19.03.2012Alex Bitektine and Patrick Haack, symposium proposal on “Experiments in Institutional Theory” accepted at the Academy of Management Annual Conference in Boston, August 3-7, 2012.

Alex Bitektine and Patrick Haack, symposium proposal on “Experiments in Institutional Theory” accepted at the Academy of Management Annual Conference in Boston, August 3-7, 2012. The papers assembled in this symposium seek to showcase the potential of experimental research methods in institutional theory and demonstrate different ways in which experimental designs can inform research on legitimacy, conformance, diffusion of structures and practices and on other institutional concepts. The goal of this symposium thus is to help build the case for experimental methods in institutional research. Specifically, we seek (1) to facilitate a conversation on the role of experiments in the development and testing of prevalent constructs in institutional theory, (2) to encourage scholars to utilize mixed-method designs, which allow triangulation of results from “conventional” methods with experimental exploration of causal mechanisms and micro-institutional insights, and (3) to create a community of institutional analysts that pursue or intend to pursue experiments in their research.