ABSTRACT
This chapter considers how business schools, as central players in management education, can develop and use different historical narratives as strategic tools. Based on an examination of generic externally oriented and constraining narratives and more distinctive internal narratives, we develop a typology of four positioning strategies through which schools of business and management can mobilize their historical narratives in ways that may help them to address situations of crisis and instability. We examine each of the four positioning strategies – establishment quality, elite branding, expert pedagogy, and edgy creativity – and consider how the field will evolve and explore how these strategies offer a strong reflection of the possibilities and opportunities.
