Multimodality in Strategy-as-Practice Research

Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksChapterpeer-review

Authors

Eric Knight and Matthias Wenzel examine the multimodality of strategizing. Drawing parallels to research in other domains of organization studies, they show that the enactment of strategic practices involves, amongst others, discursive modes (i.e., written or oral texts such as speech acts, emails, documents or newspaper articles), bodily modes (i.e., bodily movements such as gestures, gazes, nodding or pointing) and material modes (i.e., objects and artefacts such as tables, chairs, rooms or tools). As the concept of multimodality signals, these different modes are typically interrelated. That is, one typically finds a constellation of different modes involved in strategy work. The authors review existing strategy as practice research in terms of how they have conceptualized and captured the multimodality of strategy work. They distinguish three different conceptualizations, which they label ‘multimodality as representation’ (treating different modes as reflected in each other), ‘multimodality as co-creation’ (treating different modes as recursively shaping each other) and ‘multimodality as intertwinement’ (treating different modes as amalgamated). They discuss how each view of multimodality allows for different types of insights to be gained on the doing of strategy.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationCambridge Handbook of Strategy as Practice
EditorsDamon Golsorkhi, Linda Rouleau, David Seidl, Eero Vaara
Number of pages11
Place of PublicationCambridge
PublisherCambridge University Press
Publication date11.03.2025
Edition3
Pages729-739
ISBN (print)978-1-009-21607-4
ISBN (electronic)9781009216067
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 11.03.2025