| Collide or Collaborate: The Interplay of Competing Logics and Institutional Work in Cross-Sector Social Partnerships |
Received:October 15, 2017 Revised:October 15, 2017 |
Key Words: cross-sector social partnership, institutional work, institutional logic, MNC, nonprofit, CSR |
| Author Name | Affiliation | | Juelin Yin* | Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University | | Dima Jamali | American University of Beirut |
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Abstract: |
| An increasing body of institutional research has examined organizations’ response to conflicting institutional logics, but few studies have looked into how cross-sector organizational actors experiencing the institutional complexity strategize their response mechanisms to create value and initiate institutional change. We conduct a multiple case study of nine social partnerships between multinational companies (MNCs) and nonprofits in the context of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in China. We identify a partnership logic among the value-creating partnerships where partners guided by an either/and mindset take joint ownership of the social or sustainability issue/cause and integrate it into their core set of activities and goals. In contrast, the less successful partnerships guided by an either/or mindset pursue a substitution logic in which the issue and project are kept separate and marginalized from core activities and goals. We contribute by bringing greater nuances to key forms of institutional work and explaining processes at inter-organizational levels that engage multiple institutional logics, sustain the hybrid organizing, and harness the value potential of social partnerships. |
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