Management fashion: Lifecycles, triggers, and collective learning processes

This theory-development case study of the quality circle management fashion focuses on three features of management-knowledge entrepreneurs' discourse promoting or discrediting such fashions: its lifecycle, forces triggering stages in its lifecycle, and the type of collective learning it fostered. R esults suggest, first, that variability in when different types of knowledg e entrepreneurs begin, continue, and stop promoting fashions explains varia bility in their lifecycles; second, that historically unique conjunctions o f forces, endogenous and exogenous to the management-fashion market, trigge r and shape management fashions; and third, that emotionally charged, enthu siastic, and unreasoned discourse characterizes the upswings of management fashion waves, whereas more reasoned, unemotional, and qualified discourse characterizes their downswings, evidencing a pattern of superstitious colle ctive learning.