Pünchera

Understanding how power is exercised in strategy meetings is a vital step toward increasing the effectiveness of strategic
undertakings. The objective of this master thesis is to gain important insights into issues of power and politics by investigating
strategists’ micropolitical tactics in online and offline meetings. Existing research has examined the exercise of power in
meetings, yet there is little understanding to date regarding the evolution of political behavior in online meetings. Hence,
conducting a qualitative case study, this research aims to uncover and compare the applied political tactics in online and
offline meetings. Specifically, several problem-centered interviews were conducted and analyzed by means of a grounded theory
approach. Furthermore, by integrating different power theories, a theoretical framework was developed. The empirical
study reveals that different contextual factors impact power dimensions in meetings. Furthermore, it indicates that employees
draw on specific power resources depending on whether meetings are conducted online or offline. Finally, by highlighting a
paradigm shift of the exercise of power with the trend from offline to online meetings, particular attention is paid to consequences
for strategic work. With these findings, the thesis contributes to the existing strategy-as-practice literature. Moreover,
the generated insights provide managers with knowledge regarding the psychology of the political function of online and
offline meetings.