Strategic renewal: Beyond the functional resource role of occupational members

In this qualitative study of strategic renewal at a North American news organization we reveal that the treatment of occupational members as
resources in strategy literature is necessary, but insufficient. Their activities are critical for organizational survival and competition but also the work needed to maintain their occupational identity. Furthermore, the prevailing research evidence that occupational members impede strategic renewal is incomplete. Our study challenges the narrow view of occupational members as resources that constrain strategic renewal by illustrating how occupational identity “work” is instrumental in facilitating and disrupting strategic renewal. Our findings emphasize the importance of adopting broader definitions of work than the functional definition used in strategic renewal research. We also highlight how the activities of nonmanagerial actors contribute to strategic renewal.