On Practice and Institution

Abstract

Volumes 70 and 71 of Research in the Sociology of Organizations combine to comprise cutting edge theory and empirical scholarship at the interface of practice and institution in organization studies. As we highlight, this interface has spurred particularly generative conversations with many open questions, and much to explore. We provide a review of scholarly developments in practice theory and organizational institutionalism that have given rise to this interest in building a bridge between scholarly communities. As signaled by recent efforts to construct a practice-driven institutionalism, we highlight how connecting practice theory with the institutional logics perspective provides a particularly attractive focal point for scholarship at this interface due to a variety of shared ontological and epistemological commitments, including the constitution of actors and their behavior. Collectively, the papers assembled unlock exciting opportunities to connect distinct, but related scholarly communities on practice and institution, seeding scholarship that can advance our understanding of organizational and societal dynamics.

Citation

Lounsbury, M., Anderson, D.A. and Spee, P. (2021), "On Practice and Institution", Lounsbury, M., Anderson, D.A. and Spee, P. (Ed.) On Practice and Institution: New Empirical Directions (Research in the Sociology of Organizations, Vol. 71), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0733-558X20200000071011