Organizational settlements: theorizing how organizations respond to institutional complexity

Research on hybrid organizations and institutional complexity commonly depicts the presence of multiple logics within organizations as an exceptional situation. In this essay, we argue that all organizations routinely adhere to multiple institutional logics. Institutional complexity only arises episodically, when organizations embrace a newly salient logic. We propose two concepts to develop this insight. First, we suggest the notion of organizational settlement to refer to the way in which organizations durably incorporate multiple logics. Second, we define organizational hybridization as a change process whereby organizations abandon their existing organizational settlement and transition to a new one, incorporating a newly salient logic. Overall, we propose a shift in attention from the exceptionality of hybrid configurations of multiple logics towards exploring the dynamics of transitions from one state of complexity to another

Institutional logics, blended and suspended

This paper examines how a new institution, a code of conduct, arises and develops over time. It shows how the process of debate airs competing logics, questions and fails to question assumptions taken for granted, and yet achieves a large degree of legitimacy without having resolved certain core issues. The UK code of corporate governance has been emulated around the world as a model of good practice. By examining in detail one aspect of the debate – the issue over unitary or two-tier boards – the paper shows how the contest of logics leads not just to new, blended or hybrid logics, but also to suspended logics. The process of consultation brings together actors from differing organizational fields and institutional orders, offering an opportunity to create a new field in a different order, with specific lessons for the practice of corporate governance and general lessons for institution-building

Digital Materialities and Incompatible Institutional Logics

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Institutional complexity and institutional logics : much achieved but more to be done

There has been an expanse of literature concerning institutional complexity and institutional logics. This literature has covered a range of sectors from healthcare to financial services. Extant research has also focused on particular themes such as organisational responses and hybrid organisations. Whilst research has certainly progressed rapidly, a number of critical gaps in the literature exist. This article briefly reviews the relevant literature as context for locating these research gaps and suggests future research in the areas concerned namely that of work stress, organisational culture, organisational risk and the fourth industrial revolution

Prestigious organizations and heterodox choice in institutionally plural contexts

In unsettled fields with multiple ideal-typical institutional logics, why do organizations tend to weaken or conform to prevalent logic order? The authors argue that prestige, defined as a tribute paid by field members to a select few with valued distinctive traits, plays a determinant role in explaining institutional heterodoxy (i.e., the choice to stop instantiating dominant logics or start instantiating less prevalent logics). In unsettled fields, prestigious organizations adopt institutional heterodoxy to maintain their distinctiveness because they consider logics as means rather than constraining ends and because awarding bodies cannot impose strict obedience rules. Controlling for alternative explanations, a study of 165 French industrial design agencies (1989 to 2003) provides evidence that prestige favors the decision to undertake heterodox choices. This relationship is weakened when organizations diversify their expertise, is marginally reinforced when organizations have high-status clients, and is influenced by peers’ heterodox choices. The authors discuss contributions to the neo-institutional theory of organizational choices, the socio-cultural analysis of field’s evolution, and the strategic perspective of the firm.strategy; organizational choices logistics; industrial design

Prestigious organizations and heterodox choice in institutionally plural contexts

In unsettled fields with multiple ideal-typical institutional logics, why do organizations tend to weaken or conform to prevalent logic order? We argue that prestige –defined as a tribute paid by field members to a select few with valued distinctive traits– plays a determinant role in explaining institutional heterodoxy (i.e., the choice to stop instantiating dominant logics or start instantiating less prevalent logics). In unsettled fields, prestigious organizations adopt institutional heterodoxy to maintain their distinctiveness because they consider logics as means rather than constraining ends and because awarding bodies cannot impose strict obedience rules. Controlling for alternative explanations, a study of 165 French industrial design agencies (1989 to 2003) provides evidence that prestige favors the decision to undertake heterodox choices. This relationship is weakened when organizations diversify their expertise, is marginally reinforced when organizations have high-status clients, and is influenced by peers' heterodox choices. We discuss contributions to the neo-institutional theory of organizational choices, the socio-cultural analysis of field's evolution, and the strategic perspective of the firm.agences de design, logiques institutionnelles, hétérodoxie

Institutional Logics of IT-enabled Organizational Performance in Resource Constrained EMS Organizations

Previous research in information systems (IS) have used Institutional theory to explain how various institutional forces influence the use of information technology (IT) to support organizational performance in healthcare organizations. In this study, we use the institutional logics lens to theorize the institutional logics of IT-enabled organizational performance in the context of resource constrained emergency medical services (EMS) organizations. Our study is informed by the critical realist philosophy and uses interviews, participant observation and organizational data collected from a single case study to develop explanations of the institutional logics of IT-enabled organizational performance. From a CR perspective, institutional logics correspond to the structures which are situated in the domain of real. At this level, an institutional logics lens is considered an appropriate lens for such analysis. To identify and explain the institutional logics embedded in the EMS case, the study adapts Berente and Yoo (2012) framework for characterizing institutional logics. The study contributes to literature on the mechanisms that influence organizational performance in resource constrained healthcare organizations

THE INSTITUTIONAL LOGICS UNDERPINNING ORGANIZATIONAL AI GOVERNANCE PRACTICES

Recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) promise significant benefits but also invoke novel risks and harms to individuals, organizations, and societies. The rising role of AI necessitates effective AI governance. However, translating AI ethics principles into governance practices remains challenging. Our paper recasts the “AI ethics translation problem” from a unidirectional translation process to a bidirectional interaction between multiple institutional logics and organizational AI governance practices. We conduct a theory adaptation study using the AI governance translation problem as a domain theory and institutional logics and institutional pluralism as method theories. Using this framework, we synthesize key AI governance practices from the literature and outline four central institutional logics: AI ethics principlism, managerial rationalism, IT professionalism, and regulatory oversight. The institutional logics and AI governance practices reciprocally influence one another: logics justify practices, and practices enact logics. We provide an illustrative analysis of the ChatGPT chatbot to demonstrate the framework. For future research, our conceptual study lays a framework for studying how plural institutional logics drive AI governance practices and how practices can be used to negotiate conflicting and complementary institutional logics

Microprocesses of healthcare technology implementation under competing institutional logics

The healthcare sector is one where two co-existing and competing institutional logics – professional and market logics – occur. Following extant research on institutional logics and institutional work, we propose to understand “what microprocesses and institutional practices do institutional actors enact during the implementation of healthcare IT system? What are the impacts of these practices on project outcomes?” In our study, we were interested to understand how actors within organizations were constrained and enabled by the co-existing and competing institutional logics as they implemented a new integrated health IT project. Health IT implementation projects are especially revelatory episodes since different stakeholders with different logics need to collaborate closely and build integrated solutions to make such projects successful. Furthermore such projects typically aim to support significant organizational and even institutional change occur. It is our goal to understand the interplay between actors and their competing logics within such a context