The role of storytelling in a nonhostile takeover
Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management
ISSN: 1746-5648
Article publication date: 16 November 2020
Issue publication date: 23 February 2021
Abstract
Purpose
Why did a powerful department of hospital doctors support a merger with a rival hospital that they knew would ruin their beloved workplace?
Design/methodology/approach
This ethnographic study draws on 12 months of fieldwork consisting of 24 one-on-one interviews as well as 26 h of observations, informal conversations and archival records research to answer its research question. Grounded theory and the discourse analysis were employed to analyze all data.
Findings
Data reveal how participants' belief in a “merge or go bankrupt” narrative contributed to widespread support for a merger that seemed unthinkable on the surface. Although each doctor believes the merger will jeopardize or ruin their workplace culture, none resisted the merger nor did any ask hospital executives to provide evidence in support of their claims regarding the benefits of the merger (namely, that it would save their organization from inevitable bankruptcy).
Research limitations/implications
The author relied on a family relative to introduce the author to and gain entry into this workplace. One potential consequence is biased interpretations of data. To address this, the author constantly revisited the data and compared the author’s interpretations with interviewees' words (i.e. “grounded” theory).
Originality/value
This study provides empirical and theoretical contributions to organizational storytelling scholarship.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Thank you to the doctors and executives of “Landahl Hospital” and “Stewart Hospital.”
Citation
Cleary, J. (2021), "The role of storytelling in a nonhostile takeover", Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management, Vol. 16 No. 1, pp. 145-169. https://doi.org/10.1108/QROM-10-2019-1832
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited