Constructing an organizational identity with political ideology : the case of Huawei, 1987-2020

dc.contributor.authorLai, Keyan
dc.contributor.authorFortwengel, Johann
dc.date.accessioned2025-04-11T07:03:27Z
dc.date.available2025-04-11T07:03:27Z
dc.date.issued2025*
dc.description.abstractLeveraging archival data, we study how Huawei used Chinese communist political ideology to construct its organizational identity. Covering the time from its founding in 1987 to 2020, we show how Huawei appropriated Fen Dou as a core idea-element of the Chinese communist political ideology to develop its identity as a “national industry revitalizer,” neutralized it as it internationalized and claimed to be an “international corporate citizen,” and then repurposed it as it sought to help advance all of humankind—akin to a “global technology leader.” By mapping the historical evolution of Huawei across different junctures and processual periods, we develop middle-range theory on the role of political ideology in identity construction. We contribute to the literature by introducing political ideology as a resource for identity construction, mapping the process of identity construction with ideology across different contexts, and articulating a resonant theoretical narrative whereby political ideology emerges as a double-edged sword. Our study reveals how political ideology helps create resonance with certain stakeholders, but how the commitment to a particular ideology carries meaningful risks.en_US
dc.description.departmentGordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)en_US
dc.description.librarianhj2024en_US
dc.description.sdgSDG-17:Partnerships for the goalsen_US
dc.description.urihttps://journals.sagepub.com/home/SOQen_US
dc.identifier.citationLai, K., & Fortwengel, J. (2025). Constructing an organizational identity with political ideology: The case of Huawei, 1987–2020. Strategic Organization, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/14761270251327988.en_US
dc.identifier.issn1476-1270 (print)
dc.identifier.issn1741-315X (online)
dc.identifier.other10.1177/14761270251327988
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/102006
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherSageen_US
dc.rights© The Author(s) 2025.en_US
dc.subjectArchival dataen_US
dc.subjectGeopoliticsen_US
dc.subjectHistoryen_US
dc.subjectInstitutionsen_US
dc.subjectOrganizational identityen_US
dc.subjectPolitical ideologyen_US
dc.subjectQualitative case studyen_US
dc.subjectSDG-17: Partnerships for the goalsen_US
dc.titleConstructing an organizational identity with political ideology : the case of Huawei, 1987-2020en_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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