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Administration & Society
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Fields, Organizations, and Agency

Toward a Multilevel Theory of Institutionalization in Action

Kate Cooney

Boston University, Massachusetts

Melding key concepts from structuration theory with the organizational field framework, this article builds on current work establishing a micro foundation for neoinstitutional organizations theory. First, the author presents a synthesized theoretic approach to explore the institutionalization process. Then, applying the framework to data from a case study of a welfare-to-work program, the article examines the institutionalization process from the standpoint of one group of organizational actors (social service workers). The analysis shows that institutionalization can be a highly contentious process enacted by knowledgeable actors who engage, reject, and at times transform the value-laden structures in which they are working.

Key Words: organizational fields • structuration theory • agency

Administration & Society, Vol. 39, No. 6, 687-718 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0095399707304116
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