Identity, communication and change management in Ferrari

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of strategic communication during a change management process within the internationally famous Ferrari corporation. The aim is to show that strategic communication, through its main components, can be a pivotal lever that supports continuous improvement and helps drive organizational success. Design/methodology/approach – The change management process at Ferrari is described and interpreted through the framework of the entrepreneurial organization theory (EOT), from which the four components of strategic communication are derived. Findings – The paper explores the case of Ferrari, which started a reorganization process in which the main actors were employees and strategic communication represented the crucial component. Research limitations/implications – This paper focuses on one single organization. Additional research is needed to generalize the effectiveness of the proposed strategic communication model. Practical implications – The paper shows that the four strategic communication components (i.e. aligning, energizing, visioning, and constituting), if applied in an integrated manner, can give insightful stimulus for the management of important change programs. Originality/value – The paper contributes to the change management literature by linking strategic communication, continuous improvement and entrepreneurial theory.