Automotive Future-Frame Discourse - A Textual Analysis

Abstract

The disruptive and unforeseen challenges over the past decade make it hard for automotive firms, amid growing productization of their emerging technologies, to take strategic action. The automotive industry constantly shifts its focus, from shared autonomous driving and electric vehicles to connectivity and software-defined vehicles. This study is a textual discourse analysis from the past decade of top management communication, gleaned from hundreds of texts. Specifically, the research questions addressed are: i) How do global automotive companies utilize transformational leadership and innovation language in their communications, as examined through textual discourse? ii) How do usage patterns of transformational leadership and innovation-related keywords vary among different types of automotive companies, as observed through textual discourse analysis? iii) How has such “future-frame discourse” changed over the past decade in the communications of automotive industry leaders, as investigated through textual discourse? The analyzed texts are taken from official open-source letters in the form of annual-, sustainability-, and so-called integrated reports. The texts are then gathered and clustered into groups. The resulting analysis contributes with theoretical, managerial and policy insights based on how global automotive firms use Future-Frame Discourse ––comprised of both “Transformational Leadership” Language or “Innovation” Language –– in communication. Both quantitative and qualitative in its methodology, this business management study analyzes leaders’ messaging, quantifies Future-Frame Discourse usage, compares company strategies, and tracks keyword trends across the automotive industry. Key findings show significant variations in the use and development of Future-Frame Discourse textual artifacts among 25 Global automotive groups, indicating potential strategic impacts for industry stakeholders. As this study considers the automotive group level, future research ought to focus on the brand or sub-group level. The findings extend to informing strategic decision-making and organizational practices in the automotive sector, providing insights for industry leaders and stakeholders. Future studies might include the analysis of Future-Frame Discourse among internal functions such as marketing, operations, human resources, supply chain, and sustainability.