HomeResearch & Knowledgeback to HomeHuman Resourcesback to Research & KnowledgeStatkraft: Building a culture of collaboration in a fast-growing state-owned companyback to Human Resources

Case Study

Statkraft: Building a culture of collaboration in a fast-growing state-owned company

By Louise Muhdi and Martin Králik

17 pages

May 2023

Order this case study

Reference: IMD-7-2432

The case presents a multilayered story of long-term cultural transformation taking place within a large enterprise and an increasingly strategic industry sector. Global developments, including Europe’s energy crisis, have placed renewable energy high on policymakers’ and business leaders’ agendas. They herald green energy as a catalyst that can accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels, intensify the fight against climate change, and lead to the creation of entire new industry sectors. Statkraft is Europe’s largest producer of renewable energy. From its roots in hydropower, it has expanded into solar, wind, offshore wind, hydrogen and biofuels. In recent years, Statkraft has repeatedly ramped up its production targets, continued its ongoing spate of company acquisitions, and penetrated new geographies on several continents. It has also reorganized its general management into four market-oriented business units. To tackle this unprecedented complexity while living up to its ever-growing aspirations, Statkraft has had to redefine and invigorate the way its employees collaborate, particularly across silos. “We grow together” has now been upheld as one of the organization’s core values. The stakes are high, and so are the obstacles – chief among them the deep-seated resistance to change, especially within the business areas that are accustomed to a high degree of autonomy. To date, Statkraft has begun shifting its governance model towards a matrix. It has explored a number of avenues that lead to empowering people, encouraging experimentation, and instituting rewards that are linked to improved collaboration. Nonetheless, there are powerful hurdles to overcome and tradeoffs to be made as the company implements and deepens the collaboration agenda.

Learning Objective

Map out the opportunities, tangible and intangible, that collaboration can unlock in a complex enterprise
Identify sources of resistance that impede the adoption of collaborative mindsets and behaviors
Explore practical avenues for managers to operationalize collaboration as a key value and bring it to life
Identify the missing links that often persist in promoting a collaboration culture, especially vis-à-vis leadership
Explore the competing demands and tradeoffs to address when implementing transformation at scale

Keywords

Human Resources, Knowledge Management, Leadership, Organizational Behavior, Organizational Design, Collaboration, Empowerment, Autonomy, Agility

Settings

World/global, Norway
Statkraft, Energy, Renewable Energy
Number of employees: 4,800 / Annual turnover: USD 8.3 Bn (2021 revenue)

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

Related material

Teaching note

IMD case studies are distributed through case clearing houses. In order to browse the collection and purchase copies please visit the links below.

The Case Centre

Cranfield University

Wharley End Beds MK43 0JR, UK
Tel +44 (0)1234 750903
Email [email protected]

Harvard Business School Publishing

60 Harvard Way, Boston MA 02163, USA
Tel (800) 545-7685 Tel (617)-783-7600
Fax (617) 783-7666
Email [email protected]

Asia Pacific Case Center

NUCB Business School

1-3-1 Nishiki Naka
Nagoya Aichi, Japan 460-0003
Tel +81 52 20 38 111
Email [email protected]

IMD retains all proprietary interests in its case studies and notes. Without prior written permission, IMD cases and notes may not be reproduced, used, translated, included in books or other publications, distributed in any form or by any means, stored in a database or in other retrieval systems. For additional copyright information related to case studies, please contact Case Services.

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Keep reading

Article

Why leadership development means losing the comfort zone

RSM’s Hannes Leroy and colleagues share the research – and the tools – behind choosing the right leadership development program for you; one that m...

Leadership

By Hannes Leroy, Moran Anisman-Razin, Pisitta Vongswasdi and Johannes Claeys

in I by IMD

Article

Saplings at my garden center are no match for mature specimens

Older workers have much to offer but don’t always get the chance to show it. Mixed-generation teams could help.

Diversity And Equity And Inclusion Human Resources Talent Management Team Dynamics

By Michael Skapinker

in I by IMD

Article

Five lessons business could learn from the Olympics

Discover how Paris overcame uncertainty to successfully host the 2024 Olympics, demonstrating crisis management, leadership and excellent commercia...

Crisis Management Global Business Leadership Strategy

By Carlos Cordon and Sameh Abadir

in I by IMD

Article

The CHRO agenda: Enabling growth, engaging people

How can CHROs guide their organizations through periods of extreme growth? Cristina Monteiro, CHRO at Dutch chipmaker ASML, speaks about the challe...

How CEO’s drive saved car giant Ford from the scrapyard

Companies desperately in need of a turnaround in fortunes should take inspiration from the 2008 rescue mission by the then-new Ford boss Alan Mulal...

Agility Business Transformation Change Management Competitiveness Decision Making Future Readiness Leadership Organizational Culture Performance Management Strategy

By Howard H. Yu

in I by IMD

Article

Jack and changing for good

Discover how Jack, a senior executive, transforms his leadership style through coaching, overcoming challenges to find a sustainable balance for su...

Change Management Coaching Leadership

By Luca Allaria

in I by IMD

Article

«Founder mode»: che cos’è, perché può spaccare la Silicon Valley (e segnare la fine dell’era del management)

September 2024 marks a turning point in the world of corporate management. Paul Graham, a prominent figure in Silicon Valley and founder of Y Combi...

Family Business Leadership Innovation Disruption

By Alfredo De Massis and Paolo Lacchè

in Corriere della Sera

30 September 2024

Article

7 leadership tips to make work work for humans

On any given day, more than 20% of Americans come to work with a diagnosed mental illness. Here are seven things leaders can do to combat an epidem...

Workplace Well-being Leadership

By Morra Aarons-Mele, Rita McGrath, Andrew Barnes and Poornima Luthra

in I by IMD Brain Circuits

27 September 2024

Article

The 6 essential competencies of chief diversity officers

In today‘s rapidly evolving corporate landscape, the role of chief diversity officer (CDO) has transitioned from a nice-to-have to an absolute nece...

The fractional gains of senior leaders: Fact or fallacy?

Employing part-time seniors can help your organization in significant ways – but do you know the dos and don’ts of engaging in such arrangements? I...

Leadership

By Tomoko Yokoi

in I by IMD

Saplings at my garden center are no match for mature specimens

By Michael Skapinker
in I by IMD

Summary

Older workers have much to offer but don’t always get the chance to show it. Mixed-generation teams could help.

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Diversity And Equity And Inclusion

Human Resources

Talent Management

Team Dynamics

Browse all topics

Five lessons business could learn from the Olympics

By Carlos Cordon and Sameh Abadir
in I by IMD

Summary

Discover how Paris overcame uncertainty to successfully host the 2024 Olympics, demonstrating crisis management, leadership and excellent commercia...

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Crisis Management

Global Business

Leadership

Strategy

Browse all topics

Jack and changing for good

By Luca Allaria
in I by IMD

Summary

Discover how Jack, a senior executive, transforms his leadership style through coaching, overcoming challenges to find a sustainable balance for su...

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Change Management

Coaching

Leadership

Browse all topics

«Founder mode»: che cos’è, perché può spaccare la Silicon Valley (e segnare la fine dell’era del management)

By Alfredo De Massis and Paolo Lacchè
in Corriere della Sera 30 September 2024

Summary

September 2024 marks a turning point in the world of corporate management. Paul Graham, a prominent figure in Silicon Valley and founder of Y Combi...

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Family Business

Leadership

Innovation

Disruption

Browse all topics

7 leadership tips to make work work for humans

By Morra Aarons-Mele Rita McGrath Andrew Barnes and Poornima Luthra
in I by IMD Brain Circuits 27 September 2024

Summary

On any given day, more than 20% of Americans come to work with a diagnosed mental illness. Here are seven things leaders can do to combat an epidem...

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Workplace Well-being

Leadership

Browse all topics