Material Agency in Discursive Strategizing – The Study of a Software Company Seeking Global Growth

Abstract

This study examines how the product evokes agency in discursive strategizing. Rather than solely being outcomes of strategizing, products also play a role in the initial formation of strategy, which eventually may both hinder and promote strategic renewal. Theoretically, we draw from ideas of posthumanist performativity, which considers discourse and materiality as inseparable and allows us to elucidate the ways in which materiality evokes agency in managers’ discursive strategizing. Empirically, we conducted a longitudinal real-time study by participating in a software company's strategizing meetings for 2 years. Our findings reveal two forms of material agency evoked by the company product during discursive strategizing: indwelling and outdwelling agency. Indwelling agency manifests when the product's logic starts to frame the scope of strategy discourse. Outdwelling agency manifests when the product attracts unexpected customers, which later alters managers’ strategic scope. These findings enrich the understanding of the contribution of materiality to strategic outcomes.