Quiet unintended transitions? Neo-Durkheimian explanation of institutional change

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 770-790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Perri 6
Keyword(s):  
Single Case ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Process Tracing ◽  
Significant Advance ◽  
Causal Mechanism ◽  
Causal Process ◽  
Historical Case ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secondary Sources

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to resolve a puzzle in the explanation of organisational change, where change appears to be within-form but results unintendedly in a transition between forms, yet first appearances suggest the absence of “noise” of the kind expected during shifts between forms. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses qualitative analysis of primary archival and secondary sources on an historical case, analysing the data by coding using categories derived from neo-Durkheimian institutional theory. It examines the case of the cabinet, treated as an organisation, in the British government led by premier Harold Macmillan between 1959 and 1963, when a strategy for increasing hierarchy resulted unintendedly in an isolation dynamic. Findings – It demonstrates that the neo-Durkheimian institutional approach can explain such puzzling cases. Appropriately for a special issue in honour of Mars’ work, it shows that his method of following rule violation and an adapted version of his concept of capture can provide a method of causal process tracing and a causal mechanism for resolving the puzzle. Research limitations/implications – The argument is presented for purposes of theory development, not testing. It examines a single case study in depth. Social implications – The findings demonstrate some of the risks which arise in changing informal institutional ordering, especially within decision-making executives, from the process by which informal institutions shape styles of judgement and decisions driven by those styles then feed back upon those executive bodies. Originality/value – This is the first examination of puzzling unintended between-form transitions, the first to propose an adaptation of Mars’ concept of capture to resolve such puzzles and the first detailed causal process tracing analysis of such a case using neo-Durkheimian institutional theoretic tools. It therefore offers a significant advance in institutional explanation of organisational change.

Process-Tracing Methods in Social Science

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek Beach
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Process Tracing ◽  
Causal Process ◽  
Historical Case ◽  
Actual Case ◽  
Causal Mechanisms ◽  
Core Components ◽  
Shed Light

Process tracing is a research method for tracing causal mechanisms using detailed, within-case empirical analysis of how a causal process plays out in an actual case. Process tracing can be used both for case studies that aim to gain a greater understanding of the causal dynamics that produced the outcome of a particular historical case and to shed light on generalizable causal mechanisms linking causes and outcomes within a population of causally similar cases. This article breaks down process tracing as a method into its three core components: theorization about causal mechanisms linking causes and outcomes; the analysis of the observable empirical manifestations of the operation of theorized mechanisms; and the complementary use of comparative methods to enable generalizations of findings from single case studies to other causally similar cases. Three distinct variants of process tracing are developed, illustrated by examples from the literature.

Street-level collaboration: perception, power, and politics on the frontlines of collaboration

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 461-476
Author(s):  
Harish P. Jagannath
Keyword(s):  
Single Case ◽  
Sufficient Conditions ◽  
Collaborative Governance ◽  
Bureaucratic Politics ◽  
Causal Mechanism ◽  
Single Case Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Street Level ◽  
Collaborative Initiative

PurposeTo examine the implementation processes and outcomes of collaborative governance initiatives through the lens of bureaucratic politics.Design/methodology/approachAn in-depth single case study research design with 28 embedded cases to study the implementation of a collaborative governance initiative. This paper uses the analytical technique of process tracing to explicate necessary and sufficient conditions to uncover causal mechanisms and confirm descriptive and causal inferences.FindingsThis study finds that when street-level bureaucrats perceived the collaborative initiative as a health intervention (and not as a collaborative initiative), it resulted in low levels of stakeholder participation and made the collaborative initiative unsuccessful. This paper finds that bureaucratic politics is the causal mechanism that further legitimized this perception resulting in each stakeholder group avoiding participation and sticking to their departmental siloes.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a single case study about a revelatory case of collaborative governance implementation in India, and findings are analytically generalizable to similar administrative contexts. Further research is needed through a multiple case study design in a comparative context to examine bureaucratic politics in implementing collaborative initiatives.Practical implicationsPolicymakers and managers need to carefully consider the implications of engaging organizations with competing institutional histories when formulating and implementing collaborative governance initiatives.Originality/valueThis study's uniqueness is that it examines implementation of collaborative governance through a bureaucratic politics lens. Specifically, the study applies Western-centric scholarship on collaborative governance and street-level bureaucracy to a non-Western developing country context to push the theoretical and empirical boundaries of key concepts in public administration.

scholarly journals Dark open innovation in a criminal organizational context: the case of Madoff’s Ponzi fraud

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
pp. 1445-1462
Author(s):  
Paul Manning ◽  
Peter John Stokes ◽  
Max Visser ◽  
Caroline Rowland ◽  
Shlomo Yedida Tarba
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Open Innovation ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Organizational Innovation ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Social Capital Theory ◽  
Human Flourishing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secondary Sources

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the processes of open innovation in the context of a fraudulent organization and, using the infamous Bernie L. Madoff Investment Securities fraud case, introduces and elaborates upon the concept of dark open innovation. The paper’s conceptual framework is drawn from social capital theory, which is grounded on the socio-economics of Bourdieu, Coleman and Putnam and is employed in order to make sense of the processes that occur within dark open innovation.Design/methodology/approachGiven the self-evident access issues, this paper is necessarily based on archival and secondary sources taken from the court records ofMadoff v. New York– including victim impact statements, the defendant’s Plea Allocution, and academic and journalistic commentaries – which enable the identification of the processes involved in dark open innovation. Significantly, this paper also represents an important inter-disciplinary collaboration between academic scholars variously informed by business and history subject domains.FindingsAlthough almost invariably cast as a positive process, innovation can also be evidenced as a negative or dark force. This is particularly relevant in open innovation contexts, which often call for the creation of extended trust and close relationships. This paper outlines a case of dark open innovation.Research limitations/implicationsA key implication of this study is that organizational innovation is not automatically synonymous with human flourishing or progress. This paper challenges the automatic assumption of innovation being positive and introduces the notion of dark open innovation. Although this is accomplished by means of an in-depth single case, the findings have the potential to resonate in a wide spectrum of situations.Practical implicationsInnovation is a concept that applies across a range of organization and management domains. Criminals also innovate; thus, the paper provides valuable insights into the organizational innovation processes especially involved in relation to dark open innovation contexts.Social implicationsIt is important to develop and fully understand the possible wider meanings of innovation and also to recognize that innovation – particularly dark open innovation – does not always create progress. The Caveat Emptor warning is still relevant.Originality/valueThe paper introduces the novel notion of dark open innovation.

The role of different stakeholders in destination development

2016 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raija Komppula
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Historical Review ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Review Reports

Purpose This paper aims to highlight the crucial role of individual people, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders in the development of a tourist destination during its life cycle. The purpose is to increase our understanding of individual actors as contributors to leadership and development of tourism destinations. Design/methodology/approach An intrinsic case study of a Finnish ski resort, Ruka, is presented. The primary data consist of 16 narrative interviews. Secondary sources of information such as a history book and a historical review, reports and Web pages have been used as well. Findings The study suggests that the leadership in a destination is attributed to individuals. It is the charismatic entrepreneurs, business managers, municipality and influential politicians that may take control of the leadership at the destination. Being local enhances the sense of identity with the place and facilitates a cooperative atmosphere between actors. Finally, the roles of stakeholders and aspects of the leadership of a destination may vary along the destination life cycle. Research limitations/implications As this paper presents a single case study in a Finnish context, the findings cannot be, and are not meant to be, generalized. Rather, the findings present an example of an exception to the mainstream destination management and governance literature. Originality/value The paper fills the research gap noted by Kennedy (2014) and presents an in-depth study analysing the role of different stakeholders in destination leadership.

Process Tracing

2021 ◽  
pp. 219-222
Author(s):  
Jochem Rietveld ◽  
Seda Gürkan
Keyword(s):  
Causal Chain ◽  
Theory Building ◽  
Process Tracing ◽  
Theory Testing ◽  
Causal Mechanism ◽  
Causal Process ◽  
Analysis Technique ◽  
Research Goal ◽  
Develop Theory ◽  
Independent Variable

This chapter illustrates process-tracing (PT), which is a qualitative within-case data analysis technique used to identify causal relations. Although there are several distinct definitions of the PT method, scholars largely agree that the process-tracing method attempts to identify the intervening causal process (or the causal chain or causal mechanism) between an independent variable and the dependent variable. The PT method can be used for theory testing and theory-building. When it is applied to theory testing, a hypothetical causal mechanism is tested against empirical evidence. The research goal is to test whether a theorized mechanism is present in a given case, or whether the mechanism functions as expected in the selected case. When tracing is applied to theory-building, the goal is to identify causal processes for which there is no available prior theoretical hypothesis in the literature. Here, the aim of the research is to develop theory.

Construction service quality and satisfaction for a targeted housing customer

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Perry John Forsythe
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Longitudinal Design ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Dynamic Relationship ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The impact of service quality on customer satisfaction during detached housing construction in Australia is investigated for a targeted customer – one whose expectations focus on “price and product” and not “service quality”. The purpose of this paper is to see if service quality impacts on customer satisfaction during construction, despite the apparent conflict in expectations. Design/methodology/approach – A detailed single case study methodology is used, focusing on the aforementioned customer as the unit of measure. A longitudinal design is employed by measuring customer satisfaction and service quality “gap scores” at four stages during construction, using a survey instrument adapted from the consumer research literature. This is coupled with qualitative interview data coded into a linked set of definable service incidents. Findings – The study finds that irrespective of having price and product oriented pre-purchase expectations, customer satisfaction is closely related to perceptions of service quality during onsite construction. This only occurs for a selective set of “active” service quality dimensions – especially responsiveness and reliability dimensions. These dimensions appear to be driven by the customer’s underlying level of exposure to both positive and negative service incidents, and the ratio between the two appears to direct the strength and direction of “gap scores”. Once the physical end product materialises, the customer gradually focuses more on the objectivity and realisation this offers, and less on service quality. Originality/value – The paper facilitates theory development in terms of generating testable variables effecting the dynamic relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction, during construction. The approach enables an increased ability to identify and explain how contextual variables, linked to specific customer types, impact on the relationship. The generalisability and validity of the findings are discussed.

Exploring fields of ambiguity in the sustainability transition of universities

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Bien ◽  
Coco Klußmann
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Fundamental Aspect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Sustainability Transition ◽  
Sustainability In Higher Education ◽  
Multi Method Approach ◽  
The University

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework that systematically captures the ambiguity of different understandings about science, the university and its relation to society, while conceptualising sustainability. Following Corley and Gioia (2004, p. 174) on identity ambiguity and change, it seems pivotal to better understanding the ambiguity of sustainability in relation to academic cultures and university models to manage the transition more effectively. Design/methodology/approach The nature of this paper’s objectives as well as the wide thematic scope leads to the need of exploring a broad knowledge base. This was best addressed by an exploratory literature review with data collection from primary and secondary sources. The data was interpreted through a hermeneutic analysis and resulted in the inductive development of first categories and goals (further referred to as category development). In addition, a multi-method approach further adjusted the categories and raised their empirical validity and social robustness. Findings Implementing sustainability involves dealing with a double bound ambiguity due to organisational and individual identity reasons. Five fields of ambiguity were developed to systemise the conceptualisation of a sustainable university along contradictory understandings of science, the university and sustainability. These fields offer a framework to qualitatively assess the degree of sustainability in higher education institutions. Arguments for and against sustainability in universities have been categorised around five criteria and associated to the fields of ambiguity. The finding indicates that meaning in organisational change management for sustainability can be considered both, a potential driver and barrier for a sustainability transition in universities. Research limitations/implications This paper exclusively focussed on the internal perspective and left aside any external factors that influence the sustainability transition, such as political measures to stimulate sustainability in higher education. In addition, the operational dimension of a sustainable university has been neglected, which is by all means a necessary and important aspect. The interrelation of the identified goals has not been discussed. Originality/value This paper focusses on the conceptualisation and understanding of sustainability within the institution, an often-forgotten but fundamental aspect of implementation. The fields of ambiguity are designed to be applied for assessing the “degree of maturity” of a sustainable university. The fields reveal the different understandings about the role, the mission and the governance of universities, stemming from competing preferences about goals and their assumed relations by various stakeholders of a higher education institutions. The five fields are not an attempt to resolve the hidden contradictions and tensions in a sustainability transition, but to state them clearly to anticipate resistances and conflicts that hinder the development of a shared understanding.

Process Tracing Methods

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek Beach
Keyword(s):  
Single Case ◽  
Comparative Methods ◽  
Process Tracing ◽  
Detailed Knowledge ◽  
Historical Case ◽  
Actual Case ◽  
Causal Mechanisms ◽  
Causal Processes ◽  
The Social ◽  
Core Components

Process tracing is an in-depth within-case study method used in the social sciences for tracing causal mechanisms and how they play out within an actual case. Process tracing can be used to build and test theories of processes that link causes and outcomes in a bounded population of causally similar cases, in combination with comparative methods, or, when used in a more pragmatic fashion, to gain a greater understanding of the causal dynamics that produced the outcome of a particular historical case. The strength of process tracing is that detailed knowledge is gained through the collection of within-case, mechanistic evidence about how causal processes work in real-world cases. Process tracing enables only within-case inferences to be made, making comparative methods necessary to enable inferences to causally similar cases. Comparisons make generalization possible because we can then claim that as a set of other cases are causally similar to the studied one, we should expect similar mechanisms to also be operative in these cases. Process tracing as a method can be broken down into three core components: theorization about causal mechanisms linking causes and outcomes, the development and analysis of the observable empirical manifestations of the operation of parts of theorized mechanisms, and the complementary use of comparative methods to enable generalizations of findings from single case studies to other causally similar cases.

scholarly journals Revisiting international relations legacy on hegemony

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nussaiba Ashraf
Keyword(s):  
International Relations ◽  
World Order ◽  
September 11 ◽  
Process Tracing ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Causal Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Causal Mechanisms ◽  
American Hegemony ◽  
Us Hegemony

Purpose This study aims to investigate the decline of American hegemony as one of the most prominent crises of the modern world order, from a broader perspective that transcends narrow traditional interpretations. The paper assumes that the September 11 events in 2001 have launched the actual decline in American hegemony. Tracing the evolution of US global strategy over the past two decades, the study seeks to analyze the main causes and repercussions of the decline of US hegemony, which would provide a bird’s eye view of what the current global system is going through. Design/methodology/approach The study investigates the decline in American hegemony through a longitudinal within-case analysis which focuses on the causal path of decline in hegemony in the case of the USA, since the events of September 11, 2001, and tries to identify the causal mechanisms behind this decline. Following George and Bennet (2005), the study uses process tracing to examine its research question. Process-tracing method seeks to identify the intervening causal process – causal chain or causal mechanisms or the steps in a causal process – that leads to the outcome of a particular case in a specific historical context (Mahoney, 2000; Bennet and Elman, 2006). The study chose this method, as it offers more potential for identifying causal mechanisms and theory testing (George and Bennet, 2005); it opted for a specific procedure, among the variety of process-tracing procedures listed by George and Bennet, which is the detailed narrative presented as a chronicle, accompanied by explicit causal hypotheses. Using this process tracing procedure, the study assumes that American hegemony has witnessed dramatic changes in the aftermath of critical junctures, particularly the events of September 11, 2001, and the financial crises, 2008, which contributed significantly to this decline. Consequently, it traces the impact of these events on the state of American hegemony, in light of the review of contributions of different theories on hegemony in the field of international relations, both traditional and critical. Consequently, introducing the theoretical framework used in the study (the four-dimensional model of hegemony), which transcends criticisms of previous theories. Findings The crises of the modern world order and the decline of American hegemony – being the main manifestation of such crises – revealed the inability of the traditional and critical approaches reviewed in the study to interpret this decline and those crises. The reason behind that was the inability of these interpretations to reflect the various dimensions of American hegemony and its decline since the September 11 events. This highlights the importance of using the four-dimensional model, which combines different factors in the analysis and has proved to be an appropriate model for studying the case of American hegemony and its decline after the events of September 11, as it deals with the phenomenon of hegemony as a social relationship based on specific social networks. Originality/value Despite the currency and relevance of the decline of US hegemony for both the academic and political world, the topic needed to be analyzed systemically and addressed in a thorough scientific way. Through the application of theoretical concepts into the analysis of empirical data, this study contributes to a field where too often the discourse about decline of American hegemony is led without the required theoretical or conceptual considerations.

Talent management in a Swedish public hospital

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 1611-1633
Author(s):  
Daniel Tyskbo
Keyword(s):  
Public Hospital ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Talent Management ◽  
Performance Appraisals ◽  
Sample Survey ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Contextual Awareness ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of how talent management (TM) unfolds in practice in a public organization.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory single case study was conducted of a Swedish public hospital, based on interviews, observations and documents.FindingsThe findings illustrate that despite a highly egalitarian and collectivist context, the hospital adopted an exclusive approach to TM, and a talent was not considered or identified through formal performance appraisals, but through informal criteria. The rationale behind this approach is influenced by the surrounding context, including the implementation of an innovative and strategically important practice, and the highly professionalized context.Research limitations/implicationsThe study offered a rich view of how TM unfolds in practice, which may not always be possible using large sample, survey studies; however, it limited the generalizability.Practical implicationsThe study points to important issues when designing TM.Originality/valueThe paper addresses two main shortcomings in the TM literature: the under-researched context of public organizations and the lack of contextual awareness. The empirically driven analysis constitutes an important step for further theory development regarding exclusive/inclusive approaches in TM.

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