The Grand Challenge of Corporate Control: Opening strategy to the normative pressures of networked professionals

Whittington, Richard; Yakis‐Douglas, Basak

doi:10.1177/2631787720969697

Cited by 29 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…Furthermore, with its interest in the distributed nature of strategy work, SAP research is in a particularly strong position to expose various informal and implicit governance mechanism, whereas corporate governance research to date has focused on the formal and explicit ones. An example of the kind of insights such work might offer is Whittington and Yakis-Douglas’ (2020: 3) explanation of how ‘unmanaged forms of openness’, such as unintended information leaks, together with the normative pressure of globally networked professionals, help control powerful organizations.…”

Section: Where Is Sap Heading? the Contours Of An Emerging New Phase ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

From germination to propagation: Two decades of Strategy-as-Practice research and potential future directions

2022

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Over the last two decades, Strategy as Practice (SAP) has developed from an embryonic, fringe perspective on strategy to a consolidated field of strategy research. The 2007 special issue of Human Relations on ‘Strategizing: The challenges of a practice perspective’ played a pivotal role in bringing this field to fruition. Reflecting on the broad SAP aim to ‘let a thousand flowers bloom’, we employ a plant-based metaphor, to distinguish three phases in the development of SAP, each associated with different types of agenda work. In an initial Germination Phase, scholars did agenda-seeking work of establishing new concepts and differentiating SAP from other fields of strategy research. A Blossoming Phase of agenda-setting work followed, establishing a community of scholars and articles that identified as SAP, and establishing and defending the boundaries of the new field. As the field became established, it entered a Harvesting Phase, characterized by agenda-confirming work of using SAP lenses to explain core strategy and organization. Based on these reflections, and considering the many public critiques of SAP, we note that the field appears to be in transition to a new Propagating Phase that offers exciting potential to cross-pollinate within the SAP field and across other areas.

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Section: Where Is Sap Heading? the Contours Of An Emerging New Phase ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

From germination to propagation: Two decades of Strategy-as-Practice research and potential future directions

2022

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“…Discussion and future research Scholars have been increasingly calling for greater attention to the problem of deterring CSI (Buckley, 2018a;Whittington and Yakis-Douglas, 2020). Some researchers have simplistically attributed CSI to MNE malevolence (Bakan, 2005), rather than emerging as a consequence of institutional complexity.…”

Section: Mbr 293mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Accusations of irresponsible MNE behavior include the working conditions violations at the fashion brand Boohoo in the UK, the abuse of market power by Facebook in Australia, and very recently, the opioid crisis in the United States, which has, so far, led to several large multinational pharmaceutical companies -as well as the consulting giant McKinsey -settling litigation charges in connection with business malpractice which contributed to nearly 50,000 opioid overdose fatalities in the U.S. in 2019 (drugabuse.gov, 2021). Yet, despite the often complex, severe and urgent nature of CSI (Buckley et al, 2017;Whittington and Yakis-Douglas, 2020), IB research has mainly drawn on a set of implicit assumptions about the CSI construct, rather than developing a precise definition. Such assumptions concerning CSI have been predominantly informed by an international business (IB) policy perspective, which typically focuses on how instances of CSI can be detrimental to MNE performance; as institutions, through litigation and regulatory sanctions, are expected to 'step-in' to penalize MNEs following their irresponsible behavior (Buckley, 2018b;Buckley and Casson, 1976;Karpoff, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Yet, despite the often complex, severe and urgent nature of CSI (Buckley et al, 2017;Whittington and Yakis-Douglas, 2020), IB research has mainly drawn on a set of implicit assumptions about the CSI construct, rather than developing a precise definition. Such assumptions concerning CSI have been predominantly informed by an international business (IB) policy perspective, which typically focuses on how instances of CSI can be detrimental to MNE performance; as institutions, through litigation and regulatory sanctions, are expected to "step-in" to penalize MNEs following their irresponsible behavior (Buckley, 2018b;Buckley and Casson, 1976;Karpoff, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Defining and deterring corporate social irresponsibility: embracing the institutional complexity of international business

Brammer

Nardella

Surdu

2021

MBR

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Purpose This paper aims to put forward a definition of corporate social irresponsibility (CSI) which is relevant to the study of complex organizations and in particular, the multinational enterprise (MNE). This paper then offers a framework as a foundation to discuss the institutional complexity of CSI to aid international business (IB) scholars, practitioners and policymakers achieve a clearer understanding of the mechanisms that may penalize and subsequently deter MNE irresponsibility. Design/methodology/approach In presenting the approaches taken by social regulation researchers and IB policy scholars to understand MNE irresponsibility, this paper proposes a definition of CSI and explicates the various mechanisms associated with deterring MNEs from behaving irresponsibly. Findings Therefore, how can MNEs be deterred from behaving irresponsibly? To further the research agenda concerning CSI in IB, far less common are a definition of CSI relevant to the complex IB context; and a framework that explicates both the legal and social components of CSI, particularly as they unfold in a complex, diverse and often divergent institutional landscape. Overcoming these two primary obstacles is important because when complexities associated with CSI emerge, researchers need to be able to ascertain and expound upon what they are observing so that comparisons can be made and more MNE CSI research can be accrued over time. Research limitations/implications To help the development of future research, we offered a more precise definition of CSI, one which is more relevant to the study of the MNE and the complex contemporary IB environment. By embracing complexities, this paper also outlines an institutional complexity approach, one which highlights both the role of formal and informal regulatory institutions. Though IB has traditionally focused on the role of formal regulation, there is much more to be unearthed by exploring the additional and concurrent influence of social regulatory institutions. Practical implications There is a high level of heterogeneity in the motivations and modes used by MNEs to enter international markets, which likely influence efforts made by these firms to adapt to different types of formal and social institutional pressures. When firms invest significantly in a market, they have a greater economic dependence in that market and institutions have a greater opportunity to exert pressures. For instance, foreign direct investment requires a higher level of (longer-term) commitment, transfer of capital, exchange of expertise and learning, meaning that firms depend much more on local authorities to perform in the market and accomplish their goals. Social implications Enabled by new technologies and, particularly, social media platforms, stakeholders can now engage in organized forms of regulatory activities, as is evident in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, black lives matter and gender equality social activist movements. Through prominent collective actions, the impacts of globally organized social movements may be increasingly non-location bound, placing MNE managers at the heart of new challenges and opportunities to engage with global stakeholders. Infomediaries such as the press, have always been of historical importance, due to their role in shaping stakeholder expectations and opinions of the firm and thus, the reputation and legitimacy of that firm. Originality/value This study enriches the understanding of what CSI is, why we are likely to observe it in practice and how it affects MNEs. This paper offers a definition of CSI that is sufficiently nuanced to capture the complexity of the contemporary IB environment, as well as a framework that, this paper proposes, presents a clearer understanding of the institutional mechanisms that may deter MNEs from behaving irresponsibly. By encouraging scholars to examine the institutional complexity of MNE CSI, the paper hopes to contribute toward building a bridge which connects the IB policy and social regulation research streams.

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“…(Massey, 2005, p. 11) The argument about openness/closure […] should not be posed in terms of abstract spatial forms but in terms of the social relations through which the spaces and that openness and closure are constructed […] (Massey, 2005, p. 165) Recent research has shown open strategy to be a multifaceted and highly dynamic phenomenon (Seidl, von Krogh, & Whittington, 2019) highlighting that openness in strategizing also entails closure (Dobusch, Dobusch, & Müller-Seitz, 2019). Focusing on the two dimensions of openness, namely transparency and inclusion (Hautz, Seidl, & Whittington, 2017;Whittington, Cailluet, & Yakis-Douglas, 2011) research has already examined the dynamics of openness in terms of who should be included or excluded in the strategy process at the organizational (Mack & Szulanski, 2017;Vaara, Rantakari, & Holstein, 2019) and inter-organizational level (Seidl & Werle, 2018); what kind of information should be shared and to what extent (Malhotra, Majchrzak, & Niemiec, 2017); and how openness can be promoted or impeded (Whittington & Yakis-Douglas, 2020). However, the question of 'where' has gained less attention and left the role of organizational space untheorized in open strategy research.…”

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confidence: 99%

Space and the Dynamic Between Openness and Closure: Open strategizing in the TV series Borgen

Holstein

Rantakari

2022

Organization Studies

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In this paper we examine how the use of space shapes the dynamic between openness and closure in open strategizing. To do this, we draw from research that has defined organizational space as a process that is both a social product and produces social relations. We analyzed the use of space in open strategizing in the Danish TV series and political drama ‘Borgen’. In our analysis we focused on three building blocks of space: boundaries, distance, and movement that allowed us to elaborate how the dynamic between openness and closure is shaped. Drawing on our analysis, we revealed three spatial features – physical visibility, strategizing artefacts, discursive designation – that play a role in the dynamic between openness and closure in strategizing. We constructed a conceptual framework that shows how these spatial features, and their different combinations are associated with pivots between openness and closure. Thus, our findings advance prior open strategy research by providing potential explanations of why openness turns to closure, despite the attempts to keep the strategizing process open. We argue that taking space seriously provides a more nuanced understanding to some of the contingencies and possibilities related to the dynamics of openness and closure in strategizing.

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The Grand Challenge of Corporate Control: Opening strategy to the normative pressures of networked professionals

Cited by 29 publications

References 74 publications

From germination to propagation: Two decades of Strategy-as-Practice research and potential future directions

From germination to propagation: Two decades of Strategy-as-Practice research and potential future directions

Defining and deterring corporate social irresponsibility: embracing the institutional complexity of international business

Space and the Dynamic Between Openness and Closure: Open strategizing in the TV series Borgen

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