Strategy as Practice : An Activity-Based Approach

by Paula Jarzabkowski

• ISBN13: 9780761944386
• ISBN10: 0761944389
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-10-03
• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd

Summary

Strategy as Practice heralds a defining moment in how strategic management is understood. Paula Jarzabkowski's book leads the way in setting out the meaning and implications of this new field. This book is the first of its kind to help readers bridge the gap between what managers actually do and organizational strategies. It provides an activity-based framework for studying strategy as practice, with empirical evidence to illustrate the dynamics of this framework in real terms. The book supports readers with: - Definition of key terms - The context in which strategy as practice has developed - Clear concepts, frameworks and models for analyzing strategic activity "This is a pioneering work. As the first book in the new strategy-as-practice field, it offers its readers both innovative models and exemplary field research. It should be a rich source of inspiration for future researchers in the field." -- Richard Whittington, Said Business School, University of Oxford, U.K. This book is indispensable reading for graduate students conducting research or doing courses on Strategy and Practice, Strategy Implementation or Strategy in Action as well as Advanced Issues in Strategy. This book will be a resource for both students and professionals alike.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables	ix
List of Quick Reference Guides	x
List of Exhibits	xi
Acknowledgements	xii
Introduction. Strategy as Practice: A New Perspective	1	(16)
Strategy as practice in relation to other fields of strategy research	2	(5)
Introducing the strategy as practice research agenda	7	(3)
The activity-based view of strategy as practice	10	(3)
Aims of this book	13	(1)
How to read this book	13	(4)
PART I: DEFINING AND THEORETICALLY LOCATING AN ACTIVITY-BASED VIEW	17	(50)
1 Core Social Theory. Themes in Strategy as Practice	19	(20)
Strategy is situated activity	21	(3)
Becoming: strategic activity is continuously under construction	24	(3)
Distributed and collective strategic activity	27	(2)
Strategizing: managerial agency as practical-evaluative wisdom	29	(5)
An analytic framework for studying strategic activity	34	(3)
Conclusion: points to take forward	37	(2)
2 Locating Activity in the Strategy Literature	39	(28)
Analytic definitions for an activity-based study of strategy as practice	40	(3)
Locating the activity framework in the strategy literature	43	(7)
Localized practices: procedural and interactive strategizing	50	(9)
Strategizing, activity system dynamics and goal-directed activity	59	(5)
Conclusion: points to take forward	64	(3)
PART II: SHAPING STRATEGIC ACTIVITY IN PRACTICE	67	(84)
3 Establishing the Research Context	69	(12)
Doing strategy research in the university context	70	(2)
Universities are not alone: contexts with similar characteristics	72	(2)
Overview of the cases and the research method	74	(6)
Conclusion: points to take forward	80	(1)
4 Implications of Procedural and Interactive Strategizing	81	(20)
The purpose and problems of procedural strategizing	82	(10)
The purpose and problems of interactive strategizing	92	(7)
Conclusion: points to take forward	99	(2)
5 Shaping Strategy and the Strategizing Matrix	101	(32)
The strategizing matrix and activity system dynamics	102	(6)
The strategizing matrix and shaping strategy over time	108	(22)
Conclusion: points to take forward	130	(3)
6 Multiple Strategies Shape Each Other	133	(18)
The core activity	134	(5)
Coexistence: establishing a relationship with the core activity	139	(8)
Conclusion: points to take forward	147	(4)
PART III: THEORIZING AN ACTIVITY-BASED VIEW OF STRATEGY AS PRACTICE	151	(32)
7 Developing a Strategizing Framework	153	(21)
Procedural and interactive strategizing and forms of legitimacy	154	(6)
Types of strategizing and patterns of activity	160	(9)
Relationships between multiple streams of activity	169	(2)
Conclusion: a strategizing framework to take forward	171	(3)
8 Taking the Research Agenda Forward	174	(9)
Practical implications of the research	174	(2)
New avenues for research	176	(4)
Next steps for strategy as practice research	180	(3)
Appendix: Research Method	183	(6)
References	189	(12)
Index	201