Hybrid Strategies to Cope with Commodification Pressure on Professions: A Study of Two SG Law Firms

Abstract

Research has indicated that many organizations are located at complex boundary zones which are guided by differing institutional logics. As varied institutional logics overlap, there may be strains on organizations which are trapped within shared boundaries. To reduce the strain, organizations tend to resort to hybrid strategies of action. This paper is aimed at identifying hybrid strategies that legal firms, in particular, use to tackle this strain resulting from the changing nature of work as a result of economic globalization. Based on a comparative study of two law firms in Singapore, we find that a domination strategy versus a distinction strategy is adopted by the two law firms in question. We argue that firm response depends particularly on the type of clients served by a law firm, which is related to the firm size and reputation of the law firm. Drawing on these findings, we argue that external pressures do not affect all organizations equally, because logics are filtered by particular organizational attributes. Our research contributes to the literature on institutional logics, and leads to a more nuanced understanding of the factors that would affect the kinds of hybrid strategies which professional service firms choose.