Organizational Ghosts: How Historic Leaders Live on Beyond the Grave

Abstract

This symposium focuses on the notion of ‘organizational ghosts’, that is, revered founders and other historical figures who still ‘haunt’ their organizations, even long after they have passed away. The four presenters in this symposium explore the role and influence that figures such as Walt Disney and Steve Jobs (but also lesser-known figures) have on the discourse, identity and strategies of their organizations. Specifically, the aim of this symposium is to address how, as symbols from the past, founder figures are kept ‘alive’ by successors, and how they continue to influence various organizational processes. The four presentations consider, for example, how organizational ghosts become sources of motivation, accountability, legitimation and behavioral norms for employees involved in a merger, how they enable organizations to “live off their past,” how they sustain their presence through text, oral memory and material artefacts, and how they serve as discursive devices for their successors. Each presenter draws on different examples. These include well-known companies (Proctor & Gamble, Apple, Delta Airlines, Hewlett-Packard), centuries-old Japanese firms, and lesser known organizations including a cooperative bank and a gourmet restaurant. Dan Wadhwani, an expert in historical organization studies and the uses of history, will serve as discussant. Organizational Ghosts and Their Enduring Influence in Organizations Presenter: Jeffrey Bednar; Brigham Young U. Presenter: Jacob Brown; Boston College Living Off the Past? The Role of Organizational Ghosts in Organizational Transition Presenter: Mairi Maclean; U. of Bath Presenter: Charles Edward Harvey; Newcastle U. Organizational Ghosts and Memory Forms Presenter: Innan Sasaki; Lancaster U. Management School Presenter: Davide Ravasi; UCL School of Management Organizational Ghosts as Discursive Devices Presenter: Joelle Basque; TELUQ U. Presenter: Ann Langley; HEC Montréal Presenter: Nora Meziani; HEC Montreal Presenter: Viviane Sergi; UQAM