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A universe of stories: Mobilizing narrative practices during transformative change

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  • Elena Dalpiaz
  • Giada Di Stefano

Abstract

Research Summary: Constructing narratives of transformative change is an important but challenging practice through which strategy‐makers attempt to influence acceptance of an ongoing transformation. To understand whether and how strategy‐makers can construct a steady influx of captivating narratives of transformative change, we analyzed how one noted strategy‐maker assisted the successful transformation of his organization over three decades by orchestrating the production of change narratives. Our analysis reveals that the strategy‐maker constructed and reconstructed meanings of change over time using three sets of distinct but interconnected narrative practices. We develop a dynamic model linking the simultaneous mobilization of these practices to strategy‐makers’ ability to harness the persistent tension between novelty and familiarity in a transformative change, and thereby, win endorsement from key audiences. Managerial Summary: How can storytelling be used to influence acceptance of an ongoing organizational transformation? In this article, we try to answer this question by examining how, over three decades, Italian company Alessi documented its transformation from a manufacturer of kitchen steel utensils to a producer of a variety of household objects purchased also for their symbolic value. The leader behind Alessi's transformation, Alberto Alessi, orchestrated such storytelling effort, targeting employees, customers, retailers, and visitors to Alessi exhibitions. Our findings uncover how stories can be used to win audiences’ endorsement of change through narrative practices aimed at: (a) constructing a collective memory of change, (b) depicting change as a novel but coherent departure from the past, and (c) portraying change as a transcendent endeavor.

Suggested Citation

  • Elena Dalpiaz & Giada Di Stefano, 2018. "A universe of stories: Mobilizing narrative practices during transformative change," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(3), pages 664-696, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:stratm:v:39:y:2018:i:3:p:664-696
    DOI: 10.1002/smj.2730
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    Cited by:

    1. Bingbing Ge & Alfredo De Massis & Josip Kotlar, 2022. "Mining the Past: History Scripting Strategies and Competitive Advantage in a Family Business," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 46(1), pages 223-251, January.
    2. Kemp, April & Gravois, Renée & Syrdal, Holly & McDougal, Elizabeth, 2023. "Storytelling is not just for marketing: Cultivating a storytelling culture throughout the organization," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 66(3), pages 313-324.
    3. Tomi Laamanen, 2019. "Dynamic attention-based view of corporate headquarters in MNCs," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 8(1), pages 1-15, December.
    4. Virpi Sorsa & Eero Vaara, 2020. "How Can Pluralistic Organizations Proceed with Strategic Change? A Processual Account of Rhetorical Contestation, Convergence, and Partial Agreement in a Nordic City Organization," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 31(4), pages 839-864, July.
    5. Roy Suddaby & Diego Coraiola & Charles Harvey & William Foster, 2020. "History and the micro‐foundations of dynamic capabilities," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(3), pages 530-556, March.
    6. Kohtamäki, Marko & Rabetino, Rodrigo & Einola, Suvi & Parida, Vinit & Patel, Pankaj, 2021. "Unfolding the digital servitization path from products to product-service-software systems: Practicing change through intentional narratives," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 379-392.
    7. Innan Sasaki & Josip Kotlar & Davide Ravasi & Eero Vaara, 2020. "Dealing with revered past: Historical identity statements and strategic change in Japanese family firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(3), pages 590-623, March.
    8. Gry Espedal & Arne Carlsen, 2021. "Don’t Pass Them By: Figuring the Sacred in Organizational Values Work," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 169(4), pages 767-784, April.
    9. Frank L.K. Ohemeng & Osee Kamga, 2020. "Administrative leaders as institutional entrepreneurs in developing countries: A study of the development and institutionalization of performance management in Ghana's public service," Public Administration & Development, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 40(1), pages 87-100, February.
    10. Camilla Ferri & Giovanni Favero, 2021. "The Becoming of the Past: an Exploration of Temporal Enactments in a Historical Cafe'," Working Papers 08, Department of Management, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia.
    11. Liisa Välikangas & Marijane Luistro-Jonsson & Sirkka L. Jarvenpaa, 2022. "Health crisis and the EU’s HERA: amplifying partial organizing with resourcing for stability, agility, and evolvability," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 11(4), pages 169-187, December.
    12. Diego Zunino & Fernando F. Suarez & Stine Grodal, 2019. "Familiarity, Creativity, and the Adoption of Category Labels in Technology Industries," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(1), pages 169-190, February.
    13. Eero Vaara & Laura Fritsch, 2022. "Strategy as language and communication: Theoretical and methodological advances and avenues for the future in strategy process and practice research," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(6), pages 1170-1181, June.
    14. Kazeminia, Ali, 2021. "Unfolding the airbus’ strategic growth: A successful case," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 37(1).
    15. Rory McDonald & Cheng Gao, 2019. "Pivoting Isn’t Enough? Managing Strategic Reorientation in New Ventures," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(6), pages 1289-1318, November.
    16. Markus Reihlen & Jan‐Florian Schlapfner & Monika Seeger & Hannah Trittin‐Ulbrich, 2022. "Strategic Venturing as Legitimacy Creation: The Case of Sustainability," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(2), pages 417-459, March.
    17. Liu, Jialing & Wei, Jiang & Liu, Yang & Jin, Duo, 2022. "How to channel knowledge coproduction behavior in an online community: Combining machine learning and narrative analysis," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).

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