ABSTRACT
Chapter 3 adopts a discourse analytical approach to narrative and teases out how various genres may contribute in different ways to the construction of leadership and to the management of the narrators’ identity work. This is illustrated by scrutinising examples of non-canonical narratives told by Indra Nooyi, as such showing that it is very common for the same person to draw on a variety of different narrative genres. In particular, we discuss examples of an account, a categorical narrative, a counterfactual narrative, a narrative of vicarious experience, and an instance of digital storytelling that emerged after a YouTube interview with Nooyi. Regarding the latter, we discuss how these online fora’s specific constraints and affordances make them loci that are particularly favourable for challenges to hegemonic leadership Discourses. We conclude this chapter by arguing that a more open perspective on the wide variety of narrative genres, which people often deal with creatively and negotiate discursively, offers a diversified insight into the myriad of ways in which leadership narratives and leader identities are constructed.
