Seeing energy transition as a process of meaning creation, this longitudinal study of the Dutch retail electricity market investigates how different types of energy providers strategically use emotions to compete with rivals, evoke consumer reactions, and ultimately drive energy transition. Building on the role of emotion in institutional theory and strategic management literatures, we inductively uncover strategic mobilization of emotions in this sector over a period of 20 years triggered by market liberalization. Our findings offer a process model that depicts four episodes of emotion-driven market competition and energy transition: (1) Distressing the market via Choice Dilemma, (2) Simplifying the market via Calculative Rationalization, (3) Reengaging the market via A Sense of Ownership, and (4) Establishing Multiple Authenticities. Our paper contributes to the literature on energy transition by showing how the emotional nature of energy providers’ strategies in tackling peers and competitors. In addition, our analysis of emotional interactions at the market level expands the knowledge of emotional language in competitive moves of rivalries in strategy.
