Protecting the Core: Intra-logic persistence and change

Abstract

This study examines the processes and mechanisms by which a logic evolves over time. Employing a longitudinal cross-level research design, we trace the evolution of an elite group of higher education establishments, the French Grandes Écoles of Commerce (FGEC), from the late 1800s to the present. We draw on archival and interview data to show how changes in the broader socio-political environment shifted the attention of the FGEC to different referent audiences and to alternative normative orders, which prescribed different sets of practices and criteria for legitimacy. These changes prompted brief phases of institutional flux, wherein the FGEC were confronted with a heightened level of institutional complexity. This complexity increased organizational discretion and provided the resources needed to mobilize change. Comparing two important periods of change, we identify conditions that are likely to trigger particular responses – and how these responses act to recursively shape how a logic evolves. Building on these findings, we develop an analytical framework outlining six ideal-type forms of intra-logic persistence and change. These ideal types can be organized along three broad dimensions: cultural-symbolic, structural- relational, and material. We conclude by discussing the implications of our framework and how it can be applied to other research settings.