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An interpretive study of the public statements and strategic actions of the CEOs of the United States Steel Corporation and the presidents of the United Steelworkers of America for the period, 1945-1985
Abstract
This study explored the changes which occurred in a sector of the U.S. steel industry during the period 1945 to 1985. The study is an attempt to provide a different form of explanation for the changes which occurred--different from that provided by the conventional strategic management analysis: the steel industry did not adapt to a changing environment. This study addressed a series of questions in searching for an understanding or explanation of how those in the steel industry made sense of their world; and how that sense-making provided a rationale for actions taken, while at the same time limiting the consideration of possible alternative actions. In general, the findings outline a series of punctuation points within the narratives told by the steel leaders for their organizations. These narratives, and the points at which the themes change, provide a framework for strategic actions. In the case of U.S. Steel the course of action of the 1980s marked the completion of earlier themes and actions, rather than the adaptation of a firm to particular environmental changes. The United Steelworkers narrative evolved from that developed by a group essentially outside the industry and needing to prove its value to its members, to one devised by a group inextricably part of the industry--whose input is needed to "save" the industry. The punctuation points for each organization frequently do not mesh, creating a circumstance in which one organization is responding to theme the other has abandoned. Additionally, the punctuation points of the two organizations almost never coincide with the change points determined by an outside observor. Among the significance of this study is: (1) it provides evidence of the influence of organizational history on the evolution and formulation of strategies. (2) the interpretive perspective which underlies this project provides a different approach to researching and understanding how an organization's strategy develops and evolves. (3) it utilizes methods from history and narrative analysis in a longitudinal study to analyze archival data to understand the evolution of strategies in a particular industry and subset of organizations.
Subject Area
Management
Recommended Citation
Newell, Stephanie Esther, "An interpretive study of the public statements and strategic actions of the CEOs of the United States Steel Corporation and the presidents of the United Steelworkers of America for the period, 1945-1985" (1989). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9001546.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9001546