The reluctant rhetorician: senior managers as rhetoricians in a strategic change context

摘要

Purpose - This paper explores strategic change communication, framed by the idea that managersrncan be viewed as rhetoricians. The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss senior managers'rnsubjective experiences of rhetorical aspects of change management.rnDesign/methodology/approach - The paper draws on a case study from ABB Sweden (a powerrnand automation technology company). In-depth interviews with senior managers, with vast experiencernof change management, constitute the empirical source.rnFindings - The most important finding is the managers' overall reluctance towards rhetoric.rnAccording to the managers in this study, a rhetorician is an over-enthusiastic person who "waves hisrnarms when speaking". To master the art of rhetoric is not believed to be of particular importance whenrnmanaging strategic change.rnResearch limitations/implications - Senior managers' potentially negative attitude concerningrnrhetoric should be taken into account when researchers situate change management within a rhetoricalrnframe.rnPractical implications - Given the large interest in "efficient" communication, generally managersrnshould be encouraged to overcome their reluctance towards rhetoric to improve their ability torn"manage meaning" constructively.rnOriginality/value - This paper contributes to change management communication insofar as itrngives voice to the individual manager. This voice indicates; in a time when rhetoric, storytelling, andrncharismatic leadership are making ground; that the understanding of rhetoric is much more limitedrnthan the general impression might suggest.