DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES: PhD students (from left) Luiz Andrade, Marco Roth, Wen Xibei and Lise-May Sæle explore institutional theory applications in their varied research fields. PHOTO: Markus Johnsen Thonhaugen.
Last week, Nord University Business School hosted an intensive five-day course on institutional theory, drawing 15 doctoral students from 11 different countries.
While this field might seem academic at first glance, its insights offer valuable perspectives for everyone interested in understanding how our society functions.
(don't have the time to read the full article? See the video re-cap!)
Associate Professor Evgenii Aleksandrov explains:
– Institutional theory helps us understand how organizations behave as they are and how people behave as they are. It reveals the irrationality in their actions.
This perspective challenges our assumptions about how society functions.
– We know that institutions matter, adds Anatoli Bourmistrov and Katarina Kaarbøe, both professors involved within teaching of the course.
– Institutional theory is about norms and values and how we act as human beings.
Sometimes we just take things for granted without reflecting on why we're doing them
The three explain that this field is particularly relevant for PhD students.
As these students are studying various phenomena in their research, the course offers new insights and approaches to understanding these phenomena in novel ways.
The course's international faculty reported lively discussions and new connections forming among the participants. But what did the students themselves think?
Students' Perspectives: ‘Should Be Mandatory’
Luiz Andrade, originally from Brazil and now at Tampere University, is researching how clerical bureaucrats influence social policies.
– I think this is a course that should be mandatory, he states.
– Quite often, even in published papers, you see authors getting into institutionalism, but many times there's something missing or not properly explained. Here, everything starts to make sense.
Wen Xibei, an incoming PhD student from China studying sustainable transportation transition, found the course eye-opening.
– It provided very good insights on how to see this work from a governance and management perspective, she shares.
Bridging Theory and Real-World Applications
Lise-May Sæle from the Norwegian School of Economics is studying hybrid organizations. She emphasizes the course's relevance:
– It's really interesting. Good lectures, good reflections and everything. I'm very happy!
– It's my first meeting with institutional theory, and my plan is to use some of it in my analytical work in my dissertation.
Marco Roth from the University of Tampere adds:
– Institutional theory is a lovely way to see how society is functioning, exploring the connections between structures and actors.
Satisfied With The Week
The diverse backgrounds of these students highlight the wide-ranging applications of institutional theory, from transportation and bureaucracy to hybrid organizations.
Reflecting on the week, the organizers shared their enthusiasm for the course's outcomes.
Associate Professor Evgenii Aleksandrov noted:
– Students were very curious about what institutional theory is actually about, but also trying to understand how they can apply it to their own research topics.
Professor Anatoli Bourmistrov:
– We had a lot of discussion with the students. Students came motivated. I hope students will improve their research projects after this.
The course was arranged through combining the competencies of Nord University Business School and its partners from other Nordic universities (Kristianstad University, Sweden, Nord University Business School, Norway, Tampere University, Finland). Read more in the fact box.
Facts about the course
-
Goal of the course is to learn and reflect upon the contemporary streams of institutional theory and their application to management and accounting research. In a long-term perspective, the course seeks to contribute to the development of PhD students’ analytical skills and, therefore, facilitate the number of individual and joint international publications by researchers from Nordic countries.
-
The course is financially supported by the Research Council of Norway (EduSmart project) and the Nordic Academy of Management (NFF) .
-
The course had 15 students from 11 countries in 2024.
-
International faculty team from Nordics:
-
Anatoli Bourmistrov (Professor, Nord University Business School, Norway).
-
Daniela Argento (Associate Professor, Kristianstad University, Sweden).
-
Evgenii Aleksandrov (Associate Professor, Nord University Business School, Norway).
-
Giuseppe Grossi (Professor, Nord University Business School, Norway; Kristianstad University, Sweden).
-
Jan-Erik Johanson (Professor, Tampere University, Finland).
-
Jarmo Vakkuri (Professor, Tampere University, Finland).
-
Katarina Kaarbøe (Professor, Norwegian School of Economics, Norway).
Facts about the course
-
Goal of the course is to learn and reflect upon the contemporary streams of institutional theory and their application to management and accounting research. In a long-term perspective, the course seeks to contribute to the development of PhD students’ analytical skills and, therefore, facilitate the number of individual and joint international publications by researchers from Nordic countries.
-
The course is financially supported by the Research Council of Norway (EduSmart project) and the Nordic Academy of Management (NFF) .
-
The course had 15 students from 11 countries in 2024.
-
International faculty team from Nordics:
-
Anatoli Bourmistrov (Professor, Nord University Business School, Norway).
-
Daniela Argento (Associate Professor, Kristianstad University, Sweden).
-
Evgenii Aleksandrov (Associate Professor, Nord University Business School, Norway).
-
Giuseppe Grossi (Professor, Nord University Business School, Norway; Kristianstad University, Sweden).
-
Jan-Erik Johanson (Professor, Tampere University, Finland).
-
Jarmo Vakkuri (Professor, Tampere University, Finland).
-
Katarina Kaarbøe (Professor, Norwegian School of Economics, Norway).
