How do sociological institutionalists explain the role of culture in organizations?

Sociological institutionalists explain the role of culture in organizations by emphasizing how cognitive and symbolic schemes provide individuals with identities and roles. Rather than viewing behavior as a product of rational calculation or formal rules, this perspective argues that culture—comprising informal ideas, values, and norms—shapes how organizational actors perceive their interests and interpret the world around them.12

Key aspects of this approach include:

• Construction of Identity: Sociological institutionalists adopt a constructivist approach, suggesting that institutions (including cultural customs and habits) define the identities of actors, which in turn influences their behavior.1
• Taken-for-Grantedness: A central tenet is that the strength of certain institutions arises from their taken-for-granted nature. Actors often adhere to norms not because of external rewards or sanctions, but because they cannot conceive of alternative ways of acting.2
• Policy Paradigms: Informal sets of values and ideas constitute policy paradigms that guide how organizations think about issues and conceive of political or social pressures.1
• Legitimacy: This approach explains the convergence of organizational forms across different settings as a result of the perceived legitimacy of those institutional patterns, rather than purely functional efficiency.2