The organizational restructuring performative act under shareholder value management ideology - Abstract, Methods, Results, and Contributions

Sep 23, 2026

The paper examines the dynamics of an organizational restructuring process in a Brazilian subsidiary of a long-established American industrial corporation claiming to increase the value of the company’s shares. Evidence from a multi-year case study shows a gap between promises and outcomes, revealing restructuring as a symbolic-performative strategy. Company narratives of success and organizational legitimation are analyzed through shareholder value (SHV) ideology toward capital market stakeholders and stakeholder-facing commitments despite unfavorable case outcomes.

LanguageEnglish

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Pages27

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Abstract

Purpose

Methodology

Results

Contributions

Keywords

Performative organizational restructuring

Revista Brasileira de Gestão de Negócios ISSN: 1806-4892 [gestnegocios@fecap.br](gestnegocios@fecap.br) Fundação Escola de Comércio Álvares Penteado Brasil Saltorato, Patrícia; Benatti, Glauco The organizational restructuring performative act under shareholder value management ideology Revista Brasileira de Gestão de Negócios, vol. 19, núm. 64, abril-junio, 2017 , pp. 263-288 Fundação Escola de Comércio Álvares Penteado São Paulo, Brasil Available in: [http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=94750556006](http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=94750556006) How to cite Complete issue More information about this article Journal's homepage in [redalyc.org](redalyc.org) Scientific Information System Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative RBGN © FECAP REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE GESTÃO DE NEGÓCIOS REVIEw Of BuSINESS MANAGEMENT ISSN 1806-4892 e-ISSN 1983-0807 The organizational restructuring performative act under shareholder value management ideology Patrícia Saltorato Glauco Benatti Federal University of São Carlos, Department of Production Engineering, Sorocaba, Brazil Abstract Purpose–This paper’s objective is to present the dynamics involving an organizational restructuring process conducted in a Brazilian subsidiary of a centenary American industrial corporation which claimed to be seeking, by means of this process, to increase the value of the company’s shares, but, which results reveal the distance between the promises and outcomes ofthis process, unveiling the symbolic-performative nature of such a process. Methodology – The chosen research method was the case study. The data collection involved the participant observation of a company manager (2010-2015); the conduction of non-structured interviews to the company’s managers, directors and CFO (2013-2015); documental research to the company’s internal and public sources (2010-2015); and bibliographical research to scientific papers, business press, market analysts and specialized media (2010-2015) . Results – The narratives of success found in the company’s reports portray the restructuring myth as a continuous strategy, through which the company reinforces its efforts in delivering good results to shareholders. And, despite the outcomes of the case study not supporting these narratives, its performative nature legitimize the company’s commitment to the SHV management ideology towards stakeholders of the capital market, even in face of the adoption of antishareholders’ postures, such as anti-takeovers measures, the merging of the CEO and Chairman positions, its CEO perks, etc. Contributions – Paradoxically, although the researched company operates under the cold logic of finances, and under pressure to create shareholder value, it revealed to be subject to the dynamics in which the search for symbolic legitimacy plays a decisive role in maintaining its position within the hierarchy of the socially constructed field of the Management in face of other stakeholders present in the field, reinvigorating the precepts of Bourdieu’s Field Theory and the NeoInstitutional Theory. Keywords–Performative organizational restructuring; financialization; Celebrity CEO; symbolism, myth. 263 Received on 12/02/2015 Approved on 11/18/2016 Responsible editor: Prof. Dr. J. Ignacio Canales Evaluation process: Double Blind Review Review of Business Management DOI: 10.7819/rbgn.v 19i64.2875 263 Review of Business Management, São Paulo, Vol. 19, No. 64, p. 263-288, Apr./Jun. 2017 Patrícia Saltorato / Glauco Benatti 1 Introduction From the late 1970s on, the Shareholder Value (SHV) management ideology began to increasingly understand, control and manage companies as portfolios composed of organizational units measured by financial metrics (Dobbin & Jung, 2010) . The emergence of this management ideology ca

FAQs

What is the paper’s main objective?

To present how an organizational restructuring process in a Brazilian subsidiary was carried out under shareholder value management ideology and how it reveals a symbolic-performative nature.

What research method is used?

A case study, using participant observation, non-structured interviews, documental research, and bibliographical research over 2010–2015.

What do the results suggest about restructuring outcomes and narratives?

Success narratives in company reports portray restructuring as continuous strategy to deliver shareholder value, even when outcomes do not support those claims, while legitimation still reinforces commitment to SHV ideology.

Sep 23, 2026

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