New institutionalism

The Sociological neo-institutionalism is a theoretical approach in sociology, whose foundations have developed the American sociologist John W. Meyer and Brian Rowan.

Basic concepts

The theoretical approach explains structures and modes of operation of organizations by reference to standards, expectations and models of the institutional environment. Through processes of isomorphism, organizations same in such organizations, which are regarded as exemplary, rational and effective. Since it is not the technical-economic efficiency, but the legitimacy towards the environment is the primary design goal, they tend to produce rationality and myths to build rationality facades.

Another concept of this approach is the concept of the organizational field, the Paul J. DiMaggio and Walter W. Powell introduced to characterize the structural alignment of organizations and homogeneity of management practices for a particular class of organizations. They formulated as a hypothesis that the more an organization from another is dependent, " the more they will catch up in terms of their structures, their culture and their behavior that organization ."

Criticism

Critical theory has been argued against this approach is that it rejects the model of the rational actor and acting autonomously and in its place is the unreflective and routinely acting actor. Also be explained by this approach neither social change nor innovation. Meyer and Rowan have partly offset the decoupling thesis that criticism. It says: The organization holds in its formal structures required by the environmental front upright, but it comes with the decoupled activities in the technical core of their requirements with rational decisions not after. This additional hypothesis is controversial even among representatives of this theory approach, since it undermines the theoretical initial assumptions.