The Influence of Leadership on Organizational Adaptability: A Case Study of the Norwegian Marketplace Platform FINN

Abstract

Background: To address the need for modern organizations to simultaneously ensure future viability and existing opportunities for both short- and long-term survival and prosperity, a meta-framework of leadership for organizational adaptability has been proposed by Uhl-Bien and Arena (2018). We wish to examine how leadership may influence the concurrent needs of organizations in the modern context. Objective: The objective of this thesis is to investigate how leadership may influence innovation and organizational adaptability in the modern context, by empirically investigating the innovation process and leadership in the Norwegian marketplace platform FINN. Method: From a critical realist position, this instrumental case study employs an abductive methodological approach to address the research question empirically. Findings: The main findings indicate that FINN has developed its own processes within innovation, and successfully developed and implemented innovations in their operations and organization. This has been enabled through experimentation and cross-functional teams within the organization. Based on the analysis, an integrative model for leadership for adaptability and critical suggestions to CLT are proposed, research and practical implications are outlined, and directions for future research are proposed. Conclusion: The main findings indicate that leadership, especially operational, entrepreneurial and enabling leadership, influences organizational factors such as organizational culture and internal innovation processes, each in different ways and with different outcomes for innovation and organizational adaptability.