The dangers of decoupling: The relationship between compliance programs, legitimacy perceptions, and institutionalized misconduct

Academy of Management Journal

Volumn 53, Issue 6, 2010, Pages 1499-1520

  MacLean, Tammy L ^a   Behnam, Michael ^a  

^a SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 79951925160     PISSN: 00014273     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.5465/amj.2010.57319198     Document Type: Article

References (74)

1. Albert, S., & Whetten, D. A. 1985. Organizational identity. In B. Staw & L. L. Cummings (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior, vol. 7: 263-295. Stamford, CT: JAI Press.
2. Ashforth, B. E., & Anad, V. 2003. The normalization of corruption in organizations. In R. M. Kramer & B. M. Staw (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior, vol. 25: 1-52. Stamford, CT: JAI Press.
3. Ashforth, B. E., & Gibbs, B. W. 1990. The double-edge of organizational legitimation. Organization Science, 1: 177-194.
4. Baucus, M. 1994. Pressure, opportunity and predisposition: A multivariate model of corporate illegality. Journal of Management, 20: 699-721.
5. Behnam, M., & MacLean, T. 2009. Where is the accountability in international accountability standards? A decoupling perspective. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Management, Chicago.
6. Berg, E. N. 1991. Too many A's seen at A. M. Best. New York Times, February 12: D1.
7. Berg, E. N. 1992. New ratings for insurers are disputed. New York Times, January 10: D1.
8. Bernard, H. R. 1995. Research methods in anthropology: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press.
9. Best's Insurance Reports. 2000. Life/health report. Oldwick, NJ: A. M. Best.
10. Blumer, H. 1969. Symbolic interaction: Perspective and method. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
11. Bowerman, M. 2002. Isomorphism without legitimacy? The case of the business excellence model in local government. Public Money & Management, 22(2): 47-52.
12. Boxenbaum, E., & Jonsson, S. 2008. Isomorphism, diffusion, and decoupling. In R. Greenwood, C. Oliver, K. Sahlin, & R. Suddaby (Eds.), The Sage handbook of organizational institutionalism: 78-98. Oxford, U.K.: Sage.
13. Cashmore, E. 2002. Behind the window dressing: Ethnic minority police perspectives on cultural diversity. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 28: 327-341. (Pubitemid 34514520)
14. Certo, T. S. 2003. Influencing initial public offering investors with prestige: Signaling with board structures. Academy of Management Review, 28: 432-447.
15. Corley, C. G., & Gioia, D. A. 2004. Identity ambiguity and change in the wake of a corporate spin-off. Administrative Science Quarterly, 49: 173-208.
16. Cresswell, J. W. 1998. Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five traditions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
17. Dacin, T. 1997. Isomorphism in context: The power and prescription of institutional norms. Academy of Management Journal, 40: 46-81.
18. Dalton, D. R., & Metzger, M. B. 1994. The "new" U.S. Sentencing Commission guidelines: A wake-up call for corporate America. Academy of Management Executive, 8(1): 7-14.
19. Deephouse, D. L. 1996. Does isomorphism legitimate?. Academy of Management Journal, 39: 1024-1039.
20. Deephouse, D. L., & Suchman, M. C. 2008. Legitimacy in organizational institutionalism. In R. Greenwood, C. Oliver, K. Sahlin, & R. Suddaby (Eds.), The Sage handbook of organizational institutionalism: 49-77. Oxford, U.K.: Sage.
21. Dowling, J. E., & Pfeffer, J. 1975. Organizational legitimacy: Social values and organizational behavior. Pacific Sociological Review, 18: 122-136.
22. Duimering, P. R., & Safayeni, F. 1998. The role of language and formal structure in the construction and maintenance of organizational images. International Studies of Management and Organization, 28(3): 57-85.
23. Dutton, J. E., & Dukerich, J. M. 1991. Keeping an eye on the mirror: Image and identity in organizational adaptation. Academy of Management Journal, 34: 517-554.
24. Dutton, J. E., Dukerich, J. M., & Harquail, C. V. 1994. Organizational images and member identification. Administrative Science Quarterly, 39: 239-263.
25. Edelman, L. B. 1992. Legal ambiguity and symbolic structures: Organizational mediation of civil rights law. American Journal of Sociology, 97: 1531-1576.
26. Edelman, L. B., Petterson, S., Chambliss, E., & Erlanger, H. S. 1991. Legal ambiguity and the politics of compliance: Affirmative action officers' dilemma. Law& Policy, 13(1): 73-97.
27. Elsbach, K. D. 1994. Managing organizational legitimacy in the California cattle industry: The construction and effectiveness of verbal accounts. Administrative Science Quarterly, 39: 57-88.
28. Elsbach, K. D. 2003. Organizational perception management. In R. M. Kramer & B. M. Staw (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior, vol. 25: 297-332. Stamford, CT: JAI Press.
29. Elsbach, K. D., & Kramer, R. M. 1996. Members' response to organizational identity threats: Encountering and countering the business week rankings. Administrative Science Quarterly, 41: 442-476.
30. Elsbach, K. D., & Kramer, R. M. 2003. Assessing creativity in Hollywood pitch meetings: Evidence for a dual-process model of creativity judgments. Academy of Management Journal, 46: 283-301. (Pubitemid 36837117)
31. Elsbach, K. D., & Sutton, R. I. 1992. Acquiring organizational legitimacy through illegitimate actions: A marriage of institutional and impression management theories. Academy of Management Journal, 35: 699-738.
32. Fine, G. A. 1992. Agency, structure and comparative contexts: Towards a synthetic interactionism. Symbolic Interaction, 15(1): 87-107.
33. Finney, H. C., & Lesieur, H. R. 1982. A contingency theory of organizational crime. In S. B. Bacharach (Ed.), The sociology of organizations, vol. 1: 255-300. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
34. Fiss, P. C., & Zajac, E. J. 2006. The symbolic management of strategic change: Sensegiving via framing and decoupling. Academy of Management Journal, 49: 1173-1193.
35. Fombrun, C. J. 1996. Reputation: Realizing value from the corporate image. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
36. Foreman, P., & Whetten, D. A. 2002. Members' identification with multiple-identity organizations. Organization Science, 13: 618-635. (Pubitemid 36058608)
37. Gioia, D. A., Schultz, M., & Corley, K. G. 2000. Organizational identity image and adaptive instability. Academy of Management Review, 25: 63-81.
38. Glaser, B., & Strauss, A. 1967. The discovery of grounded theory. Chicago: Aldine.
39. Kalev, A., Dobbin, F., & Kelly, E. 2006. Best practices or best guesses? Assessing the efficacy of corporate affirmative action and diversity policies. American Sociological Review, 71: 589-617. (Pubitemid 44473382)
40. Kraatz, M. S., & Zajac, E. J. 1996. Exploring the limits of the new institutionalism: The causes and consequences of illegitimate organizational change. American Sociological Review, 61: 812-836. (Pubitemid 126562857)
41. Kuhn, M. H. 1964. The reference group reconsidered. Sociological Quarterly, 5: 5-21.
42. MacLean, T. L. 2001. Thick as thieves: A social embed-dedness model of rule breaking in organizations. Business & Society, 40: 166-196.
43. MacLean, T. L. 2008. Framing and organizational misconduct: A symbolic interactionist study. Journal of Business Ethics, 78: 3-16.
44. Metzger, M., Dalton, D. R., & Hill, J. W. 1993. The organization of ethics and the ethics of organization. Business Ethics Quarterly, 3(1): 27-44.
45. Meyer, J. W., & Rowan, B. 1977. Institutionalized organizations: Formal structure as myth and ceremony. American Journal of Sociology, 83: 340-363.
46. Nystrom, P. C., & Starbuck, W. H. 1984. Organizational façades. Academy of Management Proceedings, 182-185.
47. Oliver, C. 1991. Strategic responses to institutional processes. Academy of Management Review, 16: 145-179.
48. Paine, L. S. 1994. Managing for organizational integrity. Harvard Business Review, 72(2): 106-117.
49. Post Magazine. 2003. Ratings agencies: How do insurers measure up? March 27: 18.
50. Powell, W. W., & Colyvas, J. A. 2008. Microfoundations of institutional theory. In R. Greenwood, C. Oliver, K. Sahlin, & R. Suddaby (Eds.), The Sage handbook of organizational institutionalism: 276-298. Oxford, U.K.: Sage.
51. Prasad, P. 1993. Symbolic processes in the implementation of technological change. Academy of Management Journal, 36: 1400-1429.
52. Reger, R. K., Gustafson, L. T., DeMarie, S. M., & Mullane, J. V. 1994. Reframing the organization: Why implementing total quality is easier said than done. Academy of Management Journal, 36: 619-634.
53. Ruef, M., & Scott, W. R. 1998. A multidimensional model of organizational legitimacy: Hospital survival in changing institutional environments. Administrative Science Quarterly, 43: 877-904. (Pubitemid 128183736)
54. Scott, W. R. 1995. Institutions and organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
55. Stinchcombe, A. L. 1997. On the virtues of the old institutionalism. In J. Hagan & K. S. Cook (Eds.), Annual review of sociology, vol. 23: 1-18. Palo Alto, CA: Annual Reviews.
56. Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. 1998. Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques (2nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
57. Suchman, M. C. 1995. Managing legitimacy: Strategic and institutional approaches. Academy of Management Review, 20: 571-610.
58. Szwajkowski, E. 1985. Organizational illegality: Theoretical integration and illustrative application. Academy of Management Review, 10: 558-567.
59. Trevino, L. K., & Weaver, G. R. 2003. Managing ethics in business organizations: Social scientific perspectives. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
60. Trevino, L. K., Weaver, G. R., Gibson, D. G., & Toffler, B. L. 1999. Managing ethics and legal compliance: What works and what hurts. California Management Review, 41(2): 131-152.
61. Trullen, J., & Stevenson, W. B. 2006. Strategy and legitimacy. Pharmaceutical companies' reaction to the HIV crisis. Business & Society, 45: 178-210. (Pubitemid 43753818)
62. Vardi, Y., & Weitz, E. 2004. Misbehavior in organizations: Theory, research and management. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
63. Vaughan, D. 1983. Controlling unlawful organizational behavior: Social structure and corporate misconduct. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
64. Vaughan, D. 1999. The dark side of organizations: Mistake, misconduct, and disaster. In K. S. Cook & J. Hagan (Eds.), Annual review of sociology, vol. 25: 271-305. Palo Alto, CA: Annual Reviews.
65. Wartick, S. L., & Cochran, P. L. 1985. The evolution of the corporate social performance model. Academy of Management Review, 10: 758-769.
66. Weaver, G. R., & Trevino, L. K. 1999. Compliance and values oriented ethics programs: Influences on employees' attitudes and behaviors. Business Ethics Quarterly, 9: 315-335.
67. Weaver, G. R., Trevino, L. K., & Cochran, P. L. 1999a. Corporate ethics programs as control systems: Influences of executive commitment and environmental factors. Academy of Management Journal, 42: 41-57.
68. Weaver, G. R., Trevino, L. K., & Cochran, P. L. 1999b. Integrated and decoupled corporate social performance: Management commitments, external pressures, and corporate ethics. Academy of Management Journal, 42: 539-552.
69. Westphal, J. D., Gulati, R., & Shortell, S. M. 1997. Customization or conformity? An institutional and network perspective on the content and consequences of TQM adoption. Administrative Science Quarterly, 42: 366-394.
70. Westphal, J. D., & Zajac, E. J. 1994. Substance and symbolism in CEOs' long term incentive plans. Administrative Science Quarterly, 39: 367-390.
71. Westphal, J. D., & Zajac, E. J. 1998. The symbolic management of stockholders: Corporate governance reforms and shareholder reactions. Administrative Science Quarterly, 43: 127-153.
72. Westphal, J. D., & Zajac, E. J. 2001. Decoupling policy from practice: The case of stock repurchase programs. Administrative Science Quarterly, 46: 202-228.
73. Wood, D. J. 1991. Corporate social performance revisited. Academy of Management Review, 16: 691-718.
74. Zajac, E. J., & Westphal, J. D. 2004. The social construction of market value: Institutionalization and learning perspectives on stock market reactions. American Sociological Review, 69: 433-457. (Pubitemid 39103614)