Strategy viewed from a management fashion perspective

This article argues for the greater inclusion of external agents within strategy research. Drawing on the emergent management fashion literature, it conceives of these as a group of actors operating within a management fashion‐setting arena. The outputs of this community dominate conceptions of what are deemed legitimate strategic actions. They thus have a critical, if presently neglected, impact on the nature strategy. The roles of the members of the management fashion‐setting community are described and three promising areas of research outlined.