Svante Leijon and Arne Söderbom
The purpose of this research paper is to contribute to strategy theory by differentiating different types of top management narratives and trying to understand the interplay…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research paper is to contribute to strategy theory by differentiating different types of top management narratives and trying to understand the interplay between them as well as the dynamics over time.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was designed from an interpretative narrative approach. Narratives were produced from deep interviews and organisational documents covering a period of more than 25 years.
Findings
Two kinds of narratives were detected – builders and cleaners. The builders' narratives illustrate how personal life‐stories are embedded in the strategic development processes but the cleaners' narratives are organisational stories without personal life‐stories and cover no actual development. The concept meta‐narrative helped to understand strategic changes over time and was embedded in the myth‐periods involved. The meta‐narrative identified was built on an idea of a going concern and on the role to produce physical large objects for long‐term use.
Research limitations/implications
Owing to the longitudinal design of the study a cyclical pattern with related managerial narratives were produced. The dichotomy builders and cleaners could be developed studying other longitudinal business strategies and also by connections to meta‐narratives derived from more general economic theories.
Practical implications
Builders and cleaners focus on either business or organisational/financial aspects but neither of both. Awareness of this, learning strategic management requires co‐operation between different actors.
Originality/value
The longitudinal design describes and analyzes a cyclical pattern of managerial patterns, while other studies based on narratives cover more limited organisational events in time and space.
Details
Keywords
Ingmari Cantzler and Svante Leijon
The purpose of this article is to see how women who run their own businesses create and hold together teams within their companies.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to see how women who run their own businesses create and hold together teams within their companies.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study was conducted and interviews were carried out with four female owners of small‐businesses. Interviews were also conducted with their employees and their customers. The field research resulted in a categorization of the four businesses we studied.
Findings
Only one of the companies succeeded in creating a genuine team, the category that we call the “friends”. It took them a long time to achieve, which is rarely mentioned in literature on this topic. Creating mutual concepts is a complicated process. The other categories are called “circle of acquaintances”, the “family” and the “colleagues”. The circle of acquaintances had not succeeded in creating a team amid the turbulence they work within, while the family is not prepared to take the time that is needed to create a team. A process has been started for the staff in the colleagues category aimed at creating a team once they have understood the importance of good internal relations.
Practical implications
In practice it takes time to build team‐based working methods in small businesses. Employees require training but many small business owners don't think they have time for it.
Originality/value
The more collective methods that characterize the friends category are not normally the subject of research into small businesses where focus is usually on the owner of the company. The working methods at this company were more collective than usual and this is not commonly seen in research into this area.
Details
Keywords
Ingmari Cantzler and Svante Leijon
The purpose of this study is to understand how women as small‐business owners build good internal and external relations and to what extent they develop their businesses and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to understand how women as small‐business owners build good internal and external relations and to what extent they develop their businesses and contribute to community development.
Design/methodology/approach
This longitudinal study is ongoing. In the first broader study, personal interviews were made with 30 women business owners. To get a deeper understanding a case study was carried out with four of them. The result of this study was a typology with two categories.
Findings
The paper finds that the category Visionary entrepreneurs are genuine entrepreneurs and they work in teams within the company and also have a network around their business. The team‐oriented way of working develops their business as well as society. The dynamic process that supports the team is both stable and flexible and through openness, testing new ideas and discrediting habits, small changes take place all the time. The Visionary entrepreneurs represent a modern business role and are socially gifted. The Managing leaders, the other category representing a more traditional way of doing business, have not been able to create a team within the company or a network around it that could develop the business.
Practical implications
Modern business management is characterised by a team‐based way of working. Building relations with customers, partners and employees takes time and much effort and you have to meet and communicate.
Originality/value
The internal team in a small business, or a network that is team‐oriented, is not often the subject of research. The team‐oriented working method, supported by a dynamic process, develops the business and helps to renew society.