The effects of institutional pressures on environmental interconnectedness: A social network analysis perspective

Researchers have looked at change from multiple perspectives, i.e. technical, rational, cultural, etc. However, little attention has been devoted to the study of social networks in relation to change in organizations. The lack of attention to social networks in the change process is even more surprising since overcoming resistance to change has long been a central focus of organization change and development (French & Bell, 2000).; Institutional theory has placed its focus on the maintenance of isomorphic environments (Kondra & Hinings, 1998). This focus explains why the change that has been researched from an institutional perspective has been done on the change as it occurs within organizational fields (Slack & Hinings, 1994). This approach to research has limited the use of institutional theory as a framework with respect to organization change theory and practice associated with the individual organization (Bloodgood & Morrow, 2000).; Large organizations can also be considered as organizational fields. When an organization, with many divisions and sites, operates as an enterprise the enterprise becomes an “organizational field” with the divisions experiencing pressures to become more isomorphic as institutional forces are exerted on them to conform to the needs of the enterprise. This research takes the tenets and pillars of institutional theory and applies them to the changes an organization goes through as it attempts to make change happen on a grand scale.; This study explores the role of social networks within an enterprise in the change process where we conceptualize the larger enterprise as an institutional field. Our interest is in identifying the role of environmental interconnectedness within an enterprise and its role in influencing the degree of resistance put forth by a sub unit to change mandates laid out by the larger enterprise. More specifically, it is proposed the density and strength of the ties within sub-unit social networks would have a great impact in determining the amount of resistance the networks will display to change mandates encountered from the larger enterprise.