Talking the Talk, Moral Entrapment, Creeping Commitment? Exploring Narrative Dynamics in Corporate Responsibility Standardization

Abstract

This paper examines the type and temporal development of language in the process of corporate responsibility (CR) standardization. Previous research on CR standardization has addressed the proliferation and organizational embedding of material practices but neglected the analysis of underlying ideational dynamics. Departing from this practice, we introduce a narrative perspective that illuminates the trajectory a CR standard follows, from being formally adopted to becoming collectively accepted as a valid solution to a problem of societal concern. We argue that this perspective helps scholars explore the dynamic interplay between symbolic and material aspects of standardization and understand better the discursive antecedents of coupling processes in organizations. Drawing on the case of the Equator Principles standard in international project finance, we empirically study how narratives create meaning shared by both business firms and their societal observers, thereby exemplifying the analytical merit of a narrative approach to CR standardization. AbstractThis paper examines the type and temporal development of language in the process of corpo-

Is Decoupling Becoming Decoupled from Institutional Theory? A Commentary on Wijen

“…Several researchers have discussed the processes through which symbolic gestures induce behavioral change and have tangible consequences, which indicates that decoupling can be regarded as a transitory phenomenon (Christensen, Morsing, & Thyssen, 2013;Haack, Schoeneborn, & Wickert, 2012;Tilcsik, 2010).…”

Marking Their Own Homework: The Pragmatic and Moral Legitimacy of Industry Self-Regulation

“…Surprisingly little academic research has focused on the material outcomes of ISR schemes (King et al 2012), and existing evidence on the outcomes of ISR schemes is mixed at best. Famous examples of ISR schemes that are generally assumed to improve participating firms' social or environmental performance over time include the chemical industry's Responsible Care Program (King and Lenox 2000), the Equator Principles for responsible project finance (Haack et al 2012), the Forest Stewardship Council's certification scheme (Moore et al 2012) and ISO 14001 (Prakash and Potoski 2006). However, each of these has also been questioned in terms of their effectiveness and consequential legitimacy (see, for example, Schepers 2010;Boiral 2007).…”

“…Given the focus on the firm level, strategic perspectives tend to emphasize short-term, direct and measurable effects of ISR participation. In contrast, institutional perspectives consider not only behaviour changes by individual social actors within a field (Terlaak 2007), but also the longer-term field reconfiguration as an ISR scheme becomes institutionalized (Hofman 1999;Haack et al 2012). Critical perspectives examine longer-term and diffuse effects of ISR schemes, including how ISR alters symbolic representations of reality (Boiral 2013) and the overall governance within a policy domain (Renard 2005).…”

“…Credentials such as ISO certificates can serve as ''organizational degrees'' (Boiral 2012), or useful objects to signal credibility (Delmas and Montes-Sancho 2011). A more constructivist view emphasizes how ISR schemes themselves serve as a way of narrating new standards for social or environmental performance (Haack et al 2012). Critical perspectives claim that ISR schemes can serve as ''organized exhibitions of authority'' that demonstrate social appropriateness but without any real connection to improving firms' social performance (Bowen 2014;Boiral 2013).…”

“…For example, within the strategic management perspective with its focus on the comparative analysis of different outcomes in different circumstances, there has been inadequate attention to evaluating the long-term, indirect and social consequences of ISR schemes (King et al 2012). In contrast, while critical perspectives may raise valid concerns about the ambition or authority of nonstate actors on social issues, they may also underplay the extent to which ISR schemes can lead to positive longerterm field reconfiguration (Haack et al 2012). …”