A narrative of the historic turn in organization studies

The status of historical narratives in management studies is a key issue for the historic turn. While literary and management scholars are concerned with narrative analysis, historians focus on narrative composition. But the degree of narrativity differs in historical research, and recent developments in management and organization history have tended towards a greater analytical focus. The chapter presents these developments as a narrative, distinguishing between ‘the story’ (key publications in the historic turn) and ‘the plot’ (the reception of historical research in management studies). The ‘emplotment’ is ironic, because in recent years the focus on narrative has become conflated with the strategic use of historical narratives by organizations. Curiously, the historic turn has been most influential where it turns both history and narrative into the objects of research, rather than ways of doing research.