Ambidextrous Strategy, Organizational Identity and Leadership: Towards a Leadership Theory of Identity-Strategy Realignment
Type
doctoral thesis
Date Issued
2021-09-20
Author(s)
Schneider, Jan-Laurenz
Abstract
In times of substantial economic, technological, and societal change, incumbent organizations are continuously confronted with ever-changing market conditions. In order to ensure long-term survival, well-established organizations increasingly execute strategic renewal activities. Changes in the strategic direction of an organization also involve important implications for an organizations identity. In fact, organizational identity acts as a guidepost for organizational action. Hence, so-called identity-challenging strategies require a simultaneous shift in an organizations identity to become effective. This dissertation sets out to explore what I term the identity-strategy realignment process. Following an identity-challenging strategic move, incumbent organizations and their leaders are expected to realign organizational identity with the revised strategy. To date, this specific type of identity change has not been investigated. Similarly, it has not been specified which role organizational leaders play in managing the realignment of organizational identity and strategy. By conducting an inductive, qualitative case study at a European manufacturer of light commercial vehicles, I explored this research gap in-depth. In fact, a comprehensive model of the identity-strategy realignment process emerged from the collected data. Besides multiple other relevant insights, the results particularly highlight the importance of identity polarization in the context of the identity-strategy realignment process. The qualitative study further revealed the significance of organizational leadership responses and direct leadership practices in this context. A subsequently executed quantitative study confirmed the qualitative findings by revealing that direct leadership practices, in particular participative leadership, strongly support the identity-strategy realignment process. Ultimately, the insights of this research study extend existing theoretical knowledge on the phenomenon of identity-strategy misalignment and deepen the understanding of the role of organizational leaders in strategy-driven identity change.
Abstract (De)
In times of substantial economic, technological, and societal change, incumbent organizations are continuously confronted with ever-changing market conditions. In order to ensure long-term survival, well-established organizations increasingly execute strategic renewal activities. Changes in the strategic direction of an organization also involve important implications for an organizations identity. In fact, organizational identity acts as a guidepost for organizational action. Hence, so-called identity-challenging strategies require a simultaneous shift in an organizations identity to become effective. This dissertation sets out to explore what I term the identity-strategy realignment process. Following an identity-challenging strategic move, incumbent organizations and their leaders are expected to realign organizational identity with the revised strategy. To date, this specific type of identity change has not been investigated. Similarly, it has not been specified which role organizational leaders play in managing the realignment of organizational identity and strategy. By conducting an inductive, qualitative case study at a European manufacturer of light commercial vehicles, I explored this research gap in-depth. In fact, a comprehensive model of the identity-strategy realignment process emerged from the collected data. Besides multiple other relevant insights, the results particularly highlight the importance of identity polarization in the context of the identity-strategy realignment process. The qualitative study further revealed the significance of organizational leadership responses and direct leadership practices in this context. A subsequently executed quantitative study confirmed the qualitative findings by revealing that direct leadership practices, in particular participative leadership, strongly support the identity-strategy realignment process. Ultimately, the insights of this research study extend existing theoretical knowledge on the phenomenon of identity-strategy misalignment and deepen the understanding of the role of organizational leaders in strategy-driven identity change.
Language
English
Keywords
Identität
Strategie
Führung
Change Management
EDIS-5145
Strategy
Leadership
Organizational Identity
HSG Classification
not classified
HSG Profile Area
None
Publisher
Universität St. Gallen
Publisher place
St.Gallen
Official URL
Subject(s)
Eprints ID
264413
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
open.access
Name
Dis5145.pdf
Size
12.2 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
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