Unpacking organizational re-membering

Rhetorical History as Institutional Work

“…As Lyle et al (2021) have shown, leaders of organizations plagued with identity ambiguity may bring together dissenting groups using rhetorical histories that forefront their preferred identity meanings while obscuring different understandings of who they are as an organization. History creates group solidarity by identifying shared aspirational values and narratives, practices, and artefacts of belonging that emphasize how a group's ideals are continuous over historical time (Foster et al, 2020). In this sense the 'character' of an organization represents an accretion of such historical values and ideals in the context of enduring organizations (Selznick, 1957).…”

Organizational Memory Studies

“…Research in this area has multiplied in varieties of fruitful avenues because of the recognition that the past is an important feature of organizational life. For example, some researchers have studied the importance of the past for managerial action and the ability of managers to harness the past for organizational purposes, such as catalysing change, organizational identity and revival (Basque & Langley, 2018; Foster, Coraiola, Quinn-Trank, & Bastien, 2020; Hatch & Schultz, 2017; Oertel & Thommes, 2018; Wadhwani et al, 2018). Others have highlighted the role of diverse stakeholders, such as employees, customers and investors/donors, in shaping organizational memories (Bell & Taylor, 2016; Foroughi, 2020; Ybema, 2014).…”

On the moral side of enterprise

“…Consistent with Selznick's explicit historical perspective on organizational analysis, we extend the research on organizational character by emphasizing the implications of the past on current practices and future actions (Basque & Langley, 2018;Foroughi et al, 2020;Suddaby et al, 2014). Although the existing literature on organizational character is largely ahistorical (for exceptions, see Sasaki et al, 2019), we build on the notion that "the past relates to and embodies the character of an organization" (Foster et al, 2020), and suggest that the process of remembering, embracing and engaging with a problematic past, while challenging, is fundamental to upholding reclaimed values and commitments, and may even be purposefully and strategically harnessed to foster organizational distinctiveness.…”

“…Lawrence & Phillips, 2019) by showing that successfully rebuilding character not only depends on neutralizing organizational policies, practices and narratives that have become perceived as problematic remnants of an undesired organizational self (Pratt & Kraatz, 2009), but also on the use of rhetorical history and the retrieval of latent values and ideals. Importantly, this twofold "character work" is crucial in in recementing support from key constituents (Ansell et al, 2015;Besharov, 2014;Foster et al, 2020). Third, this study provides key insights regarding the enduring impact of an organization's legacy on present organizational life (Eury et al, 2018;Phillips et al, 2019;Suddaby, 2016;Walsh & Glynn, 2008), as collective memories of a problematic past, and its behavioral and evaluative implications, embody fundamental elements of an organization's character and may thus critically shape managerial behavior.…”

“…That is, most organizational institutions have unique historical legacies that are crucial in explaining and understanding aspects of their past, present and future behaviors (Eury et al, 2018;Phillips et al, 2019;Suddaby, 2016;Walsh & Glynn, 2008). Previous research has suggested that adverse, disruptive or traumatic events in an organization's life course are likely to embody formative elements of its character (Birnholtz et al, 2007;Foster et al, 2020;Sasaki et al, 2019). Enlightened by Ravasi et al's (2019Ravasi et al's ( : 1547 assertion that "who we have been [as an organization] in the past is relevant to how we understand who we are in the present", we speculated that legacy, whether negative or positive, represents a fundamental aspect of character and, consequently, has important implications for the evaluation of organizational conduct and managerial decision-making.…”