Acting Strategically During Change: A Process and Dwelling World-view Approach

ABSTRACT Strategic change processes are characterized by high levels of ambiguity and uncertainty. Responding to these changes requires a dynamic approach with a wider set of skills and coping mechanisms. In this article, we argue for a broad focus on change that considers the tacit elements of strategising. We adopted a dwelling worldview as well as a strong process ontology combined with a practice perspective to capture the complexity and richness of a strategic change process with a focus on identity and legitimacy dynamics. This article reports on an emerging process model of how individuals in non-managerial positions respond to and make sense of planned strategic change. The study followed a longitudinal, processual approach using a South African business school as the research setting. The findings of the study contribute towards a deepened understanding of the dynamics that occur within strategic change processes, showing that strategising is a dynamic process involving instinct, adjustment and phronetic action. Understanding how individuals respond, adapt and cope during strategic change processes provides potentially helpful insight into how strategic change is enabled or constrained, which could have future implications on how change processes are designed or implemented. MAD statement The intention of this article is to Make a Difference (MAD) by presenting a dynamic and temporal account of strategic emergence and change within an evolving organizational context, from the perspective of individuals in non-managerial positions. We adopted an oblique approach to uncover the dynamic and subtle nature of identity and legitimacy ‘as-process’, viewing these constructs as unstable and always in ‘becoming’ exposing the tacit elements of strategy during a strategic change process. The emerging process model reconceptualises how agency, process and practice interrelate within a dwelling world-view perspective.