Strategizing as polarity management: biographical analysis of leadership in the Polish furniture industry (1989–2015)
Strategizing as polarity management: biographical analysis of leadership in the Polish furniture industry (1989–2015)

Summary/Abstract: Purpose– This article aims to analyze the strategic work of Polish entrepreneurs in the furniture industryfollowing the political changes in 1989. The authors examined how these entrepreneurs transitioned from localcraftsmen or importers into leaders of international manufacturing companies and how their strategizingcontributed to the unprecedented growth of the Polish furniture sector.Design/methodology/approach– The authors examined extant data, specifically biographical interviewsconducted with 11 prominent leaders in the Polish furniture industry (Hryniewicki, 2015, 2018). They analyzedwithin a theoretical framework that integrates J.C. Spender’s theory of strategic management with BarryJohnson’s concept of polarity management. Polarity is a way of understanding and managing interdependent,opposing pairs of values or perspectives that give rise to conflict.Findings– The analysis reveals key patterns of strategic challenges at the level of human agency, history andsense-making. The authors identified four key polarities: life and business, knowledge presence and absence,concordance and discordance, and instrumental and non-instrumental sense-making.Originality/value– The polarity concept illuminates the interplay of agency and determinism in strategic decision-making, offering valuable insights for methodology and a deeper understanding of Poland’s furniture industry.

• Details
• Contents