Strategizing as polarity management: biographical analysis of leadership in the Polish furniture industry (1989–2015)

• Authors: Paulina Bednarz-Łuczewska , Michał Łuczewski

Abstracts

EN

Purpose – This article aims to analyze the strategic work of Polish entrepreneurs in the furniture industry following the political changes in 1989. The authors examined how these entrepreneurs transitioned from local craftsmen or importers into leaders of international manufacturing companies and how their strategizing contributed to the unprecedented growth of the Polish furniture sector. Design/methodology/approach – The authors examined extant data, specifically biographical interviews conducted with 11 prominent leaders in the Polish furniture industry (Hryniewicki, 2015, 2018). They analyzed within a theoretical framework that integrates J.C. Spender’s theory of strategic management with Barry Johnson’s concept of polarity management. Polarity is a way of understanding and managing interdependent, opposing pairs of values or perspectives that give rise to conflict. Findings – The analysis reveals key patterns of strategic challenges at the level of human agency, history and sense-making. The authors identified four key polarities: life and business, knowledge presence and absence, concordance and discordance, and instrumental and non-instrumental sense-making. Originality/value – The polarity concept illuminates the interplay of agency and determinism in strategic decision-making, offering valuable insights for methodology and a deeper understanding of Poland’s furniture industry.

Keywords

EN

Business strategy; Strategizing; Polarity management; Furniture industry; Leadership

• Publisher: Akademia Leona Koźmińskiego
• Journal: Central European Management Journal
• Year: 2024
• Volume: 32
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 199-215

Dates

published

2024

Contributors

author

Paulina Bednarz-Łuczewska

• Kozminski University, Warsaw, Poland

author

Michał Łuczewski

• Faculty of Sociology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland

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Identifiers

DOI

10.1108/CEMJ-05-2023-0216

Biblioteka Nauki

43852827