More than a Metaphor: Assessing the Historical Legacy of Resource Dependence and its Contemporary Promise as a Theory of Environmental Complexity

Abstract

At its inception, resource dependence (RD) held the promise to become a robustly developed theoretical perspective. However, behind an ever-growing citation count, scholars—including one of its key architects—have asserted that RD no longer inspires much substantive research and now serves as little more than an appealing metaphor about organizations [Pfeffer, J. (2003). Introduction to the classic edition. In J. Pfeffer & G.R. Salancik, The external control of organizations: A resource dependence perspective (classic edition). New York: Harper & Row]. A systematic analysis of RD's uses in the management literature lends some credence to this assessment. However, our analysis also shows a perspective that has been broadly influential and well-supported in applications that cross multiple empirical domains. Moreover, this impact has been achieved despite the widespread neglect of what is arguably RD's most distinctive insight; namely that an organization's external environment is composed of other organizations with diverse agendas and interests. The complexity that arises from these competing demands represents an important challenge for contemporary organizations. As scholars begin to crystalize a research agenda around this theme using an institutional logics perspective, we suggest that RD's unique insights on the topic are the keys to unlocking its contemporary relevance.