The genre of corporate history

Abstract

Purpose -This paper seeks to identify and define the genre of corporate history within the pervasive historical discourse produced by and about organizations which tells the past of an organization across a multiplicity of texts: published works -commissioned and critical accounts, academic tomes and glossy coffee-table books -as well as web pages, annual reports and promotional pamphlets. Design/methodology/approach -The approach takes the form of systematic reading of historical narratives for 85 mainly British and US companies from the Fortune Global 500. For these companies, a search was carried out for US printed sources in the British Library and a survey was conducted of historical content in web pages. Findings -From extensive reading of the historical discourse, recurrent formal features (medium, authorship, publication, paratext and imagery) and elements of thematic content (narrative, characters, cultural paradigms and business success), which together define the genre of corporate history, have been identified. Such a definition provides competence in the reading of historical narratives of organizations and raises questions regarding the role of history in organizational identity, memory and communication. In conclusion it is argued that the interpretation of corporate history cannot be reduced to its promotional function for organizations.Research limitations/implications -The list of the formal features and thematic content of corporate history detailed here is by no means exhaustive. They are not variables, but signs, which, in various combinations, compose the narrative and signify the genre. Practical implications -It seems likely that coffee-table books will increasingly replace academic commissioned histories, with consultants professionalizing the discourse and formalizing the genre of corporate history. Originality/value -The genre of corporate history has hitherto been neglected in organization theory, where the linguistic turn has led to a preoccupation with talk as text. The use of genre to analyse corporate history represents a textual turn to literary organizational texts as text.

Identifying the Role of Heritage Communication: A Stakeholder-Function Framework

“…This literature shows how firms make substantial efforts to communicate corporate histories to external as well as internal stakeholders (Delahaye et al 2009), going far beyond mere reconstruction of the past. Rather, history is made relevant for the present and the future by depicting it as a good or bad example for future action (Brunninge 2009) or by using it to increase the company's present legitimacy in the marketplace (Delahaye et al 2009). From a strategic perspective, heritage provides an opportunity to maintain sustained competitive advantage as it is both unique and difficult to imitate.…”

Learning to use the past: the development of a rhetorical history strategy by the London headquarters of the Hudson’s Bay Company

“…In other cases, managers exhort members of organizations to resurrect the lost virtues that allegedly existed in the earlier 'golden age' of the organization (Howard-Grenville, Metzger, and Meyer 2013;Ravasi and Phillips 2011). Another important empirical paper on the uses of the past is Delahaye et al (2009), which document the features that are common to most of the corporate histories produced by Anglo-American Fortune Global 500 firms: recurring themes include inspiring 'rags to riches' narratives, a focus on heroic firm founders, and an emphasis on innovation and 'masculinity' (32). As Oertel and Thommes note (2015), the existing research shows that a firm's rhetorical history can be based on either the history of that firm ('micro-level' , as in Rowlinson and Hassard 1993) or 'field-level' history (i.e.…”

“…Foster et al (2011) focus on Tim Horton's use of history to appeal to customers in an increasing competitive market. Delahaye et al (2009) show the nature of the media technologies available to a firm's managers will influence how they communicate historical narratives to internal and external stakeholders.…”

Seizing the Opportunity: Towards a Historiography of Information Systems

“…From a managerial perspective, historical approaches can also help explore differently organisational assets through historical narratives about and by organisations (Brunninge, 2009) -for instance new elements for brand image, original corporate identities, memory, communication (Delahaye et al, 2009), culture (Barney, 1986) or forgotten products or processes (e.g. quality management, see Karsten et al, 2009).…”