The Cambridge Handbook of Strategy as Practice provides the first
comprehensive overview of an emerging and growing stream of research in strategic
management.
An international team of scholars has been assembled to produce a systematic
introduction to the various epistemological, methodological and theoretical aspects of the
strategy-as-practice approach. This perspective explores and explains the contribution
that strategizing makes to daily operations at all levels of an organization. Moving away
from a disembodied and asocial study of firm assets, technologies and practices, the
strategy-as-practice approach breaks down many of the traditional paradigmatic boundaries
in strategy to investigate who the strategists are, what strategists do, how they do it,
and what the consequences or outcomes of their actions are. Including a number of detailed
empirical studies, the handbook will be an essential guide for future research in this
vibrant field.
Table of Contents
List of figures
List of tables
List of contributors
Introduction: What is Strategy as Practice? Eero Vaara Vaara, Eero 1
PART I ONTOLOGICAL AND EPISTEMOLOGICAL QUESTIONS
1 Practice in research: phenomenon, perspective and philosophy Wanda J.
Orlikowski Orlikowski, Wanda J. 23
2 Epistemological alternatives for researching Strategy as Practice: building and
dwelling worldviews Andreas Rasche Rasche, Andreas 34
3 Practice, strategy making and intentionality: a Heideggerian onto-epistemology
for Strategy as Practice Haridimos Tsoukas Tsoukas, Haridimos 47
4 Constructivist epistemologies in Strategy as Practice research Widar
von Arx von Arx, Widar 63
5 Constructing contribution in 'Strategy as Practice' research Jason
Azuma Azuma, Jason 79
6 The challenge of developing cumulative knowledge about Strategy as Practice
Ann Langley Langley, Ann 91
PART II THEORETICAL DIRECTIONS
7 Giddens, structuration theory and Strategy as Practice Richard
Whittington Whittington, Richard 109
8 An activity-theory approach to Strategy as Practice Paula Jarzabkowski
Jarzabkowski, Paula 127
9 A Bourdieusian perspective on strategizing Marie-Leandre Gomez Gomez,
Marie-Leandre 141
10 A Wittgensteinian perspective on strategizing Saku Mantere Mantere,
Saku 155
11 A Founcauldian perspective on strategic practice: strategy as the art of
(un)folding Florence Allard-Poesi Allard-Poesi, Florence 168
12 A narrative approach to Strategy as Practice: strategy making from texts and
narratives Eleonore Mounoud Mounoud, Eleonore 183
PART III METHODOLOGICAL TRACKS
13 Broader methods to support new insights into strategizing Kathrin
Moslein Moslein, Kathrin 201
14 Critical discourse analysis as methodology in Strategy as Practice research
Eero Vaara Vaara, Eero 217
15 Researching everyday practice: the ethnomethodological contribution
Dalvir Samra-Fredericks Samra-Fredericks, Dalvir 230
16 Researching strategists and their identity in practice: building 'close-with'
relationships Nic Beech Beech, Nic 243
17 Studying strategizing through narratives of practice Linda Rouleau
Rouleau, Linda 258
PART IV APPLICATION VARIATIONS
18 Institutional change and strategic agency: an empirical analysis of managers'
experimentation with routines in strategic decision-making Brian Codling Codling,
Brian 273
19 Unpacking the effectivity paradox of strategy workshops: do strategy workshops
produce strategic change? David Seidl Seidl, David 291
20 Struggling over subjectivity: a critical discourse analysis of strategic
development Eero Vaara Vaara, Eero 310
21 Strategizing and history Leif Melin Melin, Leif 326
Author Index 344
Index 346
368 pages, Hardcover
