Institutional Organizational Analysis - Change and Transformation

The PhD student must be working on a research project involving the institutional sociological approach or – if this is not the case – be willing to explore if the approach could be applied. Naturally, the idea is not to push students into becoming institutional theorists, but to make them reflect upon their projects from this theoretical perspective.

Monday, September 5, 2022

09.00 – 09.30 
Welcome

Presentation of the course program and ‘home-groups’

Presentation of participants (who is who)

Expectations to the course

09.30 – 12.30

Renate Meyer:

Classic and new institutional theory

Readings:

Meyer, J. & Rowan (1977). ‘Institutional organizations: Formal structure as myth and ceremony’ (chapter 2 in Powell & DiMaggio, 1991)

DiMaggio & Powell (1983). ‘The Iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields’ (chapter 3 in Powell & DiMaggio, 1991)

Meyer, R. (2008). ‘New sociology of knowledge: Historical legacy and current strands’ In R. Greenwood, C. Oliver, R. Suddaby, & K. Sahlin (Eds.), The Sage Handbook of Organizational Institutionalism: 519-538. Los Angeles, CA: Sage. (uploaded)

Meyer, R. (2019). ’A processual view on institutions. A note from a phenomenological institutional perspective’. In T. Reay, T. B. Zilber, A. Langley & H. Tsoukas (Eds.), Institutions and Organizations: A Process View. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. (uploaded)

12.30 – 13.30 Lunch

13.30 – 16.30             
Home-groups

Discussion of received papers in parallel groups

16.30 – 17.00

Plenary:

Each group presents 3 central points from group discussions

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

09.00 – 10.30                     
Jesper Strandgaard:

Institutional fields and transformations

Readings:

Powell (1991). ‘Expanding the scope of institutional analyses’ (chapter 8 in Powell & DiMaggio)

Lampel & Meyer, A. (2008). ’Field-configuring events as structuring mechanisms: How conferences, ceremonies, and trade shows constitute new technologies, industries, and markets’. Journal of Management Studies, 45(6): 1025-1035. (uploaded)

Mazza & Strandgaard Pedersen (2017). ’Organizational adaptation and inverse trajectories: Two cities and their film festivals’. In G. Kruecken, C. Mazza,  R. E. Meyer, & P. Walgenbach (Eds.), New Themes in Institutional Analysis: 282-304. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. (uploaded)

Wooten & Hoffman (2017).’Organizational fields: Past, present and future’ In R. Greenwood, C. Oliver, T. B. Lawrence, & R. E. Meyer (Eds.), The Sage Handbook of Organizational Institutionalism, 2nd ed.: 55-74. Los Angeles, CA: Sage. (uploaded)

10.30 – 11.00 Break

11.00 – 12.30

Eva Boxenbaum:

Empirical findings on diffusion and decoupling

Readings:

Greenwood, Oliver, Lawrence & Meyer (2017). ’Introduction: Into the fourth decade’ In authors (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Organizational Institutionalism, 2nd ed.: 1-23. Los Angeles, CA: Sage. Available: https://epub.wu.ac.at/6131/ (uploaded)

Boxenbaum & Jonsson (2017). ‘Isomorphism, diffusion and decoupling: concept evolution and theoretical challenges’. In R. Greenwood, C. Oliver, T. B. Lawrence, & R. E. Meyer (Eds.), The Sage Handbook of Organizational Institutionalism, 2nd ed.: 79-104. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

 (uploaded)

Bromley & Powell (2012). ‘From smoke and mirrors to walking the talk: Decoupling in the contemporary world.’ Academy of Management Annals, 6, 483–530. (uploaded)

12.30 – 13.30  Lunch

13.30 – 16.30

Home-groups

Discussion of the received papers in parallel groups

16.30 – 17.00 
Plenary

Each group presents 3 central points from group discussions

18.00 –   Dinner, Madklubben Frederiksberg, Solbjergvej 6, 2000 Frederiksberg.

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

09.00 – 10.30

Susanne Boch Waldorf:

Institutional change and multiple institutional logics

Readings:

Friedland & Alford (1991). ‘Bringing society back in: Symbols, practices and institutional contradictions’ (chapter 10 in Powell & DiMaggio)

Berg Johansen & Waldorff (2017). ‘What are institutional logics - and where is the perspective taking us?’ In G. Kruecken, C. Mazza,  R. E. Meyer, & P. Walgenbach (Eds.): New Themes in Institutional Analysis: 51-76. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. (uploaded)

Waldorff, Reay & Goodrick (2013). ‘A tale of two countries: How different constellations of logics impact action’. In M. Lounsbury, & E. Boxenbaum (Eds.), Institutional Logics in Action. Research in the Sociology of Organizations, 39A, 99-129. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing. (uploaded)

10.30 – 11.00  Break

11.00 – 12.30 Renate Meyer & Tammar B. Zilber

Methods in institutional analyses

Readings:

Zilber (2020). ‘The methodology/theory interface: Ethnography and the microfoundations of institutions’. Organization Theory, 1(2), 1-27. (uploaded)

Zilber (2014). ’Beyond a single organization: Challenges and opportunities in doing field level ethnography’. Journal of Organizational Ethnography, 3(1), 96-113. (uploaded)

Höllerer, Jancsary, Meyer, & Vettori (2013). ‘Imageries of corporate social responsibility: visual recontextualization and field-level meaning’. Research in the Sociology of Organizations, 39(B), 139–174. (uploaded)

Jancsary, Meyer, Höllerer & Barberio (2017). ‘Toward a structural model of organizational-level institutional pluralism and logic interconnectedness’. Organization Science, 28(6), 1150-1167. (uploaded)

12.30 – 13.30 Lunch

13.30 – 16.30 Home-groups

Discussion of the received papers in parallel groups

16.30 – 17.00     
Plenary: Each group presents 3 central points from group discussions

Thursday, September 8, 2022

09.00 – 10.30                     
Jesper Strandgaard & Susanne Boch Waldorff:

 Translation of ideas

Readings:

Czarniawska & Joerges (1996). ‘Travel of ideas’. In B. Czarniawska & G. Sevon (Eds.), Translating Organizational Change: 13-47. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. (uploaded)

Strandgaard & Dobbin (2006). ‘In search of identity and legitimation: Bridging organizational culture and neoinstitutionalism’. American Behavioral Scientist, 49(7), 897-907. (uploaded)

Boxenbaum & Strandgaard (2009). ‘Scandinavian institutionalism – a case of institutional work’. In T. Lawrence, R. Suddaby, & B. Leca (Eds.), Institutional Work: Actors and Agency in Institutional Studies of Organizations: 178-204. Cambridge University Press. (uploaded)

Waldorff & Madsen (2022). ’Translating to maintain existing practices: Micro-tactics in the implementation of a new management concept’. Organization Studies. https://doi.org/10.1177/01708406221112475 (uploaded)

10.30 – 11.00  Break

11.00 – 12.30 
Tammar B. Zilber & Eva Boxenbaum:

Institutional work and entrepreneurship

Readings:

Battilana, Leca & Boxenbaum (2009). ‘How actors change institutions: Toward a theory of institutional entrepreneurship’. Academy of Management Annals, 3, 65-107. (uploaded)

 Cartel, Boxenbaum & Aggeri (2019). ‘Just for fun! How experimental spaces stimulate innovation in institutionalized fields’. Organization Studies, 40(1), 65-92. (uploaded)

Lawrence, Leca & Zilber (2013). ’Institutional work: Current research, new directions and overlooked issues’. Organization Studies, 34(8), 1023-1033. (uploaded)

Lawrence & Suddaby (2006). ’Institutions and institutional work.’ In S. R. Clegg, C. Hardy, W. R. Nord, & T. B. Lawrence (Eds.), SAGE Handbook of Organization Studies, 2nd ed.: 215-254. London, UK: Sage. (uploaded)

12.30 – 13.30   Lunch

13.30 – 16.30                  
Home-groups

Discussion of received papers in parallel groups

16.30 – 17.00

Plenary:

Each group presents 3 central points from group discussions

Friday, September 9, 2021

09.00 – 10.30                     
Tammar B. Zilber, Renate Meyer, Eva Boxenbaum, Susanne Boch Waldorff & Jesper Strandgaard

 Critical perspectives on organizational institutional analysis

Readings:

Willmott, H. (2015). ‘Why institutional theory cannot be critical?’ Journal of Management Inquiry, 24(1):105-111 (uploaded)

Alvesson & Spicer (2019). ‘Neo-institutional theory and organization studies: A mid-life crisis?’ Organization Studies, 40(2), 199-218 (uploaded)

Munir (2019). ‘Challenging institutional theory’s critical credentials’. Organization Theory, 1(1), doi 2631787719887975 (uploaded)

Drori (2019). ‘Hasn’t institutional theory always been critical?!’ Organization Theory, 1(1), doi.org/10.1177/2631787719887982 (uploaded)

10.30 – 11.00   Break   
 

11.00 – 12.30
                  
Tammar B. Zilber, Renate Meyer, Eva Boxenbaum, Susanne Boch Waldorff & Jesper Strandgaard

New directions in organizational institutional analysis

 Readings:

Cappelen & Strandgaard Pedersen (2021). ’Inventing culinary heritage through strategic historical ambiguity’. Organization Studies, 42(2), 223–243. (uploaded)

Reay, Goodrick, Waldorff, & Casebeer (2017). ‘Getting leopards to change their spots: Co-creating a new professional role identity.’ Academy of Management Journal, 60 (3), 1043-1070. (uploaded)

Zilber (2021). ’Practice-driven institutionalism: A path toward a fruitful borrowing.’ Research in the Sociology of Organizations, 70, 225-241. (uploaded)

Svejenova, Boxenbaum, & Meyer (2021). ‘Turning public libraries into collaborative spaces: The role of multimodal imaginaries’. In Montanari, Mattarelli & Scapolan (Eds.), Collaborative spaces at work: Innovation, creativity and relations (pp. 197-216). Routledge. (uploaded)

12.30 – 12.45  Break

12.45 – 13.15

Summing up and evaluation of the course

13.15 – 14.00  Lunch
14.00  Departure