Research

Marko’s research and teaching interests are related to a number of topics in strategy process and strategy-as-practice spheres. His key focus is in:

  • Strategy process: strategic decision-making, management of strategic change and innovation, handling new ideas, issues and initiatives in corporate context;
  • Strategy development practices: planning practices and autonomous corporate practices;
  • Role of organizational players in strategy making: corporate governance, top management and middle manager roles in strategizing;
  • Organizational design: linkages of company building blocks.

Marko’s PhD dissertation is on the subject of Strategy Making during Ambidexterity Cycles. In his study he has carried out in-depth analysis of case organizations to see how the strategy making practices have evolved during transformation of strategic orientation.

Affiliations with Research Institutions

  • Estonian Business School, Chair of Organization and Management, Visiting Lecturer – since 2015
  • Tallinn University of Technology, School of Economics and Business Administration, Lecturer – since 2002

Education

  • PhD in Managament, University of St.Gallen, 2015
  • M.Sc, Tallinn University of Technology, 2003
  • BBA, Estonian Business School, 2000
Doctoral courses:

Membership and Professional Affiliations

Honors and Awards

Academic Activities as Organizer and Reviewer

Organizer:
  • Member of Organizing Committee, European Academy of Management in Tallinn, June 2011.
  • Track Session Chair for Strategy-as-Practice Track of Strategic Management Society Conference presentation at Rome, September, 2010.
Ad hoc reviewer for academic journals:
  • Organization Research Methods, since 2011
  • Academy of Management Learning and Education, since 2010
  • Journal of Management Studies, since 2009
  • Baltic Journal of Management, since 2006
  • Long Range Planning, since 2006.
Reviewer for conferences:
  • Academy of International Business, since 2006
  • Academy of Management, since 2006
  • European Academy of Management, since 2006

Publications and Conference Presentations

  • Combination of Evolutionary Theory and Micropolitics in Handling Strategic Initiatives – Case of Public University. Strategic Management Society Conference presentation at Miami, 2011 (co-authored with Karmen Limmer).
  • Model of relationships between evolutionary formation and symbolic meaning of strategic initiatives. European Group for Organization Studies Colloquium presentation in Goteborg, 2011 (co-authored with Karmen Limmer).
  • Strategy Process in Organizations That Are Structurally Modulating Between Exploration And Exploration. European Academy of Management presentation at Tallinn, 2011.
  • Strategy Making during Shift in Strategic Orientation between Exploration and Exploitation. Strategic Management Society Conference presentation at Rome, 2010.
  • Playing with Ideas at Work (Ideedega mängimine äris). Brainhunt seminar presentation at Tallinn, 2010 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2AlwMhrcKs
  • White Collars in Sandbox (Lipsuga liivakasti). TEDxTartu presentation at Tartu, 2010 – http://vimeo.com/11654435
  • Team Interaction, Media Attention and Playfulness. Academy of Management presentation at Chicago, 2009 (co-authored with Claus D. Jacobs).
  • Using Video Cases to Teach Strategy – the Case of “Management Brains”. Academy of Management Annual Conference Professional Development Workshop presentation in Anaheim, 2008.
  • Top Management Homophily Impact on Strategic Issue Selling. Academy of Management Annual Conference. Business Policy and Strategy Track presentation in Anaheim, 2008.
  • Team Interaction, Media Attention and Playfulness – The Case of a Televised Management competition. European Group for Organization Studies Colloquium presentation in Amsterdam, 2008 (co-authored with Claus D. Jacobs).
  • Studying Strategy Process in Organizations that are Structurally Modulating between Exploration and Exploitation: Comparison of Computational Modelling and Case Study Approach. Tallinn University of Technology Working Papers 2008.
  • Towards a More Practical Model of Strategy-as-Practice. Tallinn University of Technology Working Papers 2006. Co-author with E. Valmra, E. Metsla and R. Rannus.
  • Representative of Heavy-Weight Class of Metaphors. Review of the book “Gareth Morgan: Images of the Organisation” (In Estonian) March 2006, “Director” (Monthly magazine on managerial issues, similar to “Harvard Business Review”).
  • Chief Editor of the article collection and reviewer of 7 out of 18 articles. Proceedings of the XI Conference on the Management of Business Organisations. 22.04.2005. School of Economics and Business Administration. Tallinn University of Technology.
  • Fast Balanced Scorecard. Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on “Enterprise in Transition”, 26-28.05.2005. Faculty of Economics, University of Split.
  • Limitations of Balanced Scorecard. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Business Administration, 30-31.01.2004. University of Tartu, Pärnu College.
  • The Deficiencies of Balanced Scorecard and Ways for their Improvement (In Estonian) – Master Thesis. 2003. Tallinn Technical University.
  • Foreword to the Estonian-language translation the book: Robert S Kaplan, David P Norton: Balanced Scorecard, Translating strategy into action. Harvard Business School Press, 1996. “Tasakaalus tulemuskaart (Balanced Scorecard), strateegialt tegudele.” Published by PEGASUS, Tallinn, 2003.
  • “The Sky above the Balanced Scorecard is not cloudless.” (In Estonian) – February 2003, “Director”.
  • “How the Balanced Scorecard got its Estonian name? Story about translating the book into Estonian language.” (In Estonian) – February 2003, “Director”
  • “Boundaries of Balanced Scorecards” (In Estonian, summary in English) – Tallinn Technical University, 10th Conference on Managerial Problems. October 2002.
  • “Implementing the BSC simultaneously with EFQM/Baldridge or ISO” (In Estonian) – September 2002, Annual Conference on Quality Management, Estonian Quality Association.
  • “Implementing the Balanced Scorecard in SME-s” (In Estonian) – February 2002, “Saldo” (Monthly magazine on entrepreneurial issues, similar to “Economist”).
  • “Balanced Scorecard – not merely a fad!” (In Estonian) – May 2001, “Director”.

Author of the Following Case Studies:

  • Author of the following short incidents: “How to motivate someone whom you cannot” (Director, May 2008), “Former Bureaucrat into a CEO” (Director, September, 2007), “And what if you cannot manage your middle managers?” (Director, March, 2007), “A CEO, who is constantly late” (Director, December, 2006), “A long resignation letter” (Director, September, 2006), “Enterprise Estonia” (Tallinn University of Technology Case Studies, 2006), “Teinto Furniture”(Tallinn University of Technology Case Studies, 2006), Piedo la Taabel” (Tallinn University of Technology Case Studies, 2005), “TransCargo Calendar” (Tallinn University of Technology Case Studies, 2005), “Wooden Cupboard” (Tallinn University of Technology Case Studies, 2001).