Theorising narrative in business history

Mordhorst, Mads; Schwarzkopf, Stefan

doi:10.1080/00076791.2017.1357697

Cited by 47 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Those leaders with knowledge of historical events and figures could draw on these analogies as a guide for decision-making in the present. From this perspective, history was understood not primarily as a representation of the past, but rather as a rhetorical and didactical tool that provided relevant, useful, and applicable plots and morals that could serve strategic purposes in the present (Grethlein, 2011; Rüsen, 1987; Mordhorst & Schwarzkopf, 2017).…”

Section: Back To the Futurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although organizational researchers have been attentive to analyzing the content of historical representations and the processes by which the past is evoked in studying the performative power of history in organizing, less attention has been paid to the crucial issue of the form in which history is represented (but see Hansen, 2012b and Dalpiaz & di Stefano, 2018 for notable exceptions). White (1987), Carr (1991), and a handful of other philosophers and historians (see Hansen, 2012; Mordhorst, 2008; Mordhorst & Schwarzkopf, 2017; Roberts, 2001) have highlighted the importance of form, and particularly of narrative structure—a beginning in which a central problem arises, a middle in which the tension grows and struggles play out, and an end where they are resolved—in shaping the relationship between past, present, and future that historical representations convey. This work has brought attention to the role of form in the representation of the past by academic historians (White, 1973) and in the construction of reality by everyday actors (Carr, 1991), and there is a valuable opportunity in linking this work to the burgeoning research on “temporal structures” in organizations (Hernes, 2014; Kaplan & Orlikowski, 2013).…”

Section: New Frontiers Of the Pastmentioning

confidence: 99%

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History as Organizing: Uses of the Past in Organization Studies

Wadhwani¹,

Suddaby

Mordhorst³

et al. 2018

Organization Studies

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118

120

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Research on the “uses of the past” in organizations and organizing is flourishing. This introduction reviews this approach to integrating history into organization studies and explores its paths forward. We begin by examining the intellectual origins of the approach and by defining why and how it matters to the study of management and organizations. Specifically, we emphasize the performative role of history in making and unmaking organizational orders. Next, we elaborate on how the articles in the special issue demonstrate the uses of the past in shaping organizational identity, strategy, and power. We also highlight how this work contributes to our understanding of the socially embedded character of history in organizations by accounting for the role of materiality, intertextuality, competing narratives, practices, and audiences in how the past is used. We conclude by considering four research frontiers particularly worthy of further exploration—the influence of temporal form, the role of non-rational knowledge, the range of methods, and the integration of ethics—in studies of the uses of the past in organizations.

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Section: Back To the Futurementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: New Frontiers Of the Pastmentioning

confidence: 99%

History as Organizing: Uses of the Past in Organization Studies

Wadhwani¹,

Suddaby

Mordhorst³

et al. 2018

Organization Studies

Self Cite

118

120

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…White (1973, 1985) provides a historical description of the many modes of emplotment on offer to configure past events into a narrative form, many of which are grounded in epistemologies and ontologies informed by the left or traditions of the post. The goal is to theorize historical narrative (Mordhorst and Schwarzkopf, 2017; Rowlinson et al, 2014b) to expose that ‘narratives are necessarily emplotted in a way that life is not’ (Trouillot, 1995: 6) and counter potential instances of ‘narrative imperialism’ (Maclean et al, 2017: 1218). What using alternative modes of emplotment and theorizing narrative teaches us is that the past configured as history can always be otherwise if only due to our shifting choice of emplotment or our ever-changing present vantage point which frames how and what we see of the past (Rowlinson et al, 2014a).…”

Section: Denaturalizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing critical organizational history: Context, practice and implications

2019

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Historical research now has a relatively high profile in organization studies, and organization theories are better represented in business history, thanks to increased interdisciplinary dialogue over the last decade. It might therefore be that the ‘historic turn’ has materialized in organization studies, and that business history has become significantly more conceptual in nature. We argue, however, that in terms of the original definition of the historic turn, as a rejection of scientism, acceptance of more heterogeneous forms of history, and reflexive accounts of the social construction of historicized narratives, there has been little progress. We revisit the idea of the turn in depth here, to examine the ways of doing history that might encourage a more substantial turn towards theory and towards history as a means of developing it. In particular, we suggest that an approach we term ‘critical organizational history’ remains underdeveloped, as a theoretically informed historicized approach to understanding how and why we come to be where we are in contemporary organized societies. Our aim is to take stock of the historic turn’s progress, reminding critically oriented organizational scholars and practitioners of organizational history of the importance of completing the turn with the underlying purpose of critique. To do this, we surface seven aspects of practice and three implications of them that demonstrate the underside of theorizing historically that we suggest are central to critical analysis. Understood and practised collectively, these could provoke considerable more critical organizational history to the benefit of all.

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“…Hansen (2012, p. 715) argues that greater insights from historical analysis could be gained by more explicit focus on meaning, values and perceptions because they play an important role in business decisions and actions. Mordhorst and Schwarskopf (2019, p. 1168) argue that by analysing the nature of the narratives and their construction within organisations deeper understandings can be gained into how the past shapes the present and future. Narratives are seen as a means of constructing organisational culture and collective identities (Hansen, 2012, p. 697).…”

Section: The Emergence Of a Business History Traditionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reflections on the Business History Tradition: Where has it Come from and Where is it Going to?

Keneley

2020

Aust Econ Hist Rev

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The question of what constitutes the discipline of business history has been the focus of ongoing debate for several decades. The output of business history researchers is diverse ranging from company histories to the application of theoretical frameworks used to interpret the many facets of business development. This article, in introducing this special edition of the Australian Economic History Review, provides an overview of the development of the business history discipline and the contribution it has made to understanding the operation of business enterprises and the markets in which they operate.

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Theorising narrative in business history

Cited by 47 publications

References 52 publications

History as Organizing: Uses of the Past in Organization Studies

History as Organizing: Uses of the Past in Organization Studies

Developing critical organizational history: Context, practice and implications

Reflections on the Business History Tradition: Where has it Come from and Where is it Going to?

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