Managing meaning in complex business networks

•Van de Ven and Poole's (2005) typology of different approaches to change is extended.•A third ontology and epistemology are added to fully understand and guide change.•The extended model adds an alternative view of change as a theoretical foundation.•The proposed model represents a new, cross-disciplinary order for “isms”.•A typological view of change offers a way ahead for unification of marketing theory.

In examining Van de Ven and Poole's (2005) typology of different approaches for studying organizational change, this article focuses on underlying methodological premises and concludes that an ontological, and consequently also an epistemological, perspective seems to be lacking, if the aim is to fully understand change and a firm's networking ability. Arguing for increased sensemaking, an extended version of Van de Ven and Poole's (2005) typology is proposed, which aims to guide and improve future research in understanding the interplay between cognition, action and outcomes in business networks. First, the developed methodological matrix adds an alternative view of change as a theoretical foundation. Second, the proposed model represents a useful structure for analyzing different ways to further marketing theory. Third, the results also indicate that if the aim is to find a general theory of marketing, capable of integrating seemingly contrasting stances, the outlook on change has to be altered.