Institutional Theory

UK business school rankings over the last 30 years (1980-2010): trends and explanations

by Stephen Wilkins

Business schools globally operate in a market-driven environment and rankings are very much part of that environment.... more Business schools globally operate in a market-driven environment and rankings are very much part of that environment. Rankings have a significant impact on a school’s ability to attract the top scholars, the most able students and research funding. Schools use rankings to support claims of their excellence and ‘world class’ status. The purpose of this study is to explore whether an analysis of the historical development of business schools and business/management education in the UK, supported by reference to institutional theory, can help explain trends in rankings and the positions of different types of school. The analysis is based on a selection of undergraduate, MBA and research rankings published between 1984 and 2010. The findings of the study fit with the expectations of institutional theory: particularly regulations and normative path dependencies determined the rankings of different categories of university, e.g., ancient, plateglass, technology and post-1992. 

Corruption in firms in emerging countries. A matter of isomorphism.

by Bertrand Venard

Reference: Venard, B. (2009). Corruption in firms in emerging countries. A matter of isomorphism. M@n@gement 12 (1): 1-27.

This paper, based on neo-institutional literature, focuses on the influence of organizational isomorphism on... more This paper, based on neo-institutional literature, focuses on the influence of organizational isomorphism on corruption in emerging countries. A questionnaire was administered in face-to-face interviews with top executives in firms across various economic sectors in emerging countries. Our findings lead us to conclude that corruption is influenced by coercive, mimetic and competitive isomorphism. This study indicates that the higher the quality of a given institutional framework, the lower the level of corrupt behaviour. Furthermore, we suggest that corruption is explained by mimetism within the same economic sector. We thus conclude that a firm is more likely to resort to corruption if its
competitors already adopt corrupt behaviour.

Organizational Isomorphism and Corruption: An Empirical Research in Russi

by Bertrand Venard

Reference: Venard, B. (2009). Organizational isomorphism and corruption: An empirical research in Russia. Journal of Business Ethics 89: 59-76.

Based on neo-institutional literature, this paper aims to show the influence of organizational isomorphism on... more Based on neo-institutional literature, this paper aims to show the influence of organizational isomorphism on corruption. The focus is institutional explanations of corruption. Our model is based on empirical research in Russia at the end of the 1990s. A face-to-face questionnaire was conducted with 552 top executives in private firms across various economic sectors. We used the structural equation model Partial Least Squares, PLS, technique to test our hypotheses. The developed model provides an integrated approach to the study of the relationship between corruption and organizational isomorphism. Our empirical data from firms in Russia allowed us to test various theoretical hypotheses concerning the influence of organizational isomorphism on corruption. Our emphasis is on the influence of competitive and institutional isomorphism on corruption.

Organizational Isomorphism and Corruption in Financial Institutions: Empirical Research in Emerging Countries

by Bertrand Venard

Reference: Venard, B., M. Hanafi, M. (2008). Journal of Business Ethics, 81 (2): 481-498.

The globalizations of capital markets in the last 20 years has led to a historic degree of financial integration in... more The globalizations of capital markets in the last 20 years has led to a historic degree of financial integration in the world. It is clear, however, that globalization is not conducive to a complete homogeneity of financial markets and institutions. Among others, one element of diversity is the importance of the impact of corruption in emerging countries. Corruption decreases the credibility of financial institutions and markets.
Scandals and unethical behavior in financial institutions erode confidence in such firms. Relying on neoinstitutional literature, this article focuses on the link between corruption and organizational isomorphism in financial institutions in emerging countries. Therefore, our aim is to examine the institutional reasons for corruption in financial institutions in emerging countries. Our structural equation model is based on empirical research in financial institutions in emerging countries. A questionnaire was administrated to 70 top executives of financial institutions in 18 different emerging countries.

The international branch campus as transnational strategy in higher education

by Stephen Wilkins

The international branch campus is a phenomenon on the rise, but we still have limited knowledge of the strategic... more The international branch campus is a phenomenon on the rise, but we still have limited knowledge of the strategic choices underlying the start of these ventures. The objective of this paper is to shed light on the motivations and decisions of universities to engage (or not) with the establishment of international branch campuses. As a point of departure, institutional theory has been selected to frame the potential motives for starting an international branch campus. Secondary literature, including professional journals and university reports and websites, has been analysed to obtain information that alludes to the motivations of universities for adopting particular strategies. It was found that university managements’ considerations can be explained by the concepts of legitimacy, status, institutional distance, risk-taking, risk-avoidance and the desire to secure new sources of revenue. We argue that universities should avoid decisions that are based largely on a single dimension, such as legitimacy, but rather consider a broad spectrum of motivations and considerations.

Between knowledge and power: epistemic communities and the emergence of security sector reform in the EU security architecture

by Giovanni Faleg

published in European Security (Routledge), 2012

This article provides a theoretically informed analysis to understand why and how security sector reform (SSR) norms... more This article provides a theoretically informed analysis to understand why and how security sector reform (SSR) norms have been integrated into the European Union (EU) security architecture. It investigates the role of epistemic communities in advancing the security-development/good governance agenda underpinning SSR and in fostering institutional learning. Shared knowledge and expertise have driven policy and institutional change, since they yielded a new policy consensus that transformed the EU's approach to security in the post-cold war international system. Empirical findings, based on content analysis and on 25+ semi-structured interviews, suggest that transnational expertise-based networks did play a leading role in shaping SSR conceptual development. However, they also show that cleavages between epistemic communities across the security/development dividing line are ultimately responsible for the EU's failure to achieve a coherent SSR policy implementation. Moreover, the article concludes that the institutionalisation of SSR in the EU did not originate in a single norm setter, nor in sheer ideational stimulus. Change occurred through the complex interplay between ideas and interests, that is between knowledge and power, leading specific norms to be visualised as consensual and dominant.

Entrepreneurship and institutional change in transition economies: The Commonwealth of Independent States, Central and Eastern Europe and China compared

by Friederike Welter

Smallbone, D. & F. Welter (2012), Entrepreneurship and institutional change in transition economies: The Commonwealth of Independent States, Central and Eastern Europe and China compared, Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 24 (3-4), 215-233.

This paper examines the interrelationships between institutional change and entrepreneurship development in countries... more This paper examines the interrelationships between institutional change and entrepreneurship development in countries that until recently were operating under the rules of central planning. The evidence presented in the paper shows important differences in state-entrepreneurship relationships between former Soviet republics, where the slow pace of institutional change and major institutional deficiencies has constrained the development
of productive entrepreneurship; Central European countries that are now part of the European Union (EU), where institutional changes associated with accession to the EU are associated with the state becoming an important agent of formal and informal institutional change; and China which presents something of a conundrum, since entrepreneurship has
developed rapidly despite major formal institutional deficiencies. Yang’s concept of double entrepreneurship is used to explain the so-called Chinese puzzle, where enterprise takes on a socio-political as well as a purely economic dimension. The paper demonstrates the complexity of institutional-entrepreneurship relationships, illustrated with examples of how entrepreneurs can influence institutional change even in hostile institutional
environments.

The Tensions Shaping the Emergence of Standard Bodies: The Case of a National Health Informatics Sta

by Raluca Bunduchi

Homogeneity and heterogeneity in information technology private standard settings - the institutional account

by Raluca Bunduchi

Activists and incumbents tying for change: The interplay between agency, culture and networks in field evolution

by Wouter Stam

Forthcoming in Academy of Management Journal

This paper examines organizational field change instigated by activists. Contrary to existing views emphasizing... more This paper examines organizational field change instigated by activists. Contrary to existing views emphasizing incumbent resistance, we suggest that collaboration between incumbents and challenger movements may emerge when a movement's cultural and relational fabric becomes moderately structured, creating threats and market opportunities but remaining permeable to external influence. We also elucidate how lead incumbents' attempts at movement cooptation may be deflected through distributed brokerage. The confluence of cultural and relational structuration which results accelerates the pace, but dilutes the radicalness of institutional innovation, ensuring ongoing, incremental field change. Overall, this paper contributes to the emergent literature on field dynamics by uncovering the evolution and outcomes of collaborative work at the intersection of movements and fields.

The iron cage re-revisited: Institutional isomorphism in non-profit organisations in South Africa

by Frederik Claeyé

co-authored with Terence Jackson

accepted for publication in Journal of International Development, 12(5)

Non-profit organisations (NPOs) are being pushed to become ‘more business-like’, reflecting global discourse on ‘aid... more Non-profit organisations (NPOs) are being pushed to become ‘more business-like’, reflecting global discourse on ‘aid effectiveness’ underpinned by managerialist modes of thinking that may be inappropriate to local contexts. We examine the nature of the tendency towards institutional isomorphism empirically investigating this with fourteen NPOs in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, using a conceptual framework derived from Institutional Theory. This suggests that institutional isomorphism is shaping management in NPOs. However, this theory seems inadequate in explaining resistance to these forces. We go on to explain the limitations of using a purely institutionalist lens and suggest how the integration of Postcolonial Theory may benefit further research.

Managing Industry Reputation: The dynamic tension between collective and competitive reputation

by Charlene Zietsma

This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Corporate Reputation Review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version (Winn, M., MacDonald, P., & Zietsma, C. (2008). Managing Industry Reputation: The dynamic tension between collective and competitive reputation management strategies. Corporate Reputation Review, 11: 35-55) is available online at: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/crr/journal/v11/n1/index.html.

To broaden understanding of the dynamics of collective reputation management, we conducted a longitudinal, qualitative... more To broaden understanding of the dynamics of collective reputation management, we conducted a longitudinal, qualitative study of two industries whose legitimacy was under sustained and intense attack by environmental stakeholders. Our study traces the emergence of, and dynamic tension between, collective and competitive reputation management, and examines the motives for and effects of specific strategies used by the industry, individual firms and groups of firms. The paper contributes to theory building on the dynamic interplay of, and tensions between, collective and competitive reputation management.

Governmental Stakeholder and Project Owner's Views on Regulative Frameworks in Nuclear Projects

by Liisa Sallinen

Authors: Sallinen, L., Ahola, T., Ruuska, I.

Conference paper presented in IRNOP (International Research Network on Organizing by Projects) conference in June 19th-22nd 2011 in Montreal, Canada.

The paper was chosen as one of the ten best papers of the conference and awarded as the Best Student Paper of the conference.

Published in Project Management Journal Vol. 42, No. 6, 33–47, 2011.

This paper aims at increasing understanding on a specific type of stakeholder, namely governmental stakeholders that... more This paper aims at increasing understanding on a specific type of stakeholder, namely governmental stakeholders that have significant influence over projects and base their influence on a regulative framework. Different parties in nuclear projects make their own interpretations on the framework. To understand why there are differences in these interpretations, we used three institutional elements: (1) laws and rules, (2) practices, and (3) values for analysis. This paper uses interview data from a nuclear industry governmental stakeholder and a project owner. The results show that interpretations aren’t always coherent, and the incoherencies are clearest in the practice element.

INSTITUTIONAL ISOMORPHISM BETWEEN THE TRNC AND TURKEY FOR E-GOVERNMENT STRATEGY: WHAT ENCOURAGES SPONTANEOUS ISOMORPHISM

by Mustafa Sagsan

isomorphism, institutionalization theory, North Cyprus, TRNC, e-government, serife eyupoglu,

This study aims at reviewing the TRNC e-government studies by considering
Turkey’s e-government best practices... more This study aims at reviewing the TRNC e-government studies by considering
Turkey’s e-government best practices based on the institutional isomorphism
theory with its three mechanisms, namely coercive isomorphism, mimetic
processes, and normative pressures. Turkey has a lot of experience with the best
practices and their successful application on e-government projects, especially
legal issues, technological systems, local and governmental authorities, etc. Thus,
the TRNC should make use of this opportunity by utilizing these practices and
making its own strategic plan based on the national information policy. The
requirements and adaptability points of e-government issues between the
countries will be discussed here. Consequently, neither mimetic, normative
isomorphism, nor coercive isomorphism is enough to be modeled by the TRNC egovernment
efforts. Instead, the concept of ‘spontaneous isomorphism’ was
created in the study and discussed as an alternative institutional isomorphism
between the TRNC and Turkey based on the Best Practices e-Government Models.

investigating narrative inequality 2001 413

by Jan Blommaert

9. Tie Failure: A Literature Review

by Rob Jansen

The development of institutional theory in the field of organization studies in Brazil

by Edson Guarido

ORGANIZATIONAL FIELDS AND THE STRUCTURATION PERSPECTIVE: ANALYTICAL POSSIBILITIES BAR. Brazilian Administration Review, July- …

by Edson Guarido

Practising interdisciplinarity in the interplay between disciplines: experiences of established researchers

by Melf-Hinrich Ehlers

Early and Late Adoption of Knowledge Products: Strategic or Institutional Behavior

by Jeroen Huisman