Navigating Temporary Organizations: A Narrative Perspective

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Journal of Management Inquiry

Abstract

Temporary organizations (TOs) can be viewed as a collection of narratives about the past and the future that can potentially shape organizational outcomes. An in-depth, longitudinal study of a time-bound inter-organizational project that served rural India's educational needs shows how multi-authored narratives and practices in temporary organizations influence each other. When the narratives are coherent with respect to the past and the future, the actors engage in mitigative practices, and the project develops. If the narratives diverge, the actors engage in self-serving practices hindering the project. The narrative view affords us a novel lens to understand the dynamics that shape practices and outcomes within temporary organizations. Our findings also have practical implications for TO management—understanding the plurality of narratives and emphasizing the importance of aligning them.

Publication Date

13-11-2023

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Volume

Vol.33

Issue

Iss.4

Link to Full Text
Request Access

Share

COinS