In this conceptual paper, we aim to revisit key research themes in contemporary organizational institutionalism and by doing this, redirect attention of scholars in public administration towards the most promising domains of application of institutional theory. We propose to shift attention from enabling and power-induced framing of institutional…

This qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study describes the lived experiences of school leaders who worked through the processes of school mergers in New York State. The central research question that guided the study was: What are the lived experiences of school leaders who worked through the processes of a school merger? In addition,…

The changing educational landscape requires new organizational frameworks to understand how schools and universities make sense of and respond to broader institutional forces like accountability, diversity, and the market. In this article, we draw on recent innovations in organizational theory to propose a model that identifies two general…

Purpose: This paper explores the emergence and shift in critical theories and problems-of-practice over the last 50 years. Design/methodology/approach: Quipu is an Incan record-keeping system used across the Andes. Using multiple strings of different colors, hundreds of different knots were used to count, record historical events. The underlying…

This study explores change processes in higher music education by following the development of the Centre for Excellence in Music Performance Education (CEMPE) at the Norwegian Academy of Music (NMH) over the period 2014-2023. The following research question is addressed: How has institutional change been enabled in a higher music education…

Purpose: Seashore Louis has enjoyed a long and productive career, contributing many key understandings to the field; among them, foundational theorizing regarding professional community, organizational learning and the role of principal leadership in organizational and student learning. In each, the role of organizational change and its bearing on…

Although research alliances (RAs) have long been seen as mutualistic and reciprocal, RAs face numerous obstacles navigating stakeholders' differing goals, incentives, and information. This longitudinal, comparative case study of two RAs uses principal-agent theory to analyze these interdependent challenges and their relationship to RA strategy and…

Purpose: This paper aims to review organizational studies literature and related fields to explore the parallel between organizations and organisms in dealing with change. Design/methodology/approach: The authors reviewed the literature to explore organizational change theories. Additionally, they referred to biological studies to explore the…

Global disruptions are marking our days and calling on individuals, institutions, and the State for institutional change. Given the need to understand changing processes and their implications for society and public policy, it is vital to equip Public Administration students with the knowledge of relevant theories to assess the complexity of such…

This article deals with the institutional theory and isomorphism, from the processes of organizational change in higher education institutions. In a first phase, we analyze, through a questionnaire, the situations and causes of change in higher education institutions (HEI), more precisely in the field knowledge of Physical Education in Colombia.…

Purpose: At a time when many education systems are grappling with the issue of school reform, there is a concern that traditional UK secondary schools are organised in a way that makes them unable to respond to increasingly complex environmental demands. This research-based paper uses complexity theory to gauge the organisational differences…

Whereas growth in international school numbers is widely reported, less attention has been given to how these schools have developed as organisations. Drawing on organisational life-cycle models (Greiner, 1972) and the work of DiMaggio and Powell (1983), this paper addresses that gap. As international schools grow individually, and as the field…

Though understudied, academic structure reflects and shapes the central work--education, research, service--of higher education organizations (HEOs). Academic structure also shapes and illuminates the external environments and internal dynamics of HEOs. Despite the centrality of academic structure to HEOs and their work, our knowledge of it is…

This instrumental case study examined why institutional diversity efforts on US campuses gained limited success through a case of a predominantly white research university in the Midwest. Through the lens of reimagined organizational behavior theories for intersectional justice, we analyzed the lived experiences of Black and Latinx students and…

Purpose: This paper aims to provide an overview of the concept "organizational unlearning" and its development since it was first introduced to the management literature and presents a useful perspective that can help to advance the conceptual development of this topic. Design/methodology/approach: Through a conversation with celebrated…