Marvin Washington

Field Approaches to Institutional Change: The Evolution of the National Collegiate Athletic Association 1906–1995

This article uses qualitative and quantitative data to examine the institutional change of an interest association. Interest associations are unique institutions in that they may be more concerned with membership growth than with economic gain. However, these associations play a vital role in the social control and evolution of organizational fields. After a discussion of the theoretical literature on institutional change, I examine the change of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as it competed for dominance in the US collegiate athletic field with a contender institution, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. I hypothesize, and find support for the claim that to contend with the competing institution, the NCAA changed by changing its membership criteria. In the early period of the NCAA, it was a place for only high-status schools. After 1952, the NCAA attracted lower-status schools, which were previously not interested in joining the NCAA. This study advances institutional theory using qualitative and quantitative evidence to examine how a major interest association emerged and transformed itself in order to maintain control over field structuration.

Institutions and Maintenance: The Repair Work of Italian Professions

This paper contributes to extending institutional theory by theorizing institutional maintenance as a process of repair and empirically examining repair work in a professional setting. Our in-depth, longitudinal case study illustrates how Italian professions—led by two professional associations—rebuffed the decisive intervention of the Italian Government to coercively reform the professional service sector and reconstituted institutional arrangements that had been severely disrupted. The paper advances theory on the resilience of institutions by showing that maintenance repair work enables powerful incumbents to reverse change and re-establish the status quo.

Taking advantage of the London 2012 Olympic Games: corporate social responsibility through sport partnerships

Abstract This research explores the ways in which corporate organisations leveraged corporate social responsibility (CSR) through a sport initiative that was conceived, implemented and mediated by the British Olympic Association (BOA) preceding the London 2012 Olympic Games. This research aimed to evaluate the initiative in order to understand the benefits, barriers and partnership working and sought to answer the question: how is CSR being leveraged through sport by corporate organisations in the lead up to mega-sporting events? The case-based methodology employed a series of semi-structured interviews that were conducted with senior directors and managers within National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and corporate organisations. Interview data were supplemented by a content analysis of documentation associated with, and about, the initiative. Findings included: corporate leveraging to achieve subtle human resourcing objectives, indirect involvement and market research into the Olympic Games and the increase of corporate capital. This research concludes that CSR relationships in sport can be innovative and creative but require objective alignment, appropriate timing and the management of expectations.

Industry Gender Imprinting and New Venture Creation: The Liabilities of Women’s Leagues in the Sports Industry:

This paper examines how industry gender imprinting—the persistence of cultural values, beliefs, norms, and orientations associated with masculinity or femininity—influences new ventures. Our investigation of women’s leagues in the male-dominated sports industry reveals how gender imprinting negatively affects new ventures’ endeavors through three liabilities: identity, conformity, and differentiation. Our findings shed light on the challenges new ventures not aligned with the industry imprint encounter to obtaining material and symbolic support. We contribute to theory by advancing knowledge on how industry-specific sociocultural attributes influence entrepreneurial efforts, and to practice by suggesting how to overcome cultural roadblocks in gendered industries.

Process and emergence in contested terrain

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to deal with the issue of market redefinition through an examination of a unique industry that has met with multiple obstacles: online gambling. The main research question is how markets get redefined when quantum technological change occurs, despite the lack of formal support and a highly fragmented industry structure, typical in online industries.Design/methodology/approach – This industry lends itself to the analysis because of the intense competition for reconstruction of the field among state powers, professional associations, and global forces. The paper provides an archival and qualitative overview of the industry and identify the various forces competing for dominance in the market. It examines the competing logics in this industry and identify the sources and implications of such competition for emerging markets.Findings – Both broad and specific contributions of this paper are discussed, namely the important role of professional and interest associations in...

System equivalence: the application of joint optimization

The concepts of joint optimization and socio‐technical systems have been in the literature for over 40 years. However, efforts to operationalize these concepts for managerial practice have not progressed at the same pace as the theory on joint optimization has advanced. This paper represents an effort to turn the theoretical concept of joint optimization into managerial practice by introducing the concept of system equivalence. In this paper system equivalence (the level at which all three systems (social, technical, and environmental) are mutually equivalent in value (is described to indicate how it should be used. This paper then discusses the usefulness of this concept for managerial practice.

Pastor practices in the era of megachurches: New organizational practices and forms for a changing institutional environment

Abstract Megachurches represent an interesting empirical and conceptual phenomenon. Empirically, megachurches (Protestant churches with average weekly attendance of greater than 2,000 members) are growing at a time when overall church participation in the United States is steady or declining. Conceptually, megachurch pastors can be viewed as institutional leaders who attempt to reconcile new technologies and large congregations within a highly institutionalized setting. While many of these megachurches have a denominational affiliation, some do not. In this essay, we describe the literature on megachurches and offer observations about the megachurch as an institution. Drawing from preliminary analysis of a sample of over 1,400 megachurches (identified from the Hartford Institute for Religious Research), we also draw tentative conclusions about the characteristics of the pastors of megachurches, and one growing institutional maintenance practice: writing texts. We propose that examining megachurches can help extend the current research on institutional leadership, institutional work, and institutional support mechanisms.

The governing of governance: metagovernance and the creation of new organizational forms within Canadian sport

ABSTRACT This article examines how the creation of new governing arrangements (i.e., new organizational forms and new actors) has enabled government (Sport Canada) to strengthen its control and influence over Canadian sport illustrated through two empirical case studies of newly created organizational forms. More specifically, we draw upon the metagovernance approach to examine the inter-organizational dynamics between Sport Canada and quasi-autonomous organizational entities (Own the Podium and Sport for Life) and the nature of these new governance arrangements. The analysis highlights the similar trajectories of the two case-study organizations and reveals similar underlying patterns of control by Sport Canada in that both newly created entities have been used to strengthen the governmental agencies’ capacity and reach over the sport sector. Furthermore, the study reveals how these resource-dependent organizations are being utilized and leveraged by government, often through negotiation, diplomacy, and other informal mechanisms, to achieve its own objectives. More broadly, our analysis highlights the underlying mechanisms through which these newly formed networked arrangements operate.

Patterns of enforcement: examining the interplay between firms, media and regulators

This research examines the interplay between regulators, media and firms by showing how public bureaucracies maintain institutional control in light of varying degrees of firm compliance and media coverage. Analysis of US National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) automobile crash tests reveals a push-pull process in which increased regulatory activity, sparked by media coverage and firm inspection performance, leads to increased firm participation in regulatory processes, which in turn, decreases regulatory activity. Results additionally illustrate how inspections modify firm political behaviour; particularly when accompanied by media coverage of regulatory issues. The administration of such inspections illustrates the dynamic nature of the relationship between firms and regulators.

Book Review: Patricia H. Thornton Markets from Culture: Institutional logics and organizational decisions in higher education publishing

century provided the ideal opportunity, he claims, for management consulting to finally institute the changes necessary to achieve full professional status. But as in the past, leading firms shied away from this challenge, and management consulting remains at best a quasi-profession. As this review has hopefully shown, The World’s Newest Profession provides a rich historical account of the evolution of modern management consulting. The book’s strengths lie in its illustrations of specific consulting projects — and by extension consulting eras — that would otherwise be lost in the mists of time in an industry that trades on the here and now. For business historians and those with a specific interest in management consulting, this book is an absolute must read. Organization theorists, on the other hand, are likely to be left intrigued yet wanting. While the history is rich and detailed, the book never develops a clear and consistent theoretical story of management consulting’s evolution. Organization theorists will also miss out on any implications for theories of industry evolution more generally — as a historian, this is not McKenna’s focus. For those interested in such implications, this book provides excellent raw material which, when combined with other historical accounts, can lead to theoretical insight.