Duman, D U and Green, S D (2018) Strategizing as identity work: Creating heroes in international contracting. In: Gorse, C and Neilson, C J (eds.) Proceedings of 34th Annual ARCOM Conference, 3-5 September 2018, Queen’s University, Belfast, UK.
Abstract
This paper addresses the role of narratives in the identity construction of international contractors. Of particular interest is the way in which senior managers within Turkish contractors commonly ascribe themselves a self-identity of being heroes who constantly strive to overcome adversity. Turkish firms are famed for their ability to work in challenging markets which are not seen to be attractive by their Western competitors. They are notoriously successful for their early penetration of emerging markets and post-conflict zones. It is contended that 'overcoming adversity' is an essential facet not only of self-identity of individual managers, but also for the Turkish construction sector as a whole.Identity construction in part depends upon a process whereby temporal narratives about the past are created for the purposes of legitimising actions in the future. This process can be seen to operate at level of the firm as well as that of the individual. It can even be seen to operate at the sectoral level. More importantly, the process of identity construction refers to a continuous and temporal interaction between these different levels.The empirical analysis focuses on the strategy narratives which are elaborated in the Turkish international contracting sector. The first part of the analysis focuses on the formal narratives which express the collective identity of Turkish international contractors. This is contrasted with the 'lived narrative' through as articulated in the context of 31 face-to-face interviews with senior managers within Turkish firms. The findings illustrate the way in which the self-identity of heroes is constructed and sustained, with direct material consequences. Such a process of identity construction is seen as a key strategizing activity that shapes the trajectory of contracting firms. More importantly, the specific focus on narrative and identity literature provides an alternative platform that could extend the strategy research in international contracting.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | narrative turn; identity construction; strategizing; temporality; international contracting. |
| Index terms: | interview, manager, emerging market, platform, temporality, strategy, face, narrative, identity, markets, penetration, construction sector, interaction |
| Subjects: | practitioner, business, data collection methods, economic analysis, psychology, digital design, qualitative and interpretive research, management, behavioral psychology, industry analysis, sociology, market analysis |
| Topics: | Organizational Design, International Construction, Digital Applications, Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Business Strategy |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here