IC -A (Re)Turn to Practice

Published: 2018

Abstract
Our chapter contributes to the emergent stream of IC-as-Practice, proposing that the IC triad be
seen as a ‘lens’ to guide, select activities, and assess effects and consequences of managerial action
in its broadest sense.

An IC-as-Practice perspective is concerned with how managers deal with the fact that action is irreversible and may have unexpected outcomes. It does not shy away from issues
of power and ethics. If the full implications of IC-as-Practice are accepted IC scholars must do
more than analyze IC-statements or manipulate large databases. It signals a commitment to
sociological theories of practice and close-up methods, such as ethnographic methods and action
research. We illustrate our proposition with the case of a large manufacturing company where
management is facing strategic decision making in the face of uncertainty.