Summary We analyze the intranet communication behavior of members of a company that was deeply committed to the principles of non-hierarchical communication structures and of post-bureaucratic organization. We observe a split between the symbolic activities for creating a non-hierarchical...

Auf der Basis der neoinstitutionalistischen Organisationstheorie untersuchen wir mithilfe einer empirischen Analyse der Internetkommunikation von drei DAX30-Unternehmungen die Fragen, wofuer Unternehmungen Verantwortung uebernehmen und wie sie ihre Verantwortungsuebernahme kommunizieren. Wir...

Do headquarters influence the subsidiaries' arrangements of vocational training in foreign countries? Our analyses of the amount of training offered to employees by organizations in 14 countries in which different training systems prevail (either continuing vocational training or initial...

A central argument of new institutionalism is that organizational success depends not only on efficient coordination and control of productive activities, but on conforming to institutionalized expectations. There is a dearth of empirical studies which analyze the effects of the adoption of...

Quality management has become a prominent issue in management practice. In general the management literature presents management knowledge, such as quality management techniques and practices, as a technical tool and as a vehicle for improving the efficiency of organizations. The implicit...

The study deals with the question of why Benchmarking is experiencing such an overwhelming upswing. One possible explanation is presented, wherein Benchmarking is seen as a continuation and a further development of classic management theory. An analysis of the similarities and differences...

According to Neo-Instituionalists the formal structure of organizations is often less a means of coordinating and controlling the relationship between organization and environment, and of coordinating and controlling work-activities. Rather the elements of the formal structure are manifestations...

Recently, management literature frequently mentions the ''organization by trust'' - supervision in organizations is to be replaced by trust. In light of the more negative view of human behavior that has so far dominated classic management theory, this talk of an ''organization by trust'' appears...

We investigate the adoption of ISO 9000 standards by the German mechanical engineering industry and analyze how organizational contingencies affect susceptibility to institutional forces. Our study’s findings show that differences in organizational size, proportion of administrative staff, and...

Following the basic paradigms of the organizational ecology approach, we propose three fields for further research that have relevance for business administration and management. (1) We argue that to better understand organizational life cycles, it is important to analyze the influence of...