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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Dissertation•
01 Jan 2016
TL;DR: A preliminary theory of social capital for innovation contest platforms has been proposed in this paper, where three theoretical models emerged from the findings, which in turn formed: i.i.d., a preliminary theory for competitive markets ii.d.
Abstract: IT-enabled innovation contest platforms are quickly growing in prominence due their provision of a cost effective, yet far reaching method of allowing organisations to connect with a global network of innovation solvers. Borne of the open innovation movement, this phenomenon and the research surrounding it have emerged suddenly and proliferated rapidly. Although conceptual support for the relevance of social capital as an antecedent of innovation seems compelling, there is a distinct lack of research to support this in existing literature. The result is that little is understood by scholars and practitioners in terms of its influence in the overall contest setting. This research study explores the heretofore unexplored influences of social capital toward these contests. Empirical data was gathered through two rounds of data collection, a pilot study of Trend Micro along with case studies of 15 separate ITenabled innovation contest platforms. Through this analysis, three theoretical models emerged from the findings, which in turn formed: i. A preliminary theory of social capital for innovation contest platforms ii. A preliminary theory of social capital for competitive markets iii. A preliminary theory of social capital for collaborative communities The study contributes to IS theory and practice in several ways. Firstly, it provides the first investigation of social capital theory within the innovation contest domain. Through the research strategy implemented, social capital theory is revealed to be a valid and appropriate theoretical lens that can be implemented by future researchers. Secondly, this investigation provides a solid foundation for further investigations, and the academic community is encouraged to validate and refine the theorisations presented herein. Thirdly, the findings serve to identify the strategic value of social capital constructs, while also presenting the mechanisms used to facilitate their development. Fourthly, the findings of this study highlight the need for an understanding of appropriate management strategies towards social capital within the innovation contest platforms.
26 citations
Dissertation•
23 Jan 2014
TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose an approach evolutionniste which fonde l'analyse conduira a considerer that les choix de transport s’effectuent dans le cadre d'une organization, in which les membres se coordonnent de multiples facons pour atteindre le but commun de livrer la marchandise.
Abstract: Le transport routier, devenu le mode de transport dominant des biens et des personnes, souleve des enjeux societaux et environnementaux majeurs. En reponse aux externalites negatives engendrees par celui-ci, l’action publique se renforce en faveur de transports " alternatifs ", notamment ferroviaires et fluviaux. En complement aux lourds investissements consentis pour l’amelioration des reseaux correspondants, telle la realisation du canal Seine-Nord Europe, la France et l’Europe developpent des aides financieres a la faveur de ces modes de transport ou imposent des taxes au transport routier. Pour autant, ces politiques fondees sur les couts du transport n’ont pas encore reussi a inverser la tendance, ce qui suggere que d’autres ressorts du report modal restent a trouver. La these propose d’eclairer la question du report modal vers la voie d’eau dans le transport de marchandises. L’approche evolutionniste qui fonde l’analyse conduira a considerer que les choix de transport s’effectuent dans le cadre d’une organisation dont les membres se coordonnent de multiples facons pour atteindre le but commun de livrer la marchandise. Elle conduira a reveler les connaissances qui fondent les organisations logistiques et de transport (OLT) routieres et fluviales. L’hypothese principale est alors que le transfert de la route au fluvial suppose une evolution des connaissances associees aux OLT dans le cadre d’un apprentissage organisationnel. Cet apprentissage doit en outre etre associe a une evolution radicale des connaissances, pour que les OLT fluviales soient performantes et perennes. Une lecture institutionnaliste complete l’analyse en s’interessant aux modalites de selection des connaissances qui interviennent dans la construction des paradigmes d’evaluation de la performance des OLT. Elle montre l’influence des interrelations entre les membres des OLT sur les itineraires d’apprentissages, notamment les relations de confiance et les rapports de force qui se manifestent a l’occasion des transactions, ou a l’occasion de rapports informels. Ainsi, le report modal perenne vers la voie d’eau dependra de la capacite des OLT a deployer les conditions d’un apprentissage organisationnel qui favorise cette evolution radicale. L’analyse permet in fine d’envisager comment la puissance publique peut soutenir cet apprentissage performant. L’analyse s’appuie sur des entretiens semi-directifs effectues aupres de differents membres d’OLT choisies d’une part dans la filiere de l’agroalimentaire, filiere parmi les principales utilisatrices de la voie d’eau, et d’autre part dans d’autres filieres pour leur tentative, reussie ou non, de transformation d’OLT routieres en OLT fluviales.
25 citations
Dissertation•
22 Sep 2016
25 citations
Dissertation•
01 Dec 2014
TL;DR: In this article, 916 policiers militaires from the District Federal de tous les niveaux hierarchiques participated in a recherche on the influence of the culture of l'organisation on the performance of the police.
Abstract: L'objectif general de cette these est d'identifier l'influence des manifestations de la culture de l'organisation, en matiere de valeurs et de pratiques organisationnelles, ainsi que de l'identite professionnelle et organisationnelle sur la performance professionnelle par les competences, c'est-a-dire la performance competente, au sein de la police. 916 policiers militaires du District Federal de tous les niveaux hierarchiques ont participe a cette recherche. Des analyses factorielles exploratoires et confirmatoires ont ete utilisees pour verifier les evidences de la validite des mesures des constructions qui composent le modele theorique. Les resultats trouves suggerent que les variables antecedentes (valeurs organisationnelles, pratiques organisationnelles, identite professionnelle et identite organisationnelle) permettent de faire des predictions quant a la performance professionnelle. Aussi bien l'identite organisationnelle que l'identite professionnelle ont permis de faire une mediation (mediation simple et en chaine) entre les dimensions sous-jacentes aux valeurs et aux pratiques organisationnelles et la performance au travail. Les pratiques organisationnelles ont plus de pouvoir de prediction que les types de motivations par rapport a la performance professionnelle. Le test des modeles generaux et des modeles detailles (modeles concurrents) a demontre que les constructions du modele etaient stables et invariantes, ce qui permet leur utilisation dans differents contextes. Enfin, des limitations de recherche ont ete montrees, leurs implications sont d'ordre theorique, methodologique et de gestion, ce qui demande la mise en place de nouvelles recherches.
25 citations
15 Dec 2017
TL;DR: In this paper, Neely et al. proposed a success map for understanding drivers of performance, which encapsulates those things that the business has to deliver if it is to achieve its overall financial goals.
Abstract: ed structure for understanding drivers of performance. “The success map encapsulates those things that the business has to deliver if it is to achieve its overall financial goals” (Neely et al., 2001). Based on a success map, organizations can work on questions to develop measures for performance data collection and analysis. This approach challenges organizations to develop constructs that supposedly drive revenues and costs, and to articulate their reasoning on how these are related. Organizations, both public and private, can thereby improve their strategic focus and internal coherence (Bacharach et al., 1996; Baden-Fuller and Morgan, 2010). An example of a success map – limited here to values is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1. Alliance value map
25 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.
13,229 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a theory of stakeholder identification and saliency based on stakeholders possessing one or more of three relationship attributes (power, legitimacy, and urgency) is proposed, and a typology of stakeholders, propositions concerning their saliency to managers of the firm, and research and management implications.
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