Institutional Work: Refocusing Institutional Studies of Organization

Lawrence, Thomas B.; Suddaby, Roy; Leca, Bernard

Lawrence, Thomas B.; Suddaby, Roy; Leca, Bernard (2011), Institutional Work: Refocusing Institutional Studies of Organization, Journal of Management Inquiry, 20, 1, p. 52-58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1056492610387222

Type

Article accepté pour publication ou publié

Date

2011-03

Journal name

Journal of Management Inquiry

Volume

Number

Publisher

Sage Publications

Pages

52-58

Abstract (EN)

In this paper, we discuss an alternative focus for institutional studies of organization - the study of institutional work. Research on institutional work examines the practices of individual and collective actors aimed at creating, maintaining, and disrupting institutions. Our focus in this paper is on the distinctiveness of institutional work as a field of study and the potential it provides for the examination of new questions. We argue that research on institutional work can contribute to bringing the individual back into institutional theory, help to re-examine the relationship between agency and institutions, and provide a bridge between critical and institutional views of organization.

Subjects / Keywords

Institutional work; Agency; Organizations; Institutions

JEL

D02 - Institutions: Design, Formation, Operations, and Impact
M1 - Business Administration