Options
Claus Jacobs
Former Member
Title
Prof. Ph.D.
Last Name
Jacobs
First name
Claus
Now showing
1 - 10 of 10
-
PublicationPerforming strategy: analogical reasoning as strategic practiceThe concept of analogical reasoning refers to the successful transfer of structural similarities from a source to a target domain of knowledge. Organizational research focused exclusively on the cognitive aspects of analogical reasoning remains limited however in its capacity to describe the function and effects of analogical reasoning within the organizational contexts where it occurs. This paper extends existing theory of analogical reasoning by drawing on the concept of practice as it has been developed by strategy-as-practice researchers. In particular, we suggest that in addition to cognition, analogical reasoning involves social structuration and embodied performance. By re-framing analogical reasoning as a strategic practice, we provide the emerging field of strategy-as-practice research with a new analytical lens through which to view the micro-level activities associated with strategizing. The paper includes an empirical case to illustrate the theory, and it closes with a discussion of implications for future strategy-as-practice theory and research.Type: journal articleJournal: Scandinavian Journal of ManagementVolume: 24Issue: 2
-
PublicationDeveloping guiding principles: An organizational learning perspectiveGuiding principles are knowledge structures that call to mind collective narratives with emotional content, and are articulated and used heuristically to guide decision-making in organizations. In this paper, we draw on the organizational learning literature to explore how 1) guiding principles become integrated in management teams through discursive processes of social learning, and 2) how process techniques from the realm of organizational learning can be used to facilitate the development of guiding principles. We propose that guiding principle development may be facilitated using process techniques similar to those proposed for integrating organizational learning, namely: dialogical processes involving processes of inquiry, divergence and convergence. We explore our theoretical findings through use of an illustrative case study of guiding principles development in a European telecommunications firm.Type: journal articleJournal: Journal of Organizational Change ManagementVolume: 20Issue: 6
Scopus© Citations 20 -
PublicationPerforming strategy - Analogical reasoning as strategic practiceAnalogical reasoning refers to the successful transfer of structural similarities from a source to a target domain. In strategic management research, this concept has materialized in approaches such as strategic mapping. Yet, the concept and its application seem to have emphasized primarily the cognitive aspects of analogical reasoning. Bourdieu's concept of practice allows us to explore analogical reasoning in a more integral manner, i.e., by presenting embodied aspects of analogical reasoning as complementary to the cognitive aspects, and equally relevant for strategic organizational development processes. Thus, we conceptualize analogical reasoning as a practice of strategy and illustrate this concept with an empirical case.Type: journal articleJournal: Academy of Management Best Paper ProceedingsIssue: 2006
-
PublicationFrom metaphor to practice in the crafting of strategyThis article explores how the link between the hand and the mind might be exploited in the making of strategy. Using Mintzberg's image of a potter undergoing iterative and recursive learning and knowledge-building processes as a point of departure, the authors develop a three-level theoretical schema, progressing from the physiological to the psychological to the social to trace the consequences of the hand-mind link. To illustrate their theoretical schema, the authors present an illustration case of managers froma large telecommunications firm experimenting with a process for strategy making in which they actively use their hands to construct representations of their organization and its environment. The authors conclude that new and potent forms of strategy making might be attained if the fundamental human experience of using one's hands is put in the service of all kinds of organizational learning.Type: journal articleJournal: Journal of Management InquiryVolume: 14Issue: 1
Scopus© Citations 66 -
PublicationThe Serious Business of PlayMost managers see strategy development as serious business. It is ironic, then, that some of the most remarkable strategic breakthroughs in organizations emerge not from well-ordered processes but from messy, ambiguous and sometimes irrational activities - pursuits that can best be described as play. Referring to research in the fields of developmental psychology and anthropology, the authors argue that play can stimulate the development of cognitive, interpretive skills and engender an emotional sense of fulfillment. It can help establish a safe environment for introducing new ideas about market opportunities, generating debate about important strategic issues, challenging old assumptions and building a sense of common purpose. The authors draw on their own experiences working with managers at the Imagination Lab Foundation and Templeton College, Oxford University, and they make sure to point out that play is no substitute for rational, conventional strategy development. Indeed, after the creative sessions are over, plenty of hard work remains to translate the ideas and insights into processes and actions.Type: journal articleJournal: MIT Sloan Management ReviewVolume: 47Issue: 1
-
PublicationAnswers for questions to come - Reflective dialogue as an enabler for strategic innovationThis paper conceptualizes and theorizes dialogue's diagnostic as well as generative functions for strategic innovation and organizational change. Strategic innovation requires shifts in existing mental models of organizational actors that underlie the overall strategy paradigm of a firm. Dialogue as a form of reflective conversation enables actors to alter managers' mental models through conscious, critical exploration. A conceptual framework introduces reflective dialogue, as a crucial processual element for encouraging shifts in mental maps and as a necessary, but not sufficient condition for strategy innovation. The paper provides an analytical framework for enhancing understanding of the emergent processes of strategic innovation, and for studying shifts in organizational actors' mental models. It provides organizational change agents and strategists with perspectives and frameworks for appreciating and fostering reflective dialogue in the context of strategic thinking and innovation. The paper presents the concept of reflective dialogue and associated frameworks link micro-levels and macro-levels of strategy innovation and address critical process elements.Type: journal articleJournal: Journal of Organizational Change ManagementVolume: 18Issue: 4
Scopus© Citations 69 -
PublicationFrom metaphor to practice in the crafting of strategy(Cambridge University Press, 2007)
-
Publication"Learning through Listening": Conversations for Strategic Change in a Healtcare ProviderThe aim of this paper is investigate the role of conversation in strategic change so as to enhance both theory and practice in this respect. As an investigation on how conversations shape change processes in practice, we reflect on an interpretive case study in a health care organization. Through an OD project complemented by semi-structured interviews with participants, we gained a set of data and experiences that allows us to inquire into the relationship between conversations and change in more depth.Type: book section
-
-