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Criteria for Evaluating the Organizational Legitimacy: A Typology for Legitimacy Jungle Read chapter Read first chapter

2018 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

2. Refocusing Isomorphism to Explain Organizational Legitimacy: A New Approach

Authors : Emilio Díez-Martín, Emilio Díez-de-Castro, Adolfo Vázquez-Sánchez

Published in: Organizational Legitimacy

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

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Abstract

Isomorphism is the process by which organizations adopt similar structures, routines, or even strategies. Through this process, organizations obtain legitimacy and become institutionalized. This paper criticizes the traditional definition of isomorphism by suggesting that the idea of similarity has been used to imply that organizations are static, which is only true in a small number of cases. In reality, most organizations change according to internal or external contingency factors. The authors note that isomorphism is at the same time a process as well as a state that is reached by sharing essential organizational characteristics. Through this redefined approach to isomorphism, common characteristics are studied, and new propositions are put forth to improve our understanding on how organizational structures are built while also acknowledging and explaining differences among them.

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Metadata
Title
Refocusing Isomorphism to Explain Organizational Legitimacy: A New Approach
Authors
Emilio Díez-Martín
Emilio Díez-de-Castro
Adolfo Vázquez-Sánchez
Copyright Year
2018
Book
Organizational Legitimacy

Print ISBN: 978-3-319-75989-0

Electronic ISBN: 978-3-319-75990-6

Copyright Year: 2018

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75990-6_2