General Strategy Concepts and the Ecology of Strategy Discourses: A Systemic-Discursive Perspective

Abstract

Drawing on Wittgenstein, Lyotard and Luhmann the article develops a systemic-discursive perspective on the field of strategy and the respective role of general strategy concepts. The perspective suggests that the field of strategy should not be conceptualized as a unified field but rather as fragmented into a multitude of autonomous discourses. Owing to their autonomy, no transfer of strategy concepts across different discourses is possible. Instead, every single strategy discourse can merely construct its own discourse-specific concepts. Different discourses, however, draw on the same strategy labels, which leads to 'productive misunderstandings' (Teubner). On the basis of the particular perspective advanced here, the entire field of strategy is re-described as an ecology of strategy discourses.

Estratégia como prática social: sistematização das definições e conceitos

“…A estratégia como prática também enfatiza associações entre as perspectivas micro e macro (JARZABKOWSKI, 2004;WHITTINGTON, 2006). Assim, a pesquisa nesse campo pode explicar resultados que são consequentes para a empresa em todos os níveis, desde os menores detalhes do comportamento humano até os níveis institucionais mais amplos, a depender do foco do estudo (JARZABKOWSKI, BALOGUN;SEIDL, 2007). A questão das associações entre micro e macro surgiu porque a agenda de pesquisa de estratégia como prática tem se preocupado em grande parte com o estudo de praticantes, práticas e práxis como microfenômenos (JARZABKOWSKI; SPEE, 2009).…”

“…Tal afirmação implica dizer que uma organização consiste em inter-relações entre práticas e ordens materiais. Assim, entende-se que as práticas são caracterizadas como ferramentas sociais, simbólicas e materiais por meio das quais a estratégia é realizada (JARZABKOWSKI; SPEE, 2009 De acordo com Jarzabkowski, Balogun e Seidl (2007), o uso das práticas está intrinsecamente relacionado ao strategizing porque elas fornecem os recursos comportamentais, cognitivos, processuais, discursivos e físicos por meio dos quais múltiplos atores são capazes de interagir para realizar socialmente a atividade coletiva. Além disso, os estudiosos de estratégia como prática percebem a natureza incorporada e institucionalizada das práticas que fornecem compreensão compartilhada de como fazer estratégia (JARZABKOWSKI, 2004;CHIA;HOLT, 2007;SEIDL 2007;WHITTINGTON, 2008).…”

Environmental strategy as social practice in a forest-based enterprise: a descriptive study

“…They also proposed that complex thinking can be embodied in their theories about the implementation of a strategy (Balogun & Johnson, 2004Laine & Vaara, 2007;Regnér, 2008;Seidl, 2007). have advocated a strategic approach as a social practice that considers the praxis, the practice and the practitioners.…”

“…They concern organizational entities that act as intermediaries between structures and actions or everyday events; they may include spatial-temporal signals, discourses, different kinds of awareness, conflicts, symbolic production, actions, types of knowledge, tools, methods of work and objects. For theorists, practice is intrinsically linked to organizational reality because it supplies the physical, rational, instrumental, cognitive and behavioral resources required for the collective development of an organization's reality Jarzabkowski & Seidl, 2008;Laine & Vaara, 2007;Regnér, 2008;Seidl. 2007).…”

Möglichkeiten der Steuerung des Beraters durch den Klienten

“…Eines dieser wenigen Beispiele stellt dar, wie Klienten eine "consulting scorecard" zur Analyse der investierten Beraterhonorare einsetzen können (Phillips 2000). Ein anderes Beispiel ist die Etablierung einer so genannten "consulting infobase", die darauf zielt, die interne Beraterlandschaft der Klientenunternehmen zu systematisieren (Mohe et al 2006 "Managing the consultantship process is not a mysterious art" (Rehfuss 1979, S. 214 (Seidl 2007). Anstatt eines Transfers von Bedeutungen finden wir nur mehr oder weniger "produktive Missverständnisse" (Teubner 1998 Beraters darin "to disturb existing patterns and structures that have become an obstacle to tomorrow's excellence" (Clegg et al 2004, S. 36 …”