Protect to Damage? Institutional work, unintended consequences and institutional dynamics
Organization Studies · 2021 · Volume 42 · Issue 3
Abstract
How does institutional work to uphold an institution unintentionally challenge that institution? To answer this question, I trace institutional work of proponents of change and the norm majority – members of the public who show rectitude vis-à-vis perceived provocation against an established institution, in the context of America’s first bird protection movement. A historical process analysis reveals that institutional work unintentionally compromises institutions because the work can be seen as public conformity to the established institution. A model developed from the findings provides a more refined understanding of unintended consequences in institutional studies.
Keywords
institutional work, unintended consequences, norm majority, public conformity
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