The European External Action Service (EEAS), the New Kid on the Block

Integrating nascent organisations. On the settlement of the European External Action Service

“…This paper suggests that organizational studies may draw lessons from such organizational epochs in two respects: How quickly may organizations face some kind of settlement, and what are the key conditions for this to happen? This paper engage theoretically with both puzzles and offers one empirical illustration -that is, of the settlement of one of the 'new kids on the block' in the European Union (EU) -EU's new foreign affairs administration (the European External Action Service (EEAS)) (Blom and Vanhoonacker 2015;Henokl 2015).…”

“…It is a 'new kid on the block' in organization studies, political science, and EU literature (e.g. Blom and Vanhoonacker 2015;Henockl 2015) and currently subject to scholarly dispute as to the 'nature of the beast' (e.g. Bátora 2013;Blockmans and Hillion 2013: 8;Blom and Vanhoonacker 2015).…”

“…Blom and Vanhoonacker 2015;Henockl 2015) and currently subject to scholarly dispute as to the 'nature of the beast' (e.g. Bátora 2013;Blockmans and Hillion 2013: 8;Blom and Vanhoonacker 2015). Finally, it is a methodologically rich case since it represents a fullfledged bureaucratic structure.…”

The European External Action Service: Torn Apart Between Several Principals or Acting as a Smart ‘Double-agent’?

“…Especially in contexts of high volatility and uncertainty, as in foreign and security policy, agents have a preference for negotiation and information exchange in face-toface settings. In diplomacy, even more than in other organizational and governance contexts, information, especially accurate and professionally processed, and often confidential information, is a crucial resource (Berridge 2002: 122;Blom and Vanhoonacker 2015, Dijkstra and Vanhoonacker 2011, Maurer 2014. This predilection for personal contact was also corroborated by the survey data, where more than 80 per cent of respondents expressed their preference for direct, face-to-face meetings, whether formal or informal, as compared to other means of exchange, such as telephone or video-conferencing.…”