Institutional theory suggests that organizations pursue legitimacy by conforming to isomorphic pressures in their environment. We extend previous research on institutional theory by distinguishing between two definitions of conformity (compliance and convergence) and by taking a comprehensive view of the organizational characteristics that might be subject to isomorphic pressures. This framework is applied to change between 2001 and 2004 in the internal characteristics of 101 public organizations in England. We find substantial evidence of compliance but more limited support for convergence. Furthermore, the impact of isomorphic pressures was stronger on organizational strategies and culture than on structures and processes. Thus, the relevance of institutional theory to change in the public sector depends on the definition of conformity that is used and the organizational characteristics that are examined.

This paper offers an interpretation of the importance of organizational gossip. It draws together theory and research from various disciplines in order to explore four main propositions: that gossip is a phenomenon worthy of serious study/analysis; that gossip in organizations has been under-researched; that ana lysis of gossip reveals important aspects about the social organization of work; and that gossip is a social process that helps to protect and perpetuate organiza tions. It concludes that gossip is intrinsic to organizational life. Gossip offers the individual escapism and social mobility and has been undeservedly avoided in organizational analysis. Consequently, as a subject, it demands greater attention in the future in terms of theory and empirical research.

This paper builds on recent contributions to understanding conditions of institutional complexity by developing a theoretical framework to elaborate the interdependencies between actions, contexts and institutional logics. Our aim is to refine existing explanations of how actors inhabit complex institutional settings. Drawing on a critical realist ontology, we treat agency and structure as analytically distinct phenomena to advance our understanding of conditioned action. This is subject to relational analysis in order to explain the structural conditioning that shapes particular socio-historical contexts, the potential 'action options' contained within these contexts and the processes through which actors draw upon these. This reading of institutional reproduction and transformation allows us to reassess the 'paradox of embedded agency' by advancing understanding of the historically grounded and multilevel nature of structures and agency in institutional processes. Our approach offers conceptual refinements, a new sensitizing framework and methodological insights to guide studies of the ways actors inhabit complex institutional settings.

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Drawing on primary and secondary sources the authors argue that the JIT/TQM manufacturing system intensifies work as a result of increased surveillance and monitoring of workers' activities, heightened responsibility and accountability, the harnessing of peer pressure within ‘teams' and via ‘customers', and the fostering of ‘involvement’ in waste elimination and the continuous improvement of the production process.

T his paper builds on Granovetter's distinction between strong and weak ties [Granovetter, M. S. 1973. The strength of weak ties. Amer. J. Sociol. 78(6) 1360-1380] in order to respond to recent calls for a more dynamic and processual understanding of networks. The concepts of potential and latent tie are deductively identified, and their implications for understanding how and why networks emerge, evolve, and change are explored. A longitudinal empirical study conducted with companies operating in the European motorsport industry reveals that firms take strategic actions to search for potential ties and reactivate latent ties in order to solve problems of network redundancy and overload. Examples are given, and their characteristics are examined to provide theoretical elaboration of the relationship between the types of tie and network evolution. These conceptual and empirical insights move understanding of the managerial challenge of building effective networks beyond static structural contingency models of optimal network forms to highlight the processes and capabilities of dynamic relationship building and network development. In so doing, this paper highlights the interrelationship between search and redundancy and the scope for strategic action alongside path dependence and structural influences on network processes.Key words: network evolution; interorganizational ties; network overload; redundancy; exploration; potential and latent ties History: Published online in Articles in Advance May 17, 2011. IntroductionThere has been increasing interest in the nature of organizational network ties and their implications for knowledge creation and sharing (Ahuja 2000;McEvily and Zaheer 1999;Muthusamy and White 2005;Powell et al. 1996;Uzzi 1996Uzzi , 1997. Research has suggested that close and dense networks characterized by embedded relationships (strong ties) facilitate the sharing of highly contextual and complex knowledge by developing trust and creating common values and norms Nobeoka 2000, Uzzi 1997). Dense networks are contrasted with sparse networks that are seen as less effective at transferring tacit and embedded knowledge, but they allow firms to avoid redundancy and find novel and heterogeneous forms of knowledge by relying on more distant and sporadic contacts (weak ties) (Burt 1992). A third stream of research recombines these conflicting views and recognizes the potential of network configurations that mesh cohesion and structural holes, strong and weak ties, and proximity and diversity (Levin and Cross 2004, Nooteboom 2000, Obstfeld 2005. Questions of how to efficiently manage networks remain, however, because the strengthening of network ties leads to increased redundancy (Maurer and Ebers 2006), whereas continuing to extend the network is costly in terms of search and can lead to network overload, i.e., the constraints faced by actors in managing and sustaining a large number of contacts (Steier and Greenwood 2000, Elfring andHulsink 2007). Our understanding of how these challenges of network redu...

The concept of an “organizing model” of trade unionism has shaped union strategies for revitalization in a number of countries in recent years. This article examines the transfer of “organizing unionism” to the UK in two ways. It presents findings from a survey of unions to identify the extent to which the organizing model is influencing national recruitment policy and presents case studies of three union campaigns which have drawn upon the organizing model, in an attempt to assess its strengths and weaknesses in a UK context. The survey results indicate only limited take‐up of the organizing model, though there is a group of vanguard unions which have embraced it with enthusiasm. The case studies demonstrate some success in applying the model, though identify employer resistance and internal opposition as significant constraints.

The development of mainstream human resource management (HRM) theory has long been concerned with how people management can enhance performance outcomes. It is only very recently that interest has been shown in the parallel stream of research on the link between employee engagement and performance, bringing the two together to suggest that engagement may constitute the mechanism through which HRM practices impact individual and organisational performance. However, engagement has emerged as a contested construct, whose meaning is susceptible to 'fixing, shrinking, stretching and bending'. It has furthermore not yet been scrutinised from a critical HRM perspective, nor have the societal and contextual implications of engagement within the domain of HRM been considered. We review the contribution of the seven articles in this special issue to the advancement of theory and evidence on employee engagement, and highlight areas where further research is needed to answer important questions in the emergent field that links HRM and engagement.