...Introduction As Richard Scott pointed out, not until recently have scholars become concerned with social and cultural environment rather than technical, interdependence in organizational processes; the exchange of goods and services is downplayed. With a broader definition of institutional environment, which includes not merely formal rules, procedures and norms, but also the symbolic systems, cognitive models and moral templates that guide people’s behaviors, the new institutionalism offers a distinctively sociological perspective for studying and understanding organizations. Nevertheless, the institutional change also provoked an array of issues that have long been facing the institutional organization theory and have been widely discussed by institutionalists. In this paper, I am going to illustrate as follows two main problems that carry the most argumentations among institutionalists– how to reconcile the conflict between efficiency and institutional rules in organizations isomorphic with institutional environment, by comparing Jens Beckert’s Agency, entrepreneurs, and institutional change and John W. Meyer and Brian Rowan’s Institutionalized organizations; to what degree should organizations be institutionalized, by comparing John W. Meyer and Brian Rowan’s Institutionalized organizations and Charles Perrow’s Overboard with myth and symbols. The three works will be referred to without specific citations. How to deal with interest- driven behavior and institutional change ...
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...framework best explains the Kazakhstan choice toward the EEU accession. More specifically the New Institutionalism is a theoretical model that describes the integration process that drives Kazakhstan to join the post-Soviet integration process. I believe that new institutionalism and Kazakhstan’s accession into the EEU share common ideas and two branches applies here such as historical and rational choice institutionalism. I understand that each theory has its own limits and constraints including the new institutionalism. Likewise this theoretical framework has been criticized by other scholars and in order to address this issue I combine historical institutionalism with rational choice institutionalism. The historical institutionalism Relations...
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...HANDBOOK of PSYCHOLOGY VOLUME 12 INDUSTRIAL AND ORGANIZATIONALPSYCHOLOGY Walter C. Borman Daniel R. lIgen Richard J. Klimoski Volume Editors Irving B. Weiner Editor-in-Chief 13 THEORIES AND PRACTICES OF ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT John R. Austin and Jean M. Bartunek 309 ~ John Wiley & Sons, Inc. CHAPTER 13 Theories and Practices of Organizational Development JOHN R. AUSTIN AND JEAN M. BARTUNEK ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT TODAY, NOT YESTERDAY 310 THE CONCEPTUAL 'KNOWLEDGE OF ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 311 Change Process Theories 312 Samples of Contemporary Interventions in Organizational Development 316 Implementation Theories 319 THE CONNECTION BETWEEN IMPLEMENTATION THEORIES AND CHANGE PROCESS THEORIES 321 THE DIVIDE BETWEEN IMPLEMENTATIONTHEORIES AND CHANGE PROCESS THEORIES 322 Barrier 1: Different Knowledge Validation Meth~ 322 Barrier 2: Different Goals and Audiences 323 Barrier 3: Different Theoretical Antecedents 324 STRATEGIES FOR OVERCOMING BARRIERS TO KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER 324 Same-Author Translation 325 Multiple-Author Translation 325 Common Language Translation 326 Translating Implementation Theory to Change Process Theory 326 CONCLUSION 326 REFERENCES 327 From its roots in action research in the 1940s and 1950s (Collier, 1945), and building on Lewin's insight that "there is nothing so practical as a good theory" (Lewin, 1951, p. 169), organizational development has explicitly emphasized both the practice. and the scholarship of...
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...ABSTRACT This article provides an overview of recent developments in historical institutionalism. First, it reviews some distinctions that are commonly drawn between the “historical” and the “rational choice” variants of institutionalism and shows that there are more points of tangency than typically assumed. However, differences remain in how scholars in the two traditions approach empirical problems. The contrast of rational choice’s emphasis on institutions as coordination mechanisms that generate or sustain equilibria versus historical institutionalism’s emphasis on how institutions emerge from and are embedded in concrete temporal processes serves as the foundation for the second half of the essay, which assesses our progress in understanding institutional formation and change. Drawing on insights from recent historical institutional work on “critical junctures” and on “policy feedbacks,” the article proposes a way of thinking about institutional evolution and path dependency that provides an alternative to equilibrium and other approaches that separate the analysis of institutional stability from that of institutional change. INTRODUCTION Institutional analysis has a distinguished pedigree in comparative politics, and the “new” institutionalist literature of the past two decades has both sustained this venerable tradition and deepened our understanding of the role of institutions in political life. At the same time, recent work has given rise to new debates. It is...
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...behind the prisoners create shadows that stretch across the painted line on the concrete floor, as well as darkening the prisoners’ faces, making it difficult to see their expressions. Also, Darabont manipulates the lighting behind Norton, as it is very dark, however his face is well lit and the audience can clearly see his facial expressions. The additional technique is dialogue, expressed when Norton says, “I believe in two things, discipline and the Bible. Here you’ll receive both. Put your trust in the Lord, your ass belongs to me.” This reveals Norton’s intentions, and how he is a hypocritical character. Darabont’s use of lighting reflects on the audience and it contributes to their understanding of the severities of prison life and institutionalism, the underlying theme in the film. Moreover, dialogue enhances the audiences’ perception of Norton and his deceitful character. Through this use of...
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...QUESTION: THE METHODS USED BY INSTITUTIONALISM SOCIAL AND POLITICAL THEORY Institutionalism put much emphasis on formal legal and political arrangements of the society. Unlike normative political theory which is more theoretical, institutionalism is more empirical in nature. Adrian Leftwich in his book “What is Politics”, argues that normative political theory and institutionalism are the two pillars of traditional political science. But others, especially behavioralists have criticized Leftwich by arguing that the concept of political science is too broad, and that there is more to political science than just normative political theory and institutionalism. With regards to the subject matter of political science in the view of the institutionalists, political science came into existence as an independent field of study when it departed from other fields like philosophy, sociology and even political economy. These include the formal legal and political arrangements of society called the state. Three methods are peculiar to institutionalism, they are the descriptive-inductive method, the formal-legal method and the historical-comparative method. Firstly, the descriptive-inductive method is used by the institutionalists in political science. The word descriptive literally means to describe, but in the context of institutionalism, the word descriptive means using the technique of the historian to investigate specific events, institutions and so on. And inductive in...
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...government and with the resource supply at their disposal associated with government expenditure,happens to be more powerful than the Ministry of Food and Civil Supplies.Also,institutionalism is a median theory because institutions can be thought of as a level above actors but below larger ‘structural’ forces (Pontussen, 1995).These structural factors include the impact of class forces and domestic or international political economy.Class forces are important in all societies, but the actual impact of such forces will be influenced by the institutional establishment of the state.With constant changes in power structures,actor behaviorisms and advent of globalization,institutions have varied over time in their structure and function through a long metamorphic journey from Palaeoinstitutionalism to Neoinstitituionalism with changing human environment which may be capable of throwing some light on reasonable explanations for our queries arising from critical theory as applied on institutional evolution. Chronology 1. Palaeoinstitutionalism The theory of institutionalism commenced with describing and relating formal institutions of government and the state, both national and international developing comparative studies.A lot of significant contribution came from law and public administration making ‘old institutionalism’ follow the footsteps of formal-legal and administrative establishments of the government and the public sector.It didn’t challenge the incumbent institutional arrangement...
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...The Relevance of Institutionalism and Functionalism to the Nogorno – Karabakh Conflict I. Introduction War is one the many words that is being frequently use nowadays. People hear or see the word “war” anywhere and everywhere. There wouldn’t be a day that there is no news about the different conflict in the Middle East or a news paper headline that doesn’t have any updates about what is going on in the other side of the world. Thus, the impact and intensity of the word has been become lesser and lesser as the time past. Ironically, the word “war” has been as famous as the word “love” or “peace”. The clash between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan is a territorial dispute about the region of Nogorno – Karabakh (BBC, 2012). It a long-ago issue that was set aside and forgotten through time. After all the years that it was buried in a pile of issues of much more prominent states, it seemed to be like a mummy that has risen from the dead. In the recent years, the conflict between the two states reopened and became more dangerous and violent. The conflict became more violent resulting to numbers of casualties (BBC, 2015). This paper aims to provide a possible solution to the escalating conflict between the Republic of Armenia and the republic of Azerbaijan. The researcher will utilize two different theories of international relations. As for the mainstream International Relation Theory, the researcher will use the theory of Institutionalism. In addition,...
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...Social Theory of International Politics Is it a good alternative on established theories in international relations? 1811 Words Maxim de la Haije (2509740) VU University Political Analysis Dr. Paul Pennings Amsterdam, 28 June 2013 Introduction In recent decades, many approaches have emerged which all try to clarify the processes of international relations as best as possible. Alexander Wendt, a staunch supporter of the social constructivist school, developed the ‘Social Theory of International Politics’ to explain this process, this theory is based on social constructivism. His works can be seen as a response to the theory developed by Waltz, which provided the basis for the neorealist school. This new approach to international relations is increasingly gaining ground and can be seen as a important contribution towards existing theories of international relations. Wendt felt that the existing theories in international relations were too restrictive and too much adherence to guidelines. He thinks out of the box and is in certain areas very rebellious. He beliefs that realism misses the inter subjectively shared ideas which shape behaviour by constituting the identities and interest of actors. Wendt (1999) sees the international system as a social construction. In his works he emphasizes the role of shared ideas and norms in shaping state behavior. Liberal and realist perspectives aim that materialist or individualist reasons causes actions by states. Wendt...
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...Perspectives on EU Competition Policy Table of Contents Introduction 1 The 1989 Merger Regulation, Neofunctionalism and Spillover 2 M&As at the National and EC level 1983-1990 5 The Need for an Additional Approach: Regulation 1/2003 and New Institutionalism 6 Conclusion 9 Bibliography 10 Introduction Competition policy is a major policy area within the European Union (EU), and it has been a core executive function for the European Commission since 1962. Being an area of exclusive competence of the EU and with the Directorate-General of Competition (DG Competition) firmly in power, it constitutes an interesting case for understanding the European integration process and the contemporary consequences for business. Two major policy changes, in 1989 and in 2003, make it possible to investigate how to accurately explain the development in the area. I argue that until 2003, neofunctionalism offers the best analytical tools for understanding the process, as it accurately explains and predicts the expansion of the policy competences of the DG Competition through a variety of spillover-effects, mainly from the Single Market. But while neofunctionalism is analytically advantageous at the macro-level, it is applicable only to a point, as it cannot explain the apparent decentralization of executive power taking place with the introduction of Regulation 1/2003. Here more power was delegated to the national competition authorities (NCAs) at the surface, but at the same time...
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...Theories of Political Economy Instructor: Professor Béla Greskovits Office phone: 327-3079 e-mail: greskovi@ceu.hu Time: tba. Room: tba. Office Hours: tba. This course introduces students into three traditions of thought on the relationship between politics and the economy: both the economic constraints on politics and the political embeddedness of the economy. The conceptual frameworks studied include Neo-Marxist and Marx-inspired theories, historical institutionalism, and economic approaches to politics based on the assumptions of neo-classical economics. Students will be acquainted with these lines of thought by discussing important works by representative authors. Readings by Wallerstein, Cardoso and Faletto, Wright, and Mamalakis, represent world-sytem analysis, the dependencia thought, analytic Marxism, and sectoral theory. Historical institutionalism is discussed on the basis of the path-breaking work of Polanyi, and the comparative studies of Schoenfield, Katzenstein, and Gourevitch, who focus, respectively, on the changing balance of public and private power, variants of corporatism, and state autonomy in capitalist societies. Finally, Downs’ economic theory of democracy, the rival views of collective action by Olson, and Hirschman, and North’s work on the relationship between institutional change and economic performance introduce the economic approaches to politics. Requirements and grading Active participation in in-class discussions (20% of final...
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...Foreign Policy Module Summative Assessment Question 1: Foreign policy must be formulated in accordance with the national interest’. Evaluate this claim which is attributable to realist thinking on foreign policy. * * According to realist thinking on foreign policy, international relations and politics are formulated in accordance with national interest. This presupposes that the key actors in International Relations are sovereign states that behave similarly regardless of their type of government. As well, a state of anarchy is at the fundamental core of this argument and national interests of egoistic states as the main outward presence in international realm. Classic Realism, originally emerged from the European concert of aristocratic diplomacy. By evaluating this claim, this essay will reassert the position and importance of Offensive and Defensive Realism in our contemporary post 9/11 world. These are respectively neoclassical realism and neorealism. Firstly, a detailed account of realism will be produced highlighting the emergence of national interest as the fundamental feature or goal of sovereign states. This is done either through the maintenance of a status quo or aspiration of accumulating influence. It will be concluded that Defensive Realism or neorealism is the principal theoretical sub-school in according this claim any legitimacy. Secondly, a general evaluation of neorealism in post 9/11 world will be provided; and a comparison, and ultimately an...
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...mention CSR explicitly on their website: 53 percent of U.S companies 29 percent of French 24 percent of Dutch Companies that identified globally, 15 total: 13 in the U.S 2 in Europe (both by the same company, Nestle) Corporate community contributions: Contributions by U.S companies was more than ten times greater than those of their U.K counterparts (US, $4,831 billion, UK, $428 million) 1. The meaning of CSR: -It reflects the social imperatives and the social consequences of business success. -Carroll(1979,1991) systematized CSR, distinguishing economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities. 2. Theoretical analysis of the institutional bases of CSR (The national business systems approach and new institutionalism): -Differ among countries -NBS approach explains the distinctive underpinnings of both implicit and explicit CSR. -Four key features of historically grown national institutional frameworks: 1:Political (European government generally have been more engaged in economic and social activity), 2: Financial (U.S: stock market, Europe: less big investors), 3: Education and labor (U.S: corporations themselves have developed strategies, EU: publicly led training and active labor market policies), 4: Cultural (US: giving back to society, EU: relies on representative organization to be their political parties, unions, and the state). 3. Apply the framework by comparing four salient social responsibility and irresponsibility issues...
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...article, and give arguments of whether it is useful for the fact book or not. Nature of business systems. The first part of Whitley’s theory is about the nature of business systems. He theorizes that business systems are patterns of economic organization that become institutionalized depending on the market economy( Whitley 1997). The nature of the business system depends on the institutions in the society of the business system. When institutions mutually strengthen each other, the business systems are better incorporated in the society. This might be of interest for the fact book, because it can be important for the investors. The state has a significant impact on the market economy, this part of the theory focuses on the degree of institutionalism. In our country comparison it might be of importance to look at this subject. Investors will probably agree that a highly incorporated business system will probably be preferred over business systems that are not cohesive and incorporated in society. Whitley proceeds with mentioning what are in his view the major components of a business system. Which are the nature of economic actors, the nature of market organization and the nature of work coordination ( Whitley 1997). Characteristics business system...
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...Oxford Plastics Company manufactures high-quality plastics and resins for many different uses. Jobs through Oxford Plastics were a major part of the economy as well as played an important role in the state by employing about 3,000 community members with high paying factory jobs. With strong support from the community and the state, Oxford performed well since they were perceived by the larger environment to have a legitimate right to exist (pg.188). The idea of investment of normative forces (pg. 192) for a state-of-the-art color lab and paint shop was explored for a better and faster way of matching colors for customers was being considered for implementation within two years, if agreed upon by interorganizational collaboration. Entering the new market for Oxford depended on a multitude of external factors playing against their favor within time constraints. Given the ideal location for the new factory was on 25 acres of several 400-500 year old beech trees and outside their current industrial zoning boundary, many coercive forces were in place. Also, with a non-profit ready to sell the land and the other organization moving slowing on agreement, tight schedules were put into place allowing time for the EPA to set new regulations before the two years and force Oxford to stop using their old process and ultimately shut down the factory. Coercive forces such as these forced Oxford to operate under restrictions and possibly adopt changes that might increase homogeneity and limit...
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