As a scholar and practitioner within architecture, urbanism and planning Grønning teaches about place-making, comprehensive land-use planning, and spatial ideas and planning methods in urbanisation processes. 

His research is focused on consciousness, possibilism, anticipation and innovation in relation to space and territories. 

Grønning has led the Norwegian Housing and Planning Association (Norsk BOBY) and the Norwegian Association for Planning Education (FUS). He has been involved in a number of councils and committees, as a Norwegian representative to the European Association of Schools of Planning (AESOP) and a number of editorial committees: Plan (NO), planum.org (IT), Nordiques (FR). 

In 2019 Grønning was a visiting professor at the Sciences Po Rennes in France. Within the field of art in public spaces he has contributed in several Norwegian collaborations, related to concrete development plans, teaching (the Oslo National Academy of the Arts, KHiO), the OsloBIENNIAL 2019-2024 (art in public spaces), and research, assessments and cultural projects.