Kumulative Dissertation, Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg, 2023

This thesis explores strategic change as a process of meaning making. Most of the literature on strategic change has previously considered organisational actors either as recipients or enactors of change. As strategic change typically acts as a trigger of meaning void, it requires organisational actors to revise their interpretation of organisational reality, all while being engaged in strategizing activities. Arguing that strategic change has to be understood as part received, part enacted when investigating the notion of meaning, this dissertation aims to contribute to the overarching research question of “How do organisational actors respond to ambiguous meanings while enacting strategic change?”. This thesis consists of three empirical papers building on the theoretical lenses of sensemaking, role identity, and accountability. I demonstrate the importance of enactment for organisational actors in order to create new meaning of organisational reality and to be able to prospectively make sense of and commit to strategic change. I further show how the enactment of managerial role identity influences managerial intentions, and thus strategic change. Finally, I demonstrate how middle managers enact accountability and shape their roles in change-related ambiguous environments, which determines their contribution to strategic change. Each paper of this dissertation, each with its own theoretical contributions, demonstrates the simultaneity of change reception and enactment, as strategic change is a process of meaning making.