Institutional Logics and Organizational Dynamics
Summary
Institutional logics are overarching frameworks of norms, values and practices that shape how organisations define their purpose, structure activities and allocate resources. They comprise both symbolic systems—such as belief structures and vocabularies—and material elements, including routines, technologies and regulatory requirements. Organisations operate within fields where multiple logics coexist, often generating tensions and opportunities for innovation. In response, actors may engage in translation, selective assimilation or hybridisation of logics, leading to varied organisational forms and identities. These dynamics play out across levels: at the field level, where collective configurations evolve through regulatory change or technological disruption; at the organisational level, where governance structures adapt; and at the micro level, where individuals draw on competing logics in everyday practice. Understanding this interplay illuminates how organisations maintain legitimacy, pursue strategic change and negotiate competing demands. It also offers practical insights for leaders and policymakers seeking to align institutional pressures with sustainable performance and social impact.
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Institutional Logics and Organizational Dynamics publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in institutional logics and organizational dynamics across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Institutional logic: A coherent set of normative principles, symbols and material practices that guide cognition and behaviour within an organisational field.
Organisational hybridity: The integration or juxtaposition of multiple institutional logics within a single organisation, yielding composite structures and identities.
Legitimacy: The perception that an organisation’s actions and structures are appropriate and acceptable according to prevailing norms, values and regulatory expectations.
References
- THEORIZING HYBRIDITY: INSTITUTIONAL LOGICS, COMPLEX ORGANIZATIONS, AND ACTOR IDENTITIES: THE CASE OF NONPROFITS. Public Administration (2014).
- The Rise of Socially Responsible Investment Funds: The Paradoxical Role of the Financial Logic. Administrative Science Quarterly (2018).
- Logic fluidity: How frontline professionals use institutional logics in their day-to-day work. Journal of Professions and Organization (2020).
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