29th EGOS Colloquium
HEC Montreal, July 4-6, 2013
Call for Papers
Pluralism and Patterns in Institutional Trajectories
Robert David (McGill University)
Pamela Tolbert (Cornell University)
Paul Tracey (Cambridge University)
The idea that organizational innovations – new behaviours, practices, or structures – have distinct institutional trajectories is implicit in much institutional research. Explicit theorization of and empirical work on such trajectories is surprisingly limited, however. We believe that a variety of patterns remain to be documented and theorized, and that this is an important project for the development of institutional theory. Our aim in this sub-theme, therefore, is to assemble work that will allow us to explore more fully both the pluralism and the patterns in institutional trajectories. The following points illustrate some of the issues that papers in this session may address:
- Temporal scales in institutional trajectories. Institutional studies lack explicit consideration of time. Why is it that some institutional trajectories take many years to unfold while others evolve more quickly?
- Key drivers of institutional trajectories. Institutions are supported in varying degrees by regulative, normative, and cognitive forces (Scott, 1995). Are there patterns in the alignment of institutional forces, and do these patterns affect trajectories? What are the possible trajectories of innovations that embody a contested logic or multiple, conflicting logics?
- Bumpy, declining, or reversal trajectories. Most innovations never become highly institutionalized, yet there has been limited theorizing on the conditions that lead to declines or stalls in innovation adoption. What do we know about trajectories that do not lead to high levels of institutionalization?
- Imitation, translation and editing in institutional trajectories. The concepts that underpin the Scandinavian tradition of institutional theory – imitation, translation and editing – resonate with the notion of institutional trajectories, and have the potential to offer an alternative perspective on organizational innovation to the North American tradition. How does a focus on these concepts illuminate our understanding of institutional trajectories?
- Relations among trajectories. Although much research examines the spread of a single innovation, general observation suggests that innovations are often "bundled", with similar innovations spreading around the same time. Are there legitimizing influences of institutionalized innovations on subsequent innovations?
These are just a sample of the possible topics that would fit into this sub-theme, and we welcome papers addressing other, related topics as well. If you have questions about a possible submission, please feel free to contact one of the three organizers listed above.
Pamela S. Tolbert
Lois S. Gray Professor of Industrial Relations and Social Sciences
Department of Organizational Behavior, Chair
Tel: 607-255-9527