Strategy Conduct in Strategy-as-Practice: A Look into the Social Interactions Inside an Advisory Board

Abstract

Researching social interactions within advisory boards, our study focuses on a family-holding company’s strategy formation process. Applying Strategy-as-Practice (S-as-P) within a Structurationist perspective, we analyzed practitioners’ strategic conduct. Through 1 year of non-participation observation, interviews and document analysis, we uncovered complex social dynamics and paradoxical behaviors, emphasizing structural properties influencing strategic formation. Our contribution lies in a model proposing four propositions for future S-as-P studies in advisory boards within Structuration Theory. This research sheds light on discrepancies between formal practices and actual social behaviors, enhancing transparency in corporate dynamics, which often remain obscure.