Institutional Theory CH 5

Technological Frames

By analyzing a group's technological frames, one can see how the group makes sense of technology. The frames and interaction of the frames help explain the adoption and use of technology over time, particularly the use of groupware by senior management and their personal assistants. (defined from a case study)

Legitimacy

defined as the general perception that an organization's actions are desirable, proper, and appropriate within the environment's systems of norms, values, and beliefs ○ institutional theory thus is concerned with the set of intangible norms and values that shape behavior, as opposed to the tangible elements of technology and structure

Institutional Perspective

describes how organizations survive and succeed through congruence (harmony) between an organization and the expectations from its environment

Isomorphism

describes the move toward similarity that organizations go through to maintain the level of legitimacy they have, and why so many organizations in the same field such as schools, hospitals, and banks look strikingly similar to each other

Normative Forces

pressures to change to achieve the standards of professionalism and to adopt techniques that are considered by the professional community to be up to date and effective ○ result from common training and professionalism, + obligation ○ Social Basis: MORAL

Coercive Forces

the external pressures exerted on an organization to adopt structures, techniques, or behaviors similar to other organizations. Occur when an organization is dependent on another, when there are political factors involved (such as rules, laws, or sanctions), or when some other contractual or legal basis defines the relationship ○ result from political influence and dependence ○ Social Basis: LEGAL (legal, gov., orgs [retail/manuf.]) ○ may not make the org more effective, but it will look more effective and will be accepted as legitimate in the environment

Mimetic Forces

the pressure to copy or model other organizations ○ result from responses to uncertainty ○ Social Basis: Culturally Supported ○ many times, this modeling is done without any clear proof that performance will be improved ○ the one certain benefit is that manager's feelings of uncertainty is reduced, and the company's image will be enhanced because the firm is seen as using the latest management techniques

Taken-for-grantedness

there are certain things around us that we take for granted as being true, normal, or simply the way things are, for no certain reason

Institutional Environment

● is composed of norms and values from stakeholders (such as customers, investors, associations, boards, other organizations, government, the community, and so on) ○ believes that organizations adopt structures and processes to please outsiders, and these activities come to take on rule-like status in organizations ○ reflects what the greater society views as correct ways of organizing and behaving