Kirkon strategia kerronnallisena käytäntönä – Kamppailu strategiatyöstä ja strategian sisällöstä

In this paper we explore how strategy work is narratively accomplished in church and what is the role of cultural narratives in story-telling. We identified six competing cultural narratives in the parish we studied: participatory vs. traditional strategy work, technical-rational vs. local knowledge and customer orientation vs. spirituality. Through these narratives there is a struggle over meaning of strategy work, the content of strategy and subjectivity of a strategist. The study further shows how traditional strategy narratives restrict shared construction of future and the use of local knowledge in strategy work. Further, the narrative of spirituality in church is marginalized.