setting across sectors. We advocate for more research on informal organization and unintended consequences to better understand governance challenges of sustainable infrastructure development. ... Read more

The proposed solutions for sustainable development generally require new links and the involvement of multiple sectors. As a consequence, organizations can rely less on closed and rational analysis-based forms of strategizing; they increasingly see the need for joint strategy processes. However, a joint strategy process challenges the boundaries of the organizations involved, which creates tensions. This paper takes stock of conflicts and uncertainties that organizations which become involved in joint strategizing encounter. Our focal point is the sustainable development of infrastructure. We focus on an explorative single case study on the coordination of heat infrastructure development in the Regional Energy Strategy Rotterdam-The Hague (RES R-TH). The primary data were collected via three sources of information: observations from roundtable meetings, interviews with representatives of the organizations involved in the RES-TH and reflections from participants of these actors in research-led ateliers. We illuminate a wide range of tensions between organizations and identify three categories of dilemmas: input, throughput and outcome. By explicating dilemmas and identifying categories, we discard the idea that a universal solution exists for organizations engaging in joint strategizing. Instead, we provide evidence of different types of decision-making challenges, which emerges from a more granular analysis of the open strategizing process. ... Read more

Brede aandacht voor duurzaamheid stelt nieuwe eisen aan infrastructuren in Nederland. De opgaven gaan over de grenzen van verschillende sectoren, denk alleen al aan mobiliteit en woningbouw enerzijds en energie anderzijds. Dit vraagt om nieuwe strategische overleg- en besluitvormingsstructuren. Infrastructuurplanning krijgt daarmee ook een ander, opener karakter. In de kern van dit vraagstuk opereren de infrastructuurbeheerders, die een nieuwe verbindende positie krijgen. In dit artikel worden drie verschillende nieuwe strategieprocessen gepresenteerd en geanalyseerd. De precieze vorm en focus van de nieuwe overleg- en besluitvormingsstructuren zullen zich in de komende jaren ontwikkelen. Inzicht in deze strategieprocessen en in het bijzonder de rol van infrastructuurbeheerders vergroot kennis hoe en in welke mate openheid ruimte kan bieden aan meer integrale afwegingen en synergie. ... Read more