An ill-fitting dress

Abstract

People are natural storytellers. From the stories shared around a fire, to the ones spread through mass media, stories have been a way for organizing our experience and making sense of our environment. Stories become increasingly important in a global community where cultures are not easily defined, and the borders between nations become blurred. This study aimed to find evidence of change in the business culture of the state of Chihuahua after Mexico entered globalization, and how business-related practices, assumptions, and identity building processes were affected. Narrative analysis was used to achieve this purpose. Stories were collected through interviews and analyzed according to the use of rhetorical and poetic tropes. The results show that 1) cultural change is evident in the shift from a preference for a tragic plot to a preference for an epic and romantic plot; 2) this change was not linear: Complex narratives are overlapping and interacting with each other; and 3) there is a feeling of dragging behind a preglobalization business culture and identity, which is not compatible with the global community and prevents the exploitation of the business potential in Chihuahua. Globalization provides standardization, norms and regulations that have the potential to take the organizations in Chihuahua from outdated practices to the present-day global community. However, the resistance of the organizations and members of the community to the fully adopt these management practices, rules, regulations and standardizations, causes incompatible processes that fit the business culture like an uncomfortable dress.