Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-16T12:17:46.108Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

2 - Standards between Partial and Complete Organization

from Part 1 - Rules, Sanctions, Membership

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 July 2019

Göran Ahrne
Affiliation:
Uppsala Universitet, Sweden
Nils Brunsson
Affiliation:
Uppsala Universitet, Sweden
Get access

Summary

In this chapter we discuss standards as forms of partial organization. Standards are defined as decided rules for common and voluntary use. Taking the example of CSR and corporate governance standards, we show that the degree of partiality of standards can vary widely – ranging from a single element of organization, i.e. decided rules, to all five elements of organization, i.e. decided rules, hierarchies, membership, monitoring and sanctioning. We demonstrate that in some cases partiality is the result of restrictions in the design of standards, while in other cases it is the result of an explicit choice. We also demonstrate that the degree of partiality of standards can change over time, as there are often pressures for standards to adopt additional organizational elements. Furthermore, we discuss the dispersed nature of many standards, showing how different actors often provide different organizational elements of standards without any central coordination. We close with an outline of an agenda for future research.

Type
Chapter
Information
Organization outside Organizations
The Abundance of Partial Organization in Social Life
, pp. 39 - 61
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abbott, K., Levi-Faur, D., & Snidal, D. (2017) Theorizing Regulatory Intermediaries: The RIT Model. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 670(1): 1435.Google Scholar
Adler, P. S. (2001) Market, Hierarchy, and Trust: The Knowledge Economy and the Future of Capitalism. Organization Science 12(2): 215–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aguilera, R. & Cuervo-Cazurra, A. (2004) Codes of Good Governance Worldwide: What Is the Trigger? Organization Studies 25(3): 415–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ahrne, G. & Brunsson, N. (2006) Organizing the World. In Djelic, M.-L. and Sahlin-Andersson, K. (eds.), Transnational Governance: Institutional Dynamics of Regulation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 7494.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ahrne, G. & Brunsson, N. (2011) Organization Outside Organizations: The Significance of Partial Organization. Organization 18(1): 83104.Google Scholar
Ahrne, G., Brunsson, N., & Garsten, Ch. (2000) Standardizing through Organization. In Brunsson, N. and Jacobsson, B. (eds.), A World of Standards. Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press. 5068.Google Scholar
Ahrne, G., Brunsson, N., & Seidl, D. (2016) Resurrecting Organization by Going beyond Organizations. European Management Journal 34(2): 93101.Google Scholar
Auld, G. & Renckens, S. (2017) Rule-Making Feedbacks through Intermediation and Evaluation in Transnational Private Governance. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 670(1): 93111.Google Scholar
Bartley, T. (2014) Transnational Governance and the Re-Centered State: Sustainability or Legality? Regulation & Governance 8(1): 93109.Google Scholar
Brunsson, N. (2000) Organizations, Markets, and Standards. In Brunsson, N. and Jacobsson, B. (eds.), A World of Standards. Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press. 2139.Google Scholar
Brunsson, N. and Jacobsson, B. (eds.) (2000a) A World of Standards. Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Brunsson, N. & Jacobsson, B. (2000b) The Contemporary Expansion of Standardization. In Brunsson, N. and Jacobsson, B. (eds.), A World of Standards. Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press. 117.Google Scholar
Brunsson, N., Rasche, A., & Seidl, D. (2012) The Dynamics of Standardization: Three Perspectives on Standards in Organization Studies. Organization Studies 33(5–6): 613–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Child, J. (2005) Organization: Contemporary Principles and Practice. Malden: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Coleman, D. (2003) The United Nations and Transnational Corporations: From an Inter-Nation to a ‘Beyond-State’ Model of Engagement. Global Society 17(4): 339–57.Google Scholar
Constance, D. H. & Bonanno, A. (2000) Regulating the Global Fisheries: The World Wildlife Fund, Unilever, and the Marine Stewardship Council. Agriculture and Human Values 17(2): 125–39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dennis, P., Connole, H., & Kraut, M. (2015) The Efficacy of Voluntary Disclosure: A Study of Water Disclosures by Mining Companies Using the Global Reporting Initiative Framework. Journal of Legal, Ethical & Regulatory Issues 18(2): 87106.Google Scholar
Egyedi, T. M. & Blind, K. (2008) The Dynamics of Standards. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.Google Scholar
Etzion, D. & Ferraro, F. (2010) The Role of Analogy in the Institutionalization of Sustainability Reporting. Organization Science 21(5): 1092–107.Google Scholar
Farrell, J. & Saloner, G. (1988) Coordination through Committees and Markets. RAND Journal of Economics 19(2): 235–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilbert, D. U. & Rasche, A. (2007) Discourse Ethics and Social Accountability: The Ethics of SA 8000. Business Ethics Quarterly 17(2): 187216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilbert, D. U., Rasche, A., & Waddock, S. (2011) Accountability in a Global Economy: The Emergence of International Accountability Standards. Business Ethics Quarterly 21(1): 2344.Google Scholar
Goetz, A. (2013) Private Governance and Land Grabbing: The Equator Principles and the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels. Globalizations 10(1): 199204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gregory, H. J. (2003) International Comparison of Selected Corporate Governance Guidelines and Codes of Best Practice. New York: Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.Google Scholar
Haack, P., Schoeneborn, D., & Wickert, C. (2012) Talking the Talk, Moral Entrapment, Creeping Commitment? Exploring Narrative Dynamics in Corporate Responsibility Standardization. Organization Studies 33(5/6): 815–45.Google Scholar
Hale, A. & Opondo, M. (2005) Humanising the Cut Flower Chain: Confronting the Realities of Flower Production for Workers in Kenya. Antipode 37(2): 301–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haxhi, I. & van Ees, H. (2010) Explaining Diversity in the Worldwide Diffusion of Codes of Good Governance. Journal of International Business Studies 41(4): 710–26.Google Scholar
Hülsse, R. and Kerwer, D. (2007) Global Standards in Action: Insights from Anti-Money Laundering Regulation. Organization 14(5): 625–42.Google Scholar
Jacobsson, B. (2000) Standardization and Expert Knowledge. In Brunsson, N. and Jacobsson, B. (eds.), A World of Standards. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 40–9.Google Scholar
Kerwer, D. (2005) Rules That Many Use: Standards and Global Regulation. Governance 18(4): 611–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leiponen, A. E. (2008) Competing Through Cooperation: The Organization of Standard Setting in Wireless Telecommunications. Management Science 54(11): 1904–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lipton, M. & Lorsch, J. W. (1992) A Modest Proposal for Improved Corporate Governance. The Business Lawyer 48(1): 5977.Google Scholar
Loconto, A. M. (2017) Models of Assurance: Diversity and Standardization of Modes of Intermediation. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 670(1): 112132.Google Scholar
Mena, S. & Palazzo, G. (2012) Input and Output Legitimacy of Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives. Business Ethics Quarterly 22(3): 527–56.Google Scholar
Moog, S, Spicer, A., & Böhm, S. (2015) The Politics of Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives: The Crisis of the Forest Stewardship Council. Journal of Business Ethics 128(3): 469–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pohl, M. & Tolhurst, N. (2010) Responsible Business: How to Manage a CSR Strategy Successfully. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Rasche, A. (2009) ‘A Necessary Supplement’ What the United Nations Global Compact Is and Is Not. Business & Society 48(4): 511–37.Google Scholar
Rasche, A. (2010a) Collaborative Governance 2.0. Corporate Governance: The International Journal for Business in Society 10: 500–11.Google Scholar
Rasche, A. (2010b) The Limits of Corporate Responsibility Standards. Business Ethics: A European Review 19(3): 280–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rasche, A. (2012) Global Policies and Local Practice: Loose and Tight Couplings in Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives. Business Ethics Quarterly 22(4): 679708.Google Scholar
Rasche, A. & Kell, G. (2010) The United Nations Global Compact: Achievements, Trends and Challenges. Cambridge/New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rasche, A., Waddock, S., & McIntosh, M. (2013) The United Nations Global Compact: Retrospect and Prospect. Business & Society 52(1): 630.Google Scholar
Reinecke, J., Manning, S., & von Hagen, O. (2012) The Emergence of a Standards Market: Multiplicity of Sustainability Standards in the Global Coffee Industry. Organization Studies 33(5/6): 791814.Google Scholar
Ringleb, H. M., Kremer, Th., Lutter, M., & Werder, A. von (2004) Kommentar zum Deutschen Corporate Governance Kodex. München: Beck.Google Scholar
Scherer, A. G., Rasche, A., Palazzo, G., & Spicer, A. (2016) Managing for Political Corporate Social Responsibility: New Challenges and Directions for PCSR 2.0. Journal of Management Studies 53(3): 273–98.Google Scholar
Schouten, G. & Glasbergen, P. (2012) Private Multi-Stakeholder Governance in the Agricultural Market Place: An Analysis of Legitimization Processes of the Roundtables on Sustainable Palm Oil and Responsible Soy. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review 15(B): 6388.Google Scholar
Schoeneborn, D., Haack, P., & Kuhn, T. R. (2012) The Communicative Constitution of Partial Organizations in the Global Realm. Paper presented at the Academy of Management Meeting, August 3–7, Boston, MA.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seidl, D. (2007) Standard Setting and Following in Corporate Governance: An Observation-Theoretical Study of the Effectiveness of Governance Codes. Organization 14(5): 705–27.Google Scholar
Spira, L. F. & Slinn, J. (2013) The Cadbury Committee: A History. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Timmermans, S. & Epstein, S. (2010) A World of Standards but Not a Standard World: Toward a Sociology of Standards and Standardization. Annual Review of Sociology 36: 6989.Google Scholar
Weber, M. (1968) Economy and Society. Berkeley: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Werder, A. von, Talaulicar, T., & Kolat, G. L. (2005) Compliance with the German Corporate Governance Code: An Empirical Analysis of the Compliance Statements by German Listed Companies. Corporate Governance: An International Review 13(2): 178.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×