RT Article
T1 Enabling sustainable transformation: hybrid organizations in early phases of path generation
JF Journal of business ethics
VO 165
IS 3
SP 547
OP 563
A1 Alexius, Susanna 1976-
A1 Furusten, Staffan 1964-
LA English
PB Springer Science + Business Media B. V
YR 2020
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1735357804
AB The rapidly growing research on hybrid organizations in recent years suggests that these organizations may have particular abilities to facilitate institutional change. This article contributes to our understanding of change and, in particular, sustainable transformation in society by highlighting the importance of organizational forms. Looking more closely at the role of hybrid organizations in processes of path generation, we analyze the conditions under which hybrid organizations may enable path generation. A retrospective (1988-2017) exploratory case study of the Swedish hybrid organization The Natural Step confirms how hybrids can take part in- and may facilitate the early phases of path generation: assimilation and coalescence. The conclusion drawn is that hybrids have multivocal abilities that enable them to earn trust and authority to open up “neutral” spaces for orientation and connection between actors in separated sub-paths, and that this in turn may ease tensions and trigger dialogue and exchange, also between former opponents. Yet, as also seen in the case, this enabling position of the hybrid may be both fragile and temporary.
K1 Hybrid organization
K1 Institutional Change
K1 Multivocality
K1 Path-generation
K1 Sustainability
K1 Sweden
K1 The Natural Step
K1 Aufsatz in Zeitschrift
DO 10.1007/s10551-018-04098-0