This paper provides a case example of interventionist discourse analysis as a tool to provoke organizational change. I focus on one ‘nexus of practice’ [Scollon, R., & Scollon, S. (2004). Nexus ana...

Interventionist discourse analysis and organizational change: a case example

https://doc.rero.ch/record/12543/files/Th_ReschD.pdf

Soziales Miteinander in Organisationen

This study examines the effect of artificial intelligence (AI) on leadership in internationally operating insurance companies Because insurance is a model example of a data-intensive industry, companies are already applying AI-powered technology and searching for opportunities for further use However, any important step in automation may trigger a leadership shift and a research gap has been identified in the development of leadership positions in insurance companies confronted with the use of AI Specifically, the objective is to investigate how leadership could change due to the introduction of AI as an example of digitalization For this study within an interpretive paradigm, qualitative data were collected in 19 semi-structured interviews, with interviewees representing five insurance companies headquartered in Western Europe The findings suggest that the use of AI and its implications for leadership are closely linked to the underlying structures of the industry, which has led to the existing leadership discourse and organizational metaphor in the first place The implications of AI, in turn, depend on the leadership discourse and existing structures Thus, if AI is used only in accordance with the current discourse, the implications for leadership are minimal Therefore, it can be concluded that the use of AI-powered software itself is unlikely to trigger change in leadership Nevertheless, AI holds significant potential for insurers For example, AI could support the insurer’s core competencies, and connect companies with broader ecosystems and customer communities

Leadership in the Age of Artificial Intelligence—Exploring Links and Implications in Internationally Operating Insurance Companies

In lieu of an abstract, here a brief extract from the introduction:

In recent years, researchers in management and organization studies have devoted considerable attention to discursive research, so it is hardly controversial to claim that discourse analysis is one of the field’s most popular research methodologies. At the risk of simplifying, a key assumption underlying much of the available literature is that discourse analysis is primarily an excellent tool for producing knowledge (Heracleous, 2006) and more generally an analytic mentality (Phillips and Hardy, 2002). This interpretation is noteworthy as it consigns discourse analysis to its epistemological function.
Although we agree that discourse analysis is inextricably connected to questions of epistemology (knowledge), in this chapter we seek to transcend this position by demonstrating that it can also be used productively as a means of intervention. Conflating the epistemological and interventionist trajectories of discourse analysis, we build on prior work that conceives of ‘method’ and ‘research’ quite generally as a means for enacting and changing reality instead of ‘only’ representing or interpreting it (Law, 2004; Steyaert, 2011). Following this vein of thinking, we tenta- tively outline the interventionist potential of discourse analysis against the backdrop of organizational changing. Thereby, drawing on Tsoukas (2005), we define organizational changing as the process through which multiple discursive practices unfold, allowing members of organizations to give meaning to the organizational reality of which they are part. Using this approach, and analysing a consultancy project in a large German voluntary organization, we reveal how discourse analysis can be used to intervene in discursive practices that are characterized by tensions and struggle. To this end, we pinpoint how the results from one such analysis were used to break up a contracted conflict via two interrelated steps. First, discursive spaces were created that offered members of the organization an opportunity to vent their frustration and to create awareness of the antagonistic discursive practices that triggered the tensions and conflict. Second, generative dialogue allowed them to foster more affirmative re-interpretations of organizational changing.

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Dörte Resch

Papers

Discourse Analysis as Intervention: A Case of Organizational Changing