Collective Action in Crisis? Introduction to the Special Issue

Martin Kornberger, Renate E. Meyer, Ignasi Martí, Corinna Frey-Heger, Joep Cornelissen, Marian Gatzweiler

Organization Studies · 2025 · Volume 46 · Issue 7

Abstract

This Introduction to the special issue ‘Collective Action in Crisis?’ explores two key themes. First, it seeks to deepen understanding of how collective action can be organized in crises, connecting established knowledge in the field with new insights from the articles of this special issue. Second, the question mark in our guiding theme invites critical reflection on whether the theories we use to understand collective action are themselves in crisis. Through this theme, we propose both a theoretical exploration and an empirical agenda, recognizing that crises amplify foundational concerns in organization studies around problems of collective action. We begin by ‘zooming out’ to provide an overview of foundational theoretical approaches to collective action during crises. Then, we ‘zoom in’ and foreground the specific value of middle-range theories and core concepts from organization and management studies. Our aim is to offer conceptual resources for scholars and practitioners tackling the critical task of organizing collective action in crises.

Keywords

collective action, crisis, decision making, institutions, organization, practices, routines, sense making

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