A Patchwork of Identities: Emergence of Charter Schools as a New Organizational Form

Abstract

We examine the emergence of an organizational form, charter schools, in Oakland, California. We link field-level logics to organizational founding identities using topic modeling. We find corporate and community founding actors create distinct and consistent identities, whereas more peripheral founders indulge in more unique identity construction. We see the settlement of the form into a stable ecosystem with multiple identity codes rather than driving toward a single organizational identity. The variety of identities that emerge do not always map onto field-level logics. This has implications for the conditions under which organizational innovation and experimentation within a new form may develop.

Citation

Jha, H.K. and Beckman, C.M. (2017), "A Patchwork of Identities: Emergence of Charter Schools as a New Organizational Form", Emergence (Research in the Sociology of Organizations, Vol. 50), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 69-107. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0733-558X20170000050003