The role of institutional elements in strategic activities of small business practitioners

Abstract

This study offers different perspectives for observing the phenomenon of Strategic Practice of managers and sales persons in small stores located in an organizational field through the lens of Strategy as Practice and Institutional Theory. Qualitative participant observation procedures were used in the largest Latin-American cluster of bridal stores and involved strategic work using the institutional elements of Weddings. The results indicated that the institutional and dynamic elements of the symbolic ritual of wedding enable the interaction among practitioners in their strategic activities. This provides legitimacy and, consequently, the survival of the organizations. We present a model in which the propositions seek to direct future studies of S-as-P with the assumptions of Institutional Theory. The study also contributes analyzing strategic activities of small business practitioners to increase the potential for future empirical researches.