Crafting Strategy
Embodied Metaphors in Practice

This book presents a theoretically informed approach to creative strategizing based on building metaphorical structures that represent organizations.

Loizos Heracleous (Author), Claus D. Jacobs (Author)

9781107411692, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 29 November 2012

260 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.4 cm, 0.35 kg

Review of the hardback: 'This is a persuasive manifesto for the role of 'embodied metaphors' in strategy work. The book reflects its topic. It is utterly serious in both its theoretical grounding and its practical advice. Rich in vignettes and illustrations, the book is also a pleasure to read.' Richard Whittington, Professor of Strategic Management, University of Oxford

The rationalist approach to strategizing emphasizes analytical and convergent thinking. Without denying the importance of this approach, this book argues that strategists must learn to complement it with a more creative approach to strategizing that emphasizes synthetic and divergent ways of thinking. The theoretical underpinnings of this approach include embodied realism, interpretivism, practice theory, theory of play, design thinking, as well as discursive approaches such as metaphorical analysis, narrative analysis, dialogical analysis and hermeneutics. The book includes in-depth discussions of these theories and shows how they can be put into practice by presenting detailed analyses of embodied metaphors built by groups of agents with step-by-step explanations of how this process can be implemented and facilitated. The link between theory and practice is further supported by the inclusion of several vignettes that describe how this approach has been successfully employed in a number of organizations, including BASF and UNICEF.

List of figures
List of tables
Acknowledgements
Preface
Vignette A. BASF
1. Strategizing out of the box
Vignette B. UNICEF
2. Metaphor and embodied realism
3. Analyzing embodied metaphors as an interpretive, hermeneutic endeavour
Vignette C. Voltigo (Fribourg)
4. Crafting strategy as a practice of embodied recursive enactment
5. Play, analogical reasoning and dialogue in the crafting of strategy
Vignette D. Hephata
6. Understanding organizations through embodied metaphors
7. Sensemaking through embodied metaphors in organization development
Vignette E. Privatbank
8. Strategy as a crafting practice
Vignette F. Worldvision New Zealand
9. The process of strategizing through crafting embodied metaphors
Glossary
Index.

Subject Areas: Organizational theory & behaviour [KJU], Management decision making [KJMD], Management & management techniques [KJM], Business strategy [KJC], Business & management [KJ]