Abstract:
What rhetorical tools are critical for managers seeking to communicate strategy? What
textual features matter when developing a language of change? To explore these
questions we compare Dana Corporation’s 1987 strategic definitional statement, The
Philosophy and Policies of Dana, with its 2004 revision, our framework being Eccles
and Nohria’s triadic of rhetoric, action, and identity. In a newly competitive
environment, Dana evolved from recognition as an exemplary company into
reorganization under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. Concurrently,
their 2004 statement marks a significant rhetorical shift. Dana’s example suggests the
usefulness of thematic rearrangement, language adjustments, and opening sentence
subjects to articulate revisions in purpose, values, and behavioral expectations and
illustrates the usefulness of Eccles and Nohria’s framework for understanding rhetoric as
a strategic organizational activity.
