Institutional Logics in Action Research in the Sociology of Organizations

The Institutional Logics Perspective is one of the fastest growing new theoretical areas in organization studies (Thornton, Ocasio & Lounsbury, 2012).a Building on early efforts by Friedland & Alford (1991) to bring society back in to the study of organizational dynamics, this new scholarly domain has revived institutional analysis by embracing a focus on the dynamic and heterogeneous nature of institutions.a In doing so, it has embraced a more practice-centered approach to agency that emphasizes situated interactions, the importance of history, the role of both symbolic and material elements, and the study of cross-level processes and mechanisms. The Institutional Logics Perspective is one of the fastest growing new theoretical areas in organization studies (Thornton, Ocasio & Lounsbury, 2012). Building on early efforts by Friedland & Alford (1991) to "bring society back in" to the study of organizational dynamics, this new scholarly domain has revived institutional analysis by embracing a focus on the dynamic and heterogeneous nature of institutions. In doing so, it has embraced a more practice-centered approach to agency that emphasizes situated interactions, the importance of history, the role of both symbolic and material elements, and the study of cross-level processes and mechanisms. This two volume set, seeded by an ABC Network conference held in Banff, Alberta, CANADA in June 2012, provides a fresh set of papers by scholars at the cutting edge of research on institutional logics. As a whole, the papers provide many novel theoretical insights about institutional logics in action - focusing on their dynamics, complexity, and evolving relationship to actors as actors actively navigate their social worlds. Edited By Michael Lounsbury, Alberta School Of Business, University Of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada; Eva Boxenbaum, Centre For Management Studies, École Des Mines Paristech, Paris, France, Department Of Organization, Copenhagen Business School, Frederiksberg, Denmark. Seeded By An Abc Network Conference Held In Banff, Alberta, Canada In June 2012--page 4 Of Cover, Pt. A. Includes Bibliographical References.