Are we “out of the box” yet? A case study and critique of managerial metaphors of change

Abstract

A cultural‐critical approach is used to explore dominant and alternative ideologies of change reflected in the metaphors of a retail‐based management staff. The case study reveals the managers as change agents were well versed in the corporate call to “get out of the box, “yet reflected a less transformational vision of change in their own discourse. Traveling metaphors used by the store‐level managers indicated a process orientation to change, but one that severely limited discussion about other possible routes toward the desired end. Suppressed alternative metaphors speaking to the personal losses and frustrations associated with change are exposed and validated in this analysis. Implications for research and practice are discussed.