Institutional Logics Research Articles

Blending logics with performance management systems in an NGO setting

PurposeThis study aims to examine the role of performance management systems (PMSs) in enabling logic blending to manage institutional complexity and tensions arising from coexisting institutional logics.Design/methodology/approachThis research uses a case study of an Australian non-government organisation (NGO) operating in an institutional field dominated by the state government, in which policy reform jolted the balance between institutional logics. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, archival documents and observations.FindingsWe find the policy reform required the NGO to transform from a wholly care focus to accommodate a more balanced approach with a focus on care coupled with efficiency, outcome delivery and performance measurement. The NGO responded by revising its purpose, strategy and operational model and by seeking to address the imperatives of two dominant and often competing care and managerial logics. We find this was achieved through logic blending, in which PMSs played a pivotal role, with the formalisation and collaboration processes mobilising different elements of PMSs, mobilising some elements differently or not mobilising some elements at all.Originality/valueThis study highlights the central role of PMSs in managing tensions between and the complexity arising from coexisting institutional logics through logic blending, a form of enduring compromise. This study extends the accounting logics and performance management literature by developing the understanding of what constitutes logic blending and how it is distinct from other forms of compromise.

Mapping the diversity & transformative potential of approaches to sustainable just cities

How can cities be more sustainable and just? This question has guided a process of synthesizing insights from previously funded research and innovation projects that deal with approaches tackling urban sustainability and justice. As part of this process, a database in the form of a knowledge commons was developed to gather 40+ approaches: sets of interventions, actions, strategies, solutions or policies that address urban sustainability and justice. This paper reflects on what we can learn from this database of approaches from an urban transitions perspective, both by sharing the method we used to develop the database and by analysing the content of those approaches and what research has revealed in relation to them. Not only do we introduce our methodology of co-creating the database (Section 2) we also present its outcomes in terms of the interlinkages between sustainable and just cities in the identified approaches (Section 3), their transformative potential (Section 4) and which institutional logics are involved (Section 5). We conclude that in addressing sustainability challenges in cities, tensions and contradictions emerge between ecological sustainability on the one hand and inclusivity, recognition and equity on the other (Section 6). Based on the identified approaches, we find that issues linked to justice are frequently glossed over, implicitly addressed, and instrumentalized in favour of ecological improvements or profitability which causes serious implications for future urban research and innovation. In order to address this gap, we present four recommendations for city-makers and city-thinkers across the globe to integrate sustainability and justice at the urban level.

Enterprises’ response strategies towards a mission-oriented innovation initiative – a reflection on China’s indigenous innovation

ABSTRACT Mission-oriented innovation initiatives hold significant value for nations worldwide. Responses of innovative actors account for the final outcomes and achievements of these initiatives, while which are still unexplored. Based on the institutional logics perspective, we develop a framework to elucidate the response strategies of different kinds of enterprises towards the indigenous innovation proposed in the National Middle and Long-Term Program for Science and Technology Development 2006–2020 (MLP), the most influential mission-oriented innovation policy in China during the past 20 years. By combining primary interview materials with secondary data, we initially analyse the logic conflicts that enterprises face, the changes in logic conflict scenarios under this initiative (including the types and degrees of conflicts), and the potential benefits they can get from this initiative. We then delve deeper into investigating their response strategies. Our research provides a new lens for researchers and policymakers.

Organizing logic multiplicity in hybrid organizations: The role of organizational culture

AbstractHybrid organizations must deal with institutional complexity and find ways to manage conflicting demands in their organizational environment to engage in their required, day‐to‐day activities. The objective of this qualitative research is to elaborate on the mechanisms that hybrid organizations use to mitigate the destabilizing effects of such institutional logic multiplicity in their value creation processes. By combining value configuration analyses and the hybrid organizing concept as a theoretical background, the authors conduct a case study with 14 nonprofit microfinance organizations (MFOs) that illustrates the importance of an integrative organizational culture as a core foundation that can align and integrate social and economic demands. Successful nonprofit MFOs align competing institutional logics in a hierarchy of goals, explicitly defining their means and objectives. Independent of the type of logic multiplicity they face, they use the hierarchy to define their organizational identity and transfer it to a corresponding organizational culture that can balance diverse institutional demands. From a theoretical perspective, this study advances institutional logic approaches; it also identifies effective mechanisms hybrid organizations can use to cope with logic multiplicity by applying a value configuration perspective.

‘Accounting for the Music’. Institutional logics in the Regio Teatro Carolino of Palermo at the beginning of the nineteenth century

ABSTRACT We analyse the foundation and organisation of the Regio Teatro Carolino (RTC) in Palermo in the mid-eighteenth century, and its development at the beginning of the nineteenth century. In particular, we examine the accounting system to determine how it was influenced by competing and often conflicting institutional logics. The RTC originated from a private initiative of the Palermo nobility, but soon had to resort to public funding to maintain its artistic performances. Following this process, the Bourbon monarchy implemented control over the RTC and more generally, over all theatrical activities. The research emphasises the different institutional logics that shaped the RTC's management system, highlighting the hybrid characteristics of this institution.

Climate policy integration as a process: from shallow to embedded integration

ABSTRACT Across many policy areas, policymakers try to integrate new policy issues into old policy processes. This is challenging. Getting to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions requires radical change across a broad range of societal sectors; thus, climate policy integration is essential. This article develops a new processual perspective on climate policy integration, allowing assessment, classification, and comparison of various stages of integration across policy processes, and over time. The integration process can be shaped by differing institutional logics. In a study of Norwegian agricultural policy, we identify three logics: multifunctional, market failure, and socio-technological transition. These portray differing frames, objectives, instruments, and sector involvement as appropriate ways of linking climate concerns to agricultural policy. We suggest that a shallow integration process is characterized by a sector-specific logic that facilitates discussions of policy frames and goals. In an embedded integration process, multiple logics are mobilized, and a broader range of policy elements are discussed: frames, goals, instruments, and sector involvement in the process. Consistent and contested integration processes are intermediate categories. Climate integration in Norwegian agricultural policy had the hallmarks of a shallow process in 2006–2009 but changed to a contested process in 2016–2021.

Public–Private Development Cooperation: Interface and Conflicting Logics in the Formation of a Strategic Partnership

Public–private development partnership constitutes the core of a deepening normative agenda that places private actors as active development agents and as means through which other development objectives are pursued in partnership with publicly funded aid actors. This normative agenda may challenge international development. This article goes beyond the official policy level to explore the formation of public–private development cooperation in practice, not just on paper. It zooms into the partnership between a Norwegian NGO and a multinational company and their joint project to renovate an old vocational college in Ethiopia to serve the private actor’s need for qualified workers. The article shows how a publicly funded development project becomes a proxy for private interests, but argues that the diversion of public aid is not due to bad intentions or conflicting interests. Rather, it is the result of interface situations created by the public–private partnership agenda and its intentional merger of actors with distinct institutional logics, accountabilities and rationales. The article demonstrates how actors put together as part of the public–private partnership agenda end up undermining the agenda itself because of the interface situations created in the nexus of public and private actors.

Toward Opportunity-Centered Institutional Logics: Evidence from Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Science Equity Efforts

ABSTRACT In U.S. 4-year postsecondary institutions, predominant institutional logics — the embedded assumptions that guide organizational action — have traditionally focused on prestige seeking via acquisition of resources, reputation, and research capabilities. This focus can hinder the design and implementation of teaching approaches and structures that support equitable student experiences and outcomes, particularly for minoritized students. This study examined the institutional logics guiding the organizational behavior of four broadly accessible Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) computer science departments. All were participating in a multi-institutional network of HSIs designed to advance science equity efforts and postsecondary attainment for Latinx students in the discipline. A multiple case study of these four departments included 63 interviews with faculty and administrators, 69 observations of departmental activities, and extensive participant-observations of the network before, during, and after site visits. Data analysis revealed three themes — inclusivity, talent development, and cultural responsiveness — that indicate how departmental personnel employ institutional logics alternative to prestige-seeking institutional logics. The paper discusses the implications of these alternative institutional logics, characterized as opportunity-centered logics, to effect equity-focused institutional transformation, strengthening of HSIs’ capacities to serve Latinx and minoritized students, and inclusive efforts in science.

Testing the development impact of islamic banking: Islamic moral economy approach to development

Redistributive justice and stakeholder development have been central objectives of the Islamic moral economy for which Islamic banking was considered a facilitatory operational tool. Being its institutional form, the emergence of Islamic finance is, therefore, related to rescuing ‘human, land, labour and capital’ so that extended stake-holding governance can be achieved. As opposed to the institutional logic of conventional finance, within the Islamic moral economy paradigm, Islamic finance, theoretically, is expected to essentialise justice and equilibrium and equalise development opportunities for all stakeholders to fulfil their development path towards perfection. To assess the Islamic moral economy performance of Islamic banking, this paper uses HDI and GINI as the dependent variables to determine short-run and long-run relationships between Islamic banking growth and the development of the economy through socioeconomic indicators. The data covers the period 2000–2021 with fourteen countries with a systemic presence of Islamic finance, The results show that although Islamic banks did not cause an increase in inequality, as opposed to expectations, they neither caused a decrease in the sampled countries. As for the effect of Islamic banking expansion on human development, it positively contributes to human development only in the long run under certain conditions, which cannot be established in the short run. If sustained, this should be considered positive progress as opposed to the experience observed in the initial period of Islamic banking.

Selective coupling in hybrid organization: Institutional logic contradiction in the context of ERP post-implementation

Drawing a qualitative case study over two years during, this paper provides a detailed sociological account of the local practices and institutional logic and found out that local teams used selective coupling, which led to hybrid practices such as delegation and bricolage. These findings can help top-level manager enhance their awareness of the issues raised by the ERP implementation across organizations. Understanding the constellation of institutional logic within the organization can direct their attention toward new perspectives, thus creating opportunities to influence institutional change. This study analyzes the institutional contradiction during post-implementation from the perspective of flexible coupling and provides further evidence from a completely different context, namely the cross-border implantation in the industrial sector, and within the organization.

Speaking for Human Being: Institutional Logics, Dragons, and the Supra-Human

Abstract This essay engages with the mounting published criticism of neo-institutionalism, but from the point of view of the institutional logical approach, one of its descendants. By addressing each of the main critiques: (1) institutional logical theory is tautological; (2) everything is institutional; (3) the absence of politics and power, and (4) its lack of a critical theory - the essay attempts to think how to build a theoretical apparatus able to engage with the current institutional crises of the world.

Understanding the Institutional Logics of China’s Community-Based Intervention for Older People

ABSTRACT Community-based policies have gained global popularity, signaling a paradigm shift from individual responsibility for healthy aging to an approach involving community-based intervention. Learning from Western experience, China has also experimented with this form of intervention. It has policy interventions aimed at providing community-based facilities and services that enable older people to age in place. However, the institutional foundations of Chinese communities differ greatly from those in Western countries. Implementing a critical realist case study focusing on a community-based program in Beijing, this study aims to examine the institutional logics that contribute toward a contextually appropriate community-based policy intervention in China. We identified three institutional logics. First, the Confucian moral obligation of benevolence requires authorities to provide social welfare for vulnerable citizens. Second, China’s community-based interventions are state-led territorialized provisions prioritizing communities rather than individuals. Third, community-based social policies are subordinate to economic growth objectives. This study contributes to the understanding of contextually appropriate community-based policy interventions in China.

How Professional and Market Logics and the Conflict between Institutional Demands Affect Hospital Accreditation Compliance: A Multiple-Case Study in Brazil.

Hospital accreditation has become ubiquitous in developing countries. While research acknowledges that accreditation can enhance healthcare quality, efficiency, and safety, concerns persist regarding hospitals' management of conflicts stemming from the diverse institutional logic inherent in this process. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate how professional and market logic, alongside conflicts arising from institutional demands, affect compliance with hospital accreditation. To this end, we conducted a multiple-case study in four Brazilian hospitals employing in-depth interviews and on-site observations. The triangulation of narrative analysis and the outcomes of multiple correspondence analysis revealed that when professional logic predominates, there is a greater propensity to tailor accredited activities by segmenting the tasks between physicians and nurses with the intention of mitigating existing conflicts. Conversely, when conflicts occur over established goals between professionals and orientated marked logic executives, the accreditation process is impeded, resulting in non-compliance. Ultimately, the findings underscore the alignment between the pursuit of legitimacy and efficiency within the accreditation process. We conclude by delineating the theoretical and practical implications of scrutinizing the internal dynamics of institutional logic.

Making White Christian nationalism plausible: Examining the institutional logic of a conservative Christian school

Over the last several years, enrollment at Conservative Christian schools has risen noticeably due to a response to COVID-19 regulations and culture wars being played out within primary and secondary schools. Alongside this trend, there has also been a significant rise in White Christian nationalism during the early part of the 21st century. Using data gathered through an ethno-case study of a Conservative Christian school, I examine the institutional logic that animated and guided the way the school socialized students to think about their civic and public life. I describe this logic as a theo-political logic that manifested itself symbolically through the language and theory of the Christian worldview which was not only taught by faculty but also helped to organize the curriculum and pedagogy of the school. Building on this description of the theo-political logic and using Peter Berger’s (1967) notion of plausibility structures, I argue that while conservative Christian schools may not explicitly support White Christian Nationalism, the theo-political logic that organizes and dominates the school helps develop plausibility structures that allow students, faculty, and staff to support policies and public engagement that align with White Christian nationalism.

The Basics of Home Office (Re)institutionalisation from the Perspective of Experiences from the COVID-19 Era

After COVID-19, the dynamics of home office development slowed down. According to the experiences of major companies, the problem is “fluctuating”. Research from the pandemic era covers various aspects and fails to present the concept of synthetic developmental conditions. Therefore, the issue of extending the organisation to home spaces was undertaken, identifying the determinants of the sustainable development of workplaces and organisations. The key is to create sustainable work systems, i.e., adapted to the environment, while being creative, critical, and productive. This study aims to establish the cultural determinants of home office development based on empirical research from the perspective of neo-institutionalism. For this purpose, the institutional logics were subject to operationalisation and the co-dependencies of metalogics with the types of organisational cultures assumed in the Cameron–Quinn OCAI model were established. The information was collected in a CAWI survey. The presented research procedure constitutes a methodical innovation. The results demonstrate a trend of changes in the dominating types of organisational culture from market control to cooperation and creation with a stimulating role of professional logics (occupation, organisation) from the perspective of working from home which brings sustainable management and business models. There is a subtle role of home logic and low employee readiness level. The adapted cultural approach demonstrates that increasing effectiveness of home office solutions requires development of integrated practices, which consider this type of work as separate and specialised. The past corporate failures and spontaneous methods cannot serve as grounds for strategies (long-term solutions). However, the research demonstrates a low level and limited range of employee impact on the organisational culture. It also indicates the need for additional analyses to determine the concept of designing workplaces in the Sustainability–Harmonisation trajectory.

Institutional entrepreneurship and digital transformation: The role of outsider CEOs

The widespread diffusion of digital technologies forces incumbent firms to drive their digital transformation. Digital transformation not only involves a change in strategy but also requires new institutional logics for firms helping to operate in digital business environments. Firms increasingly hire outsider CEOs to cope with this development, but the necessary institutional change questions whether outsider CEOs can indeed realize digital transformation. We draw on the institutional entrepreneurship perspective to make sense of the role of outsider CEOs in digital transformation. We theorize that digital transformation awareness stemming from prior experience with digital transformation enables outsider CEOs to act as institutional entrepreneurs and realize digital transformation. We further argue that outsider CEOs with digital transformation awareness particularly benefit firms facing abrupt rather than accumulative digital transformations. To test our hypotheses, we introduce a novel, machine-learning-based digital transformation measure. Panel data regressions provide support for our predictions. Our findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the role of outsider CEOs as change agents.

Entrepreneurial finance and institutional logics in an emerging economy

Entrepreneurs raise money from multiple funding sources over time; however, studies of entrepreneurial finance typically focus on a dyadic view based on Global North institutional scaffolds. Taking a contextualised approach that understands funding as situated in local conditions, this research explores the influence of an emerging economy context on a financing process that incorporates multiple sources. Based on analysis of 36 interviews with entrepreneurs and financiers in Thailand, the research offers a model that identifies emerging entrepreneur–financier relationships and strategies for navigating multiple logics. Accessing funding involves a process of deal-making that requires multiple foci of attention over time. This article advances institutional theory by reclassifying how entrepreneurs interact with heterogeneous resource holders. Divergent logical pathways of relational formation are found among various types of financiers, suggesting an underlying institutional logic is not universal. Instead, it depends on the habitual organising principles of the focal actors and strategies adopted to manage the requirements of multiple funders.

Virtual gown and town: The Athabasca University crisis and the conflict of institutional logics

AbstractThe objective of this paper is to contribute to our understanding of ‘crisis’ in higher education through the analysis of a unique series of events involving a decisive change in the relationship between a university and the state. A descriptive case study approach is used to investigate the crisis in governance at Athabasca University, an open university located in Alberta, Canada. Factors leading to the crisis included the university leadership's decision to move forward with plans to become a near‐virtual organization, concerns by local town that a loss of university employees in the region would be an economic catastrophe, and political opportunism on the part of the elected provincial leaders who decided to address the problems raised by the town and shift the mandate of the university. Drawing on institutional theory and the concept of institutional logics, the paper analyses the episodic nature of the crisis and explores both the nature of the conflict and its resolution.

Making Science Relevant: Comparing Two Science Advisory Organizations Beyond the Linear Knowledge Model

AbstractThis article compares two science advisory organizations: the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) and the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES), with a special focus on how their respective policy systems absorb the knowledge delivered for use in decision processes. The science-policy processes of these two organizations differ in important respects; ICES delivers highly specified knowledge to a specified uptake mechanism, while the IPCC produces unspecified knowledge for an unspecified uptake mechanism. Since both environmental governance areas are criticized for lack of needed action, a comparison is of interest asking how this might relate to the organization of science advice. As theoretical resources for this explorative comparison we utilize two approaches from the field of science and technology studies: the co-production approach, which focuses on the entanglements of scientific and political processes, and the systems-theory-oriented multiple-worlds model, which assumes a clear difference in institutional logics between the scientific and the political field. Since the IPCC has been critically analysed by several studies utilizing resources from the two approaches, we contribute with new insights by bringing in ICES, which is a much less studied organization exposing a different science-policy structure. One important finding is that the two theoretical approaches focus on different aspects, exposing ‘links’ and ‘integration’, both of which we argue are important for analysing and assessing science advisory organizations. Moreover, these aspects can be advantageously integrated into a single theoretical framework.

The influence of politics on the governance of an entrepreneurial ecosystem in a developing country: a generative institutional discourse approach

ABSTRACT Entrepreneurship is often about the individual drive for innovation and the exploitation of opportunities; however, in an increasingly connected world, entrepreneurial ecosystems have gained considerable research interest. In many developed countries, entrepreneurial ecosystems emerge from organic collaborations between businesses and investors, with little political involvement. However, in a post-communist country like Kazakhstan, different stakeholders have diverse expectations, leading to tensions among them. In this study, we took a qualitative approach and drew from discursive institutionalism theory in entrepreneurship research in order to understand the influence of politics on the governance of an entrepreneurial ecosystem. Our findings reveal tensions between collective aspirations and individual goals, generating multiple institutional logics. The generative institutional discourse that is brought about by politics, their influence on governance, and facilitating factors is a mechanism that helps to turn such tensions into policies and collective action. To gain a better understanding of the influence of politics on the governance of entrepreneurial ecosystems, we propose a generative institutional discourse model.