The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields (Chinese Translation)
01 Jan 2008-
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that rational actors make their organizations increasingly similar as they try to change them, and describe three isomorphic processes-coercive, mimetic, and normative.
Abstract: What makes organizations so similar? We contend that the engine of rationalization and bureaucratization has moved from the competitive marketplace to the state and the professions. Once a set of organizations emerges as a field, a paradox arises: rational actors make their organizations increasingly similar as they try to change them. We describe three isomorphic processes-coercive, mimetic, and normative—leading to this outcome. We then specify hypotheses about the impact of resource centralization and dependency, goal ambiguity and technical uncertainty, and professionalization and structuration on isomorphic change. Finally, we suggest implications for theories of organizations and social change.
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Posted Content•
TL;DR: In the last two decades, several member countries of the Economic Communities of West African States (ECOWAS) have put in place several institutional reforms aimed at improving corporate governance as discussed by the authors, which had been anticipated that the institutionalization of democracy would bring forth several expected benefits such as good governance, strengthen existing institutions, enhance corporate governance practices, and overall improve the general welfare of the citizenry.
Abstract: In the last two decades, several member countries of the Economic Communities of West African States (ECOWAS) have put in place several institutional reforms aimed at improving corporate governance It had been anticipated that the institutionalization of democracy would bring forth several expected benefits such as good governance, strengthen existing institutions, enhance corporate governance practices, and overall, improve the general welfare of the citizenry This research uses data from World Bank Governance Indicators for all ECOWAS countries, and examines the quality of institutional governance from 1996 to 2012 The findings of this research show that the embracing of democratic culture has not significantly improved the quality of institutional governance of many ECOWAS countries Rather, the data reveals that there has been an increasing trend of political instability and violence in some of the ECOWAS countries such as Guinea Bissau, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Senegal, Gambia, and Togo In addition, regulatory quality and governance effectiveness for many ECOWAS countries are either declining or at best stagnated Ceremonial institutional conformity tends to be the norm rather than the exception More importantly, restraining of press freedom and institutionalized corruption have significantly negatively influenced the quality of corporate governance practices in the region Therefore, it is important to strengthen the electoral institutions to ensure free and fair elections that will reduce political violence and enhance political stability and by so doing strengthen corporate governance practices
9 citations
Dissertation•
24 May 2006
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the impact of the position sociale on the susceptibilite des individus d'agir en entrepreneurs institutionnels in the National Health Service (NHS).
Abstract: Comment les individus peuvent ils agir en entrepreneurs institutionnels malgre les pressions institutionnelles qui s'exercent sur eux ? Dans cette etude, je montre que la position des individus dans le champ a un impact sur leur susceptibilite d'agir en entrepreneurs institutionnels Pour tester le modele que je developpe, j'utilise des donnees concernant 93 projets de changements qui ont ete mis en oeuvre par 93 managers au sein du National Health Service entre 2002 et 2004 Les resultats de cette etude confirment l'impact de la position sociale sur la susceptibilite des individus d'agir en entrepreneurs institutionnels
9 citations
Dissertation•
26 May 2013
9 citations
01 Jun 2018
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an analysis of the processus de developpement of the collaboration intersectorielle in the context of readaptation and protection of the Jeunesse.
Abstract: Les jeunes en situation de placement en centre de readaptation et de protection de la jeunesse constituent une population prioritaire. Les donnees relatives a leur niveau de scolarite demontrent d’ailleurs l’importance de s’attarder a leur reussite scolaire. Quant aux ecrits scientifiques, ils proposent de nombreux facteurs lies a leur reussite scolaire, a la fois interdependants et necessitant l’intervention de plusieurs acteurs, et soulignent sans equivoque les difficultes relatives a la collaboration entre le milieu scolaire et la protection de la jeunesse. L’analyse des ecrits sur la collaboration, elle, revele la pertinence de s’interesser aux processus de developpement de la collaboration intersectorielle autour des enjeux de reussite scolaire de ces jeunes. Pour ce faire, la theorie de l’acteur-reseau (Callon, 1986 ; Latour, 1996 ; Callon et al., 1999) est mobilisee dans le cadre de cette recherche. Celle-ci permet la mise a plat des notions d’individu et de structure, et de saisir la complexite et les logiques d’action sous-jacente a la collaboration. Plus precisement, une analyse abductive a partir des concepts de problematisation, d’interessement, de controverse et d’enrolement permet de comprendre les processus de developpement de la collaboration autour des enjeux de reussite scolaire de ces jeunes. Les donnees analysees proviennent d’une etude de cas intrinseque qualitative dans un centre de readaptation et de protection de la jeunesse du Quebec sur une periode de dix ans.
Les resultats mettent en evidence plusieurs contributions. Ils revelent que les raisons pour lesquelles les acteurs collaborent doivent etre analysees d’autant plus qu’elles ne montrent pas une perception de l’interdependance autour de la problematique, ici la reussite scolaire. Concernant les relations entre les niveaux et les spheres de gouvernance, cette etude precise l’importance de leur articulation et de l’interessement des gestionnaires intermediaires, qui ne va pas de soi. Les actions de ces cadres peuvent en effet faciliter l’interessement des acteurs de premieres lignes et l’enrolement des pratiques a moyen et long terme. Egalement, les analyses permettent d’illustrer comment les espaces reflexifs peuvent faciliter l'articulation entre les niveaux. La presente etude contribue aussi a la comprehension des processus de collaboration et met en evidence le developpement non lineaire de la collaboration intersectorielle. Toujours en ce qui a trait aux processus de developpement de la collaboration, cette etude demontre que la qualite de la problematisation ou des solutions proposees est une condition non suffisante pour l’interessement des differents acteurs de meme que l’importance de s’attarder a l’augmentation des capacites de resolution de controverses, et ce, afin de concevoir des solutions adaptees. Qui plus est, cette etude apporte des elements de reponses aux enjeux de perennisation des pratiques. Elle met entre autres en evidence les apports et limites de la formalisation.
Concernant notre contribution aux ecrits sur la reussite scolaire des jeunes en situation de placement, nos resultats montrent que l’ensemble des facteurs problematises ne couvrent pas l’ensemble des facteurs identifies d’un point de vue theorique et que la collaboration ne parvient pas a se developper autour de l’ensemble des enjeux problematises. Elle se developpe notamment autour d’enjeux recurrents tels que la communication et la circulation de l’information ainsi qu’autour de la collaboration entre enseignants et educateur dans le contexte de l’intervention en classe. A cet egard, la presente etude montre particulierement les difficultes relatives a la resolution de ces enjeux. Egalement, la prise en compte de la complexite des besoins relatifs a la reussite scolaire des jeunes en situation de placement en centre de readaptation apparait limitee. Notre etude souligne aussi l’importance de s’attarder aux blocages structurels qui freinent le developpement d’enjeux de reussite scolaire comme la motivation des jeunes. Pour terminer, sont exposees les raisons sous-jacentes aux attentes differenciees des intervenants en ce qui a trait a la place et l’importance de l’ecole, soit une controverse de fond dont les causes s’averent principalement institutionnelles.
9 citations
Book Chapter•
01 Jan 2018
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the extent to which digitalization transforms civic engagement, whether the boundary between volunteerism and political activism are becoming increasingly blurred, whether new organizing forms are emerging in the wake of digitalization, and whether it is possible to identify new forms of transnational collective action.
Abstract: This chapter introduces the book’s main topics and analytical frame. With the development of societal meta-processes of change such as digitalization, individualization and globalization, the condition of collective action are under transformation. The main question, addressed by this book, is whether a new form of collective action – connective action – can be empirically identified when looking at the late developments in Norway. The need for formal organizations and selective incentives has been emphasized as a solution to the “collective action problem”. Digitalization, by enabling “organizing without organizations” is expected to enhance new forms of collective action that are more individualized and do not require formal organizations. Additionally, since digital networks cross territorial boundaries, collective action is expected to take a transnational character. With such a backdrop, the contributions assembled in this book, based on extensive empirical investigations, examine the extent to which digitalization transforms civic engagement, whether the boundary between volunteerism and political activism are becoming increasingly blurred, whether new organizing forms are emerging in the wake of digitalization, and whether it is possible to identify new forms of transnational collective action. Taken together, the contributions to this book do not support the emergence of a new form of collective action. On the contrary, in spite of the transformations affecting the forms of collective action and civic engagement, the empirical evidence emphasize the continued importance of the infrastructure constituted of civil society organizations for supporting collective action.
9 citations
References
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TL;DR: This article synthesize the large but diverse literature on organizational legitimacy, highlighting similarities and disparities among the leading strategic and institutional approaches, and identify three primary forms of legitimacy: pragmatic, based on audience self-interest; moral, based upon normative approval; and cognitive, according to comprehensibility and taken-for-grantedness.
Abstract: This article synthesizes the large but diverse literature on organizational legitimacy, highlighting similarities and disparities among the leading strategic and institutional approaches. The analysis identifies three primary forms of legitimacy: pragmatic, based on audience self-interest; moral, based on normative approval: and cognitive, based on comprehensibility and taken-for-grantedness. The article then examines strategies for gaining, maintaining, and repairing legitimacy of each type, suggesting both the promises and the pitfalls of such instrumental manipulations.
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Abstract: Stakeholder theory has been a popular heuristic for describing the management environment for years, but it has not attained full theoretical status. Our aim in this article is to contribute to a theory of stakeholder identification and salience based on stakeholders possessing one or more of three relationship attributes: power, legitimacy, and urgency. By combining these attributes, we generate a typology of stakeholders, propositions concerning their salience to managers of the firm, and research and management implications.
10,630 citations
TL;DR: The authors applied the convergent insights of institutional and resource dependence perspectives to the prediction of strategic responses to institutional processes, and proposed a typology of strategies that vary in active organizational resistance from passive conformity to proactive manipulation.
Abstract: This article applies the convergent insights of institutional and resource dependence perspectives to the prediction of strategic responses to institutional processes. The article offers a typology of strategic responses that vary in active organizational resistance from passive conformity to proactive manipulation. Ten institutional factors are hypothesized to predict the occurrence of the alternative proposed strategies and the degree of organizational conformity or resistance to institutional pressures.
7,595 citations
TL;DR: This article conducted a meta-analysis of 52 studies and found that corporate virtue in the form of social responsibility and, to a lesser extent, environmental responsibility is likely to pay off, although the operationalizations of CSP and CFP also moderate the positive association.
Abstract: Most theorizing on the relationship between corporate social/environmental performance (CSP) and corporate financial performance (CFP) assumes that the current evidence is too fractured or too variable to draw any generalizable conclusions. With this integrative, quantitative study, we intend to show that the mainstream claim that we have little generalizable knowledge about CSP and CFP is built on shaky grounds. Providing a methodologically more rigorous review than previous efforts, we conduct a meta-analysis of 52 studies (which represent the population of prior quantitative inquiry) yielding a total sample size of 33,878 observations. The meta-analytic findings suggest that corporate virtue in the form of social responsibility and, to a lesser extent, environmental responsibility is likely to pay off, although the operationalizations of CSP and CFP also moderate the positive association. For example, CSP appears to be more highly correlated with accounting-based measures of CFP than with market-based ...
6,493 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors consider structural inertia in organizational populations as an outcome of an ecological-evolutionary process and define structural inertia as a correspondence between a class of organizations and their environments.
Abstract: Considers structural inertia in organizational populations as an outcome of an ecological-evolutionary process. Structural inertia is considered to be a consequence of selection as opposed to a precondition. The focus of this analysis is on the timing of organizational change. Structural inertia is defined to be a correspondence between a class of organizations and their environments. Reliably producing collective action and accounting rationally for their activities are identified as important organizational competencies. This reliability and accountability are achieved when the organization has the capacity to reproduce structure with high fidelity. Organizations are composed of various hierarchical layers that vary in their ability to respond and change. Organizational goals, forms of authority, core technology, and marketing strategy are the four organizational properties used to classify organizations in the proposed theory. Older organizations are found to have more inertia than younger ones. The effect of size on inertia is more difficult to determine. The variance in inertia with respect to the complexity of organizational arrangements is also explored. (SRD)
6,425 citations