Abstract
Leveraging 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 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 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.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Strategic Organization |
| Early online date | 5 Mar 2025 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 5 Mar 2025 |
Keywords
- organizational identity
- Political ideology
- Qualitative case study
- History
- geopolitics
- archival data
- institutions