Managing Conflicting Institutional Demands in Organizations: A Framework for Future Research

Abstract

Over the past two decades, a growing body of research has examined how organizations manage conflicting institutional demands through either a dialectic or paradoxical perspective. While many strategies and solutions to resolve conflicting institutional demands have been proposed, the literature lacks a coherent framework and a deep understanding of the mechanisms through which organizational actors can effectively apply the various strategic solutions. To address these two shortcomings, we propose a typology as a new framework to systematically investigate the mechanisms embedded and the dynamics involved in the strategies of managing conflicting institutional demands. We then discuss a road map for future scholarly work to advance research on conflicting institutional demands.