Strategies as Discursive Constructions : The Case of Airline Alliances

Eero Vaara (1) , Brigit Kleymman , Hannu Seristö

1 EM - EMLyon Business School

In this paper, we argue that by examining the discursive elements in strategy talk we can contribute to our understanding of the myriad of micro-processes and practices that make up strategies. We focus on airline alliances as a particularly illustrative case. Based on a critical discourse analysis of an extensive material of strategy talk on airline alliances, we point to five types of discursive practices that characterize strategizing in this context in 1995-2000: (1) problematization of traditional strategies; (2) rationalization, objectification and factualization of alliance benefits; (3) fixation of ambiguous independence concerns; (4) reframing of cooperation problems as 'implementation' issues; and (5) naturalization of alliance strategies. While we want to emphasize the context-specificity of these practices, we claim that similar types of discursive practices are also likely to be an inherent part of strategizing in other settings.

Domaines: Economies et finances; Gestion et management

Eero Vaara, Brigit Kleymman, Hannu Seristö. Strategies as Discursive Constructions : The Case of Airline Alliances. Journal of Management Studies, 2004, 41 (1), pp.1 - 35 P. ⟨hal-02311665⟩