Isomorphic Change Research Articles

Isomorphism of national policies? The ‘Europeanisation’ of German competition and public procurement law

The ‘Europeanisation’ of domestic public policies has been among the key themes in recent reforms in EU member states. This article employs the analytical concept of ‘isomorphism’ to come to a better understanding of ‘Europeanisation’. Various mechanisms which might lead to isomorphic change are being identified and applied to the reforms in German competition and public procurement law. The application of the isomorphism framework suggests that ‘Europeanisation’ has multiple sources and cannot be understood as a uniform process nor as leading to uniform outcomes.

Patterns of villous and intervillous space growth in human placentas from normal and abnormal pregnancies

Objectives: To apply a new stereological approach (relating an exponent of villous surface to volume) to test for patterns of change in placental villi and intervillous space from normal and abnormal pregnancies. Study Design: Placentas from normal gestation and pregnancies associated with hypoxic stress (high altitude, diabetes, cigarette smoking) were sampled randomly, fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin wax for stereological analysis. Volumes (villi, intervillous space) were estimated by point counting and surface areas (villi) by intersection counting. A dimensionless coefficient ( S 3 2 V ) was then calculated to test for isomorphic changes. Comparisons within groups were drawn using analysis of variance. Results: Changes in villi were isomorphic at high altitude and in placentas from women who smoked during pregnancy. The same pattern is seen in placentas associated with pre-eclampsia. Changes during gestation and diabetes are anisomorphic, i.e. villous surface area alters disproportionately to volume. A similar pattern is seen in maternal anaemia. Alterations in the intervillous space were isomorphic in diabetes and smoking but anisomorphic during gestation, at high altitude and in maternal anaemia and pre-eclampsia. Conclusions: The approach has advantages over alternatives (star volume and topological analysis). Structural changes influence placental transport and haemodynamics but there are subtle differences between groups which may depend on the nature of the hypoxic stress and the adaptations made by individual tissue compartments.

Institutional Pressures and Isomorphic Change: An Empirical Test

This paper examines the process of isomorphic change. It does so by examin ing the dynamics of the change process and looking at change holistically. Using a population of 36 national-level sport organizations, subject to environ mental pressures from a state agency to adopt a more professional and bureau cratic design, the paper shows that over time there is an increase in the level of homogeneity of these organizations. Although the general shift is to a more professional and bureaucratic type of organization, certain elements of struc ture do not change as much as others, thus demonstrating resistance to institu tional pressures. The processes by which the changes that occurred took place are explored.

The Iron Cage Revisited: Institutional Isomorphism and Collective Rationality in Organizational Fields

Instead of examining why organizations are dissimilar, this study explores why organizations tend to be increasingly and inevitably homogenous in their forms and practices. Organizations in a similar line of work are structured into an organizational field by powerful forces that lead them to become similar. Rather than the causes of rationalization and bureaucratization suggested by Max Weber, including competition and the need for efficiency, institutional similarity is due to the structuration of organizational fields, a process caused largely by the state and the professions, which are the great rationalizers of the late 20th century. In highly structured organizational fields, rational efforts of individuals aggregately lead to structural, cultural, and output homogeneity. Homogenization is best captured by the concept of isomorphism, the process whereby one element in a population resembles others that confront the same environmental conditions. The two types of isomorphism are competitive and institutional. Three processes lead to organizational similarity: (1) coercive isomorphism stemming from political influence and the problem of legitimacy; (2) mimetic isomorphism resulting from uniform responses to uncertainty; and (3) normative isomorphism associated with professionalism. While these isomorphic processes improve organizational transactions, they do not necessarily increase internal efficiency. Twelve hypotheses are offered for further research about which organizational fields will be most homogenous. These hypotheses relate the impact of resource centralization and dependency, goal ambiguity and technical uncertainty, and professionalism and structuration on isomorphic change. Finally, useful implications of the study for theories of organizations and social change are offered. (TNM)