The Institutional Construction of Organizations: International and Longitudinal Studies

During the past three decades, organization studies have witnessed a succession of theoretical perspectives - contingency theory, resource dependency and population ecology - that focus on one or other aspect of organizations. Only institutional theory highlights the importance of the wider social and cultural environment as the 'ground' in which organizations are rooted.

This book brings together original work from two different research traditions - continental Europe and the United States - to shed light on the study of organizations. This includes empirical observations, longitudinal analyses, market-based organizational forms, and the concepts of agency and strategy.