Microfoundations of decoupling: From a coping theory perspective

Abstract

In neo-institutional theory literature, studies of decoupling have provided only a binary view of the employees of symbolic structures: ceremonial props or change agents. To obtain a richer view of the working life of these particular individuals, we rely on an instrumental case study to examine how they perceive a decoupling situation and do their job. Our fieldwork takes place in a multinational company, which adopts the vision and implements different tools and practices of knowledge management (KM), but a decoupling situation eventually emerges where KM ends up as a ceremonial façade. After four years of participant observation, we conclude our fieldwork by interviewing the seven knowledge managers we have worked with. We initially develop a typology representing the different ways in which these knowledge managers interpret the decoupling situation and accomplish their mission accordingly. Moreover, as we observe that they all suffer from stress, we use the coping theory to further investigate their working life and eventually transform our typology into a manifestation of decoupling at micro level. Meaning-making, work-level actions and emotions are brought into this picture, illustrating the reciprocal relationships between the decoupling situation and the micro-level employees of the symbolic structures, thereby explaining how decoupling persists from a micro perspective. This result contributes to enhancing the micro-macro link in institutional analysis that has been greatly missing in the neo-institutional theory literature

The impact of corporate environmental management practices on environmental performance

“…For example, cultural–cognitive institutional pressure such as pressure from pro‐environmental interest groups can drive firms to symbolically discharge their responsibility towards the natural environment by adopting EMPs to defend, maintain or repair their organizational legitimacy (Haque & Ntim, 2018, 2022). This implies a causal effect from corporate environmental performance to EMPs and thus lends itself to the concept of greenwashing or decoupling, which involves creating and maintaining gaps between formal policies/structures that are ceremonially adopted and actual organizational practices (Vo et al, 2016, p. 248).…”

“…It determines, through a dynamic and extensive data analysis, whether EMPs are effective or merely a legitimizing device. In popular parlance, the latter outcome is often referred to as “greenwash”, or “decoupling” in neo‐institutional theory (Graafland & Smid, 2016; Vo et al, 2016). It investigates the impact of 10 corporate environmental management practices on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and emissions intensity.…”

Experimentally Validated Surveys: Potential for Studying Cognitive and Behavioral Issues in Management

“…There are also qualitative approaches to address microfoundational issues. See, for example,Vo, Culié, and Mounoud (2016). However, as this paper focuses on quantitative methods, the reader interested in the issue of qualitative methods can find more information in the review paper on microfoundational research byFelin et al (2015).…”