Pluralism in organizations : learning from unconventional forms of organizations

The bureaucratic organization is still regarded as the conventional organizational form, but is ill-suited to an increasingly pluralistic world. Research on the variety of organizational forms has increased dramatically over the past three decades and offers the potential to understand better how pluralism is manifested and managed within organizations. However, this research remains fragmented. The purpose of this paper is to review and synthesize research on unconventional organizations to explore how organizations resolve or attenuate the tensions related to pluralism. Drawing from research in leading management journals, it covers seven distinct literatures: ‘referent organization’, ‘temporary organization’, ‘pluralistic organization’, ‘meta-organization’, ‘bridging organization’, ‘hybrid organization’, and ‘field-configuring event’. For each literature, we trace the genealogy of the key concepts and review their distinct insights regarding organizational pluralism. We then synthesize and discuss their collective contributions and conclude with avenues of research for pluralism in organizations

Artisans of authenticity: the emergence and growth of markets for artisan cheese and wine in Quebec

The process of new market emergence is a cultural phenomenon embedded in the market's social environment. However, despite widespread recognition of the importance of this embeddedness, notions of place and community remain at the periphery of most studies. Interesting phenomena come into view when we focus specifically on the links between markets and the communities in which they develop. Surprisingly, even emergent markets, despite their novelty, may come to assume an air of antiquity and authenticity, as communities appropriate them as expressions of their collective identities and artifacts of local history. This thesis, which is based on three papers, extends current understanding of the process by which new markets are constructed and perceptions of authenticity are created, in particular the influence of regional identity therein. The first essay is based on a qualitative, comparative study of the artisanal cheese markets of Quebec and Ontario, and is based on 47 interviews conducted with actors across the industry. The primary findings of this study are the elaboration of the personal and regional forms of authenticity, with the former particularly meaningful to producers and the latter a source of support to producers from other market constituents. The second essay focuses on the Quebec context and is based on a qualitative study of archival materials. Whereas institutionalists have focused on the coercive and legitimizing roles of the state, I show that the state may also imbue markets with values and beliefs in pursuit of its own goals and interests, and thereby contribute to the construction of 'patriotic markets'. The third study is a statistical analysis of media accounts and organizational foundings in the emergent market for artisanal wines produced in Quebec. The primary finding is that regional identity affects audience attention, enabling the development of local markets despite the availability of higher quality alternatives.Alors même les recherches sur la construction sociale de nouveaux marchés s'accumulent, la littérature prend rarement en compte les communautés et les territoires où s'enracinent ces marchés. Cependant, des phénomènes intéressants apparaissent lorsqu'on resserre l'analyse sur l'encastrement des marchés dans des communautés spécifiques. Notamment, certains marchés, bien que très récents, finissent par s'inscrire dans l'histoire locale, et apparaissent comme authentiques et traditionnels. Cette thèse par article contribue à avancer nos connaissances en matière de construction de nouveaux marchés en mettant l'emphase sur la création de l' « authenticité » et sur l'influence des identités régionales. Un premier article propose une analyse comparative des marchés du fromage artisanal au Québec et en Ontario. Il s'agit d'une étude qualitative sur la base de 47 entrevues. Sa principale contribution est d'identifier les formes « personnelle » et « régionale » d'authenticité. La première est particulièrement importante aux yeux des producteurs. La seconde permet, en conjonction avec une forte identité régionale, aux producteurs de bénéficier d'un soutien régional. Le deuxième article se concentre sur le contexte québécois. Il s'agit d'une étude qualitative de données d'archive autour de la construction d'un « marché patriotique ». Alors que la théorie institutionnaliste s'est essentiellement intéressée au rôle de l'État en termes de coercition et de légitimation, nous montrons ici que l'État peut également insuffler des valeurs et des croyances dans un marché afin de servir ses objectifs et ses intérêts. Le troisième manuscrit présente une analyse statistique de l'activité médiatique et des créations d'entreprises en lien avec le marché émergent du vin artisanal produit au Québec. Sa principale contribution est de révéler l'incidence de l'identité régionale sur les médias, avec comme conséquence de rendre possible le développement de marchés locaux malgré l'existence d'alternative de plus grande qualité

The safety of the institutional peripheries for unconventional organizations: the promotion of social inclusion by “Maison Familiale Rurale"

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La mise en œuvre féconde des notions de justice et de reconnaissance au sein d’une structure alternative d’éducation.

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