<b>Rethinking the concept of performance in strategy research: towards a performativity perspective</b>

Guérard, Stéphane; Langley, Ann; Seidl, David

doi:10.3917/mana.165.0566

Cited by 44 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…For that reason, we suggest that practice-shifting performativity might be a more apt term. Our analysis of how new theories can lead to shifts in practices contributes to practice theory a novel perspective (Guérard, Langley, & Seidl, 2013;Jarzabkowski, 2005;Smets, Aristidou, & Whittington, 2017). Our model suggests that theories can generate a "shared practical understanding" (Schatzki, 2001: 2) that gives meaning to practices.…”

Section: How Feedback Loops Create Self-fulfilling Theoriesmentioning

confidence: 90%

When Do Theories Become Self-Fulfilling? Exploring the Boundary Conditions of Performativity

Marti

Gond

2018

AMR

132

146

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Management researchers increasingly realize that some theories do not merely describe, but also shape social reality; a phenomenon known as "performativity." However, when theories become performative or even self-fulfilling is still poorly understood. Taking this gap in current research as our starting point, we develop a process model to show that new theories will only become self-fulfilling (1) if they motivate experimentation, (2) if experimentation produces anomalies, and (3) if these anomalies lead to a practice shift. On that basis, we identify six boundary conditions that determine whether theories will come to shape social reality. To illustrate our argument, we explore the conditions under which theories that postulate a positive link between corporate social performance and corporate financial performance may become self-fulfilling. KEYWORDS:Anomalies, boundary conditions, corporate social performance (CSP), experimentation, performativity, socially responsible investing (SRI) 3/53In the course of the last decade, management scholars and other researchers in the social sciences increasingly realized that some theories do not merely describe, but also shape the patterns of social interaction that constitute social reality (Callon, 1998;. They dubbed this phenomenon "performativity." The most "intriguing" cases of performativity arise when theories become self-fulfilling; that is, when using theories increases the "conformity" between theories and social reality (MacKenzie, 2006: 18-19). A well-known example thereof is the Black-Scholes theory, where using that theory pushed option prices toward the prices that the theory predicted (MacKenzie & Millo, 2003). In such cases, theories can become self-fulfilling by reshaping the language, social norms, and institutional designs of traders, managers, policy-makers, or other actors (Ferraro, Pfeffer, & Sutton, 2005a).Further studies in this tradition examined, for example, how rational choice theory makes decision-making within organizations more rational (Cabantous & Gond, 2011) or how mainstream financial theories reinforce the currently widespread technocratic approach to financial regulation (Marti & Scherer, 2016).Most studies on performativity to date focus on theories that have successfully transformed social reality. However, because of this "success bias," the literature lacks a clear understanding of the conditions that determine whether theories become performative or not. This lack of understanding becomes particularly apparent where the "strongest" forms of performativity (MacKenzie, 2006: 19) are concerned; that is, when theories become self-fulfilling (Healy, 2015: 176). Current research thereby neglects the insight of Felin and Foss (2009b) that social reality is not invariably malleable. Keeping in mind these shortcomings of previous research on performativity, we set out to explore how boundary conditions determine whether a theory will become self-fulfilling or not. 4/53To analyze these boundary conditions, we start by developin...

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Section: How Feedback Loops Create Self-fulfilling Theoriesmentioning

confidence: 90%

When Do Theories Become Self-Fulfilling? Exploring the Boundary Conditions of Performativity

Marti

Gond

2018

AMR

132

146

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“…In the sample of studies gathered for this meta-analysis, there is a clear focus on financial performance seen as an outcome (dependent variable). This constitutes potentially a limitation, as financial performance could also be seen as an input (Guérard, Langley & Seidl, 2013;Lechner & Gudmundsson, 2012). In our sample, CFP is measured by three broad categories of indicators: (1) stock market value (investor returns); (2) accounting-based indicators (accounting returns); and (3) customer metrics (sales, market share and price premium), as shown in Figure 1.…”

Section: The Approaches Of Corporate Financial Performance Measurementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intellectual Capital and Financial Performance: A Meta-Analysis and Research Agenda

Albertini

Berger-Remy

2019

M@n@gement

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In the post-industrial economy, intellectual capital (IC) in the form of human, structural or relational capital is becoming a crucial factor for a firm's long-term performance, as it constitutes a competitive advantage from the resource-based theory perspective. Previous research led to a fragmented view of IC, as the relationship between IC and corporate financial performance has been mostly studied mobilizing human, structural or relational capital components in isolation. Furthermore, most studies conclude that even though the relationship is positive, it remains at best unclear. Another unsolved issue lies in value capture-namely, who, among various stakeholders, benefits most from the value created by IC. Using a statistical meta-analysis of 75 empirical studies from 1992 to 2017, this research shows that human capital (HC), structural capital (SC) and relational capital (RC) do not influence corporate financial performance to the same extent. This can be explained by the characteristics of IC components in term of ownership, tradability and timespan, and the beneficiary of the value created, being the company, the investor or the customer. This work, then, contributes to an extended view of resource-based theory, mostly by highlighting that some IC components are interrelated in their association with financial performance. Lastly, this research opens new avenues for research in four directions: (1) identification and classification of IC components; (2) understanding of the combination and orchestration of intangible assets; (3) improvement of indicators and measurement systems of IC; and (4) enhancement of the understanding of value creation through narrative means, namely extra-financial disclosure and corporate communication.

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“…The accepted sector-level policy narrative of innovation can be referred to as 'performative' in the sense that it is motivated by a desire to improve the performance of the sector. Performativity in this sense follows Lyotard's (1984) definition whereby knowledge is developed and evaluated on the basis of its ability to increase efficiency (Gond et al 2015, Guérard et al 2013. This latter tendency is perhaps most obvious in the narrative offered by Rethinking Construction (Egan 1996), but the pursuit of efficiency is a similarly strong defining theme of the Farmer (2016) review.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Managerial identity work in action: performative narratives and anecdotal stories of innovation

Sergeeva

Green

2019

Construction Management and Economics

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Innovation is invariably accepted as a central component of construction sector competitiveness. Yet there remains a paucity of empirical research which explores the gap between the way innovation is promoted in the policy discourse and how it is interpreted in practice. We follow the 'narrative turn' in organisation studies to explore the ways in which senior executives in the UK construction sector ascribe themselves with informal roles while advocating the cause of innovation. Empirical data is derived from narrative interviews with 32 senior executives who self-identify as 'innovation champions'. When talking about innovation the respondents were found to oscillate between performative narratives of innovation and more personalised stories derived from their own experience. The narratives were invariably pre-rehearsed often to the point of being monotonous. In contrast, the personalised stories tended to be engaging and emotionally laden. The tendency for senior executives to oscillate between narratives and stories is seen as an important means through which they search for meaning while at the same time legitimising their self-identities as 'innovation champions'. Of particular note is the way in which senior managers self-ascribe themselves with informal roles which are notably at odds with those described in more formalised narratives.

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Rethinking the concept of performance in strategy research: towards a performativity perspective

Cited by 44 publications

References 54 publications

When Do Theories Become Self-Fulfilling? Exploring the Boundary Conditions of Performativity

When Do Theories Become Self-Fulfilling? Exploring the Boundary Conditions of Performativity

Intellectual Capital and Financial Performance: A Meta-Analysis and Research Agenda

Managerial identity work in action: performative narratives and anecdotal stories of innovation

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