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The Discursive Construction of Strategists' Subjectivities: Towards a Paradox Lens on Strategy

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  • Stéphanie Dameron
  • Christophe Torset

Abstract

Until recently, the field of strategy has neglected the question of what it means to be a strategist. Based on an analysis of 68 interviews with strategy practitioners, our results highlight four main tensions that emerge from strategists' discourses on strategizing work: the social tension, the cognitive tension, the focus tension, and the time tension. This tension-based representation of strategy enables us to differentiate between three forms of strategists' subjectivities, i.e. the ways by which strategists discursively cope with tensions as a means of constituting their identity and legitimacy: the mythicizing subjectivity, the concretizing subjectivity, and the dialogizing subjectivity. Such results shed light on what a strategist is, suggesting that strategizing can be conceptualized as the art of balancing tensions and that multiple strategists' subjectivities within a paradox lens on strategy may in fact co-exist.

Suggested Citation

  • Stéphanie Dameron & Christophe Torset, 2014. "The Discursive Construction of Strategists' Subjectivities: Towards a Paradox Lens on Strategy," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(2), pages 291-319, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jomstd:v:51:y:2014:i:2:p:291-319
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/joms.12072
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Kohtamäki, Marko & Einola, Suvi & Rabetino, Rodrigo, 2020. "Exploring servitization through the paradox lens: Coping practices in servitization," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 226(C).
    4. Yi Liu & Wenqian Li & Yuan Li, 2020. "Ambidexterity between low cost strategy and CSR strategy: contingencies of competition and regulation," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 37(3), pages 633-660, September.
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    6. Jianfeng Jia & Jiaqi Yan & Yahua Cai & Yipeng Liu, 2018. "Paradoxical leadership incongruence and Chinese individuals’ followership behaviors: moderation effects of hierarchical culture and perceived strength of human resource management system," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 17(5), pages 313-338, December.
    7. Luca Carollo & Marco Guerci, 2018. "‘Activists in a Suit’: Paradoxes and Metaphors in Sustainability Managers’ Identity Work," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 148(2), pages 249-268, March.
    8. Simona Gentile-Lüdecke & Rui Torres de Oliveira & Justin Paul, 2020. "Does organizational structure facilitate inbound and outbound open innovation in SMEs?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 55(4), pages 1091-1112, December.

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