BREAKING ORGANIZATIONAL PATHS FOR STRATEGIC RENEWAL: TOWARDS A DIALECTICAL PERSPECTIVE

IF 7.4 2区管理学 Q1 BUSINESS

Long Range Planning Pub Date : 2025-06-13 DOI:10.1016/j.lrp.2025.102560

Catherine Archambault Janvier, Wim Van Lent, Jörg Sydow

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Strategic renewal is key to organizations’ long-term success, but may be difficult to achieve if they are locked into a particular action path. Unfortunately, breaking organizational paths remains somewhat elusive due to a binary opposition in the strategic renewal literature between path breaking and path dependence, which hampers more complex process theorization. Asking what roles path breaking and path dependence exactly play in strategic renewal, we perform an in-depth case study of path-breaking interventions at fashion retailer Kiabi. This firm gradually moved from a path of disintegrative to integrative collaborative alignment between departments, whereby adaptive expectations regarding others’ willingness to collaborate gradually improved. Chiefly, we find that strategic renewal is a function of two concurrent dialectics: 1) between path-breaking interventions and relapses into old path-dependent tendencies; and 2) between initiatives by upper management and their firm-wide implementation. We contribute to the literature by demonstrating that organizational path dependence, through managerial reflection and action, can be integral to path breaking, and, more broadly, strategic renewal. Furthermore, we extend common notions of managerial agency in path breaking by highlighting the involvement of various hierarchical layers, while, paradoxically, we relax the strong assumption of managerial agency that exists in studies on open strategy.

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打破组织路径实现战略更新：辩证视角

战略更新是组织长期成功的关键，但如果他们被锁定在一个特定的行动路径上，可能很难实现。不幸的是，由于战略更新文献中路径突破和路径依赖之间的二元对立，打破组织路径仍然有些难以捉摸，这阻碍了更复杂的过程理论化。为了探究路径突破和路径依赖在战略更新中究竟扮演着什么角色，我们对时尚零售商Kiabi的突破性干预进行了深入的案例研究。该公司逐渐从分裂的路径转向部门之间的整合协作对齐，从而对他人合作意愿的适应性期望逐渐提高。主要地，我们发现战略更新是两种同时发生的辩证法的函数：1)在突破性干预和回归旧有的路径依赖倾向之间；2)高层管理人员的倡议与公司范围内的实施之间的关系。我们通过证明组织路径依赖，通过管理反思和行动，可以成为路径突破的一部分，更广泛地说，是战略更新的一部分，从而为文献做出了贡献。此外，我们通过强调不同层次的参与来扩展管理代理在路径突破中的常见概念，而矛盾的是，我们放松了开放战略研究中存在的管理代理的强假设。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Long Range Planning Multiple-

CiteScore

13.00

自引率

7.10%

发文量

期刊介绍： Long Range Planning (LRP) is an internationally renowned journal specializing in the field of strategic management. Since its establishment in 1968, the journal has consistently published original research, garnering a strong reputation among academics. LRP actively encourages the submission of articles that involve empirical research and theoretical perspectives, including studies that provide critical assessments and analysis of the current state of knowledge in crucial strategic areas. The primary user base of LRP primarily comprises individuals from academic backgrounds, with the journal playing a dual role within this community. Firstly, it serves as a platform for the dissemination of research findings among academic researchers. Secondly, it serves as a channel for the transmission of ideas that can be effectively utilized in educational settings. The articles published in LRP cater to a diverse audience, including practicing managers and students in professional programs. While some articles may focus on practical applications, others may primarily target academic researchers. LRP adopts an inclusive approach to empirical research, accepting studies that draw on various methodologies such as primary survey data, archival data, case studies, and recognized approaches to data collection.