SWG 12: Institutions, Innovation, Impact: How Institutional Theory Matters
Coordinators
Joel Gehman, University of Alberta, Canada
Nina Granqvist, Aalto University, Finland
Markus A. Höllerer, UNSW Business School, Sydney, Australia
Farah Kodeih, IESEG School of Management, France
Tammar B. Zilber, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Although the question of how institutional theory matters is, in some respects, an old one, we believe the time is ripe to revisit it. Institutions both impact and are impacted by
the continuous transformation of technology and other material arrangements, as well as changes in social practices – the
habitual ways of doing and engaging with various objects. New forms of organizing, both in business (Uber, MTurk, AirBnB)
and civil society (Facebook, Twitter), create novel opportunities and practices, potentially redefining traditional governance
structures. Institutions exist because individuals enact and recreate them in their daily activities. Thus, they are inherently
dynamic, though not easily malleable. Institutionalized norms, practices, and rules frame actors’ decisions and interactions,
positioning them at the root of responses to grand challenges – financial upheaval, climate change, inequality, and refugee
issues, to name just a few.