Standardization Cycles: A Process Perspective on the Formation and Diffusion of Transnational Standards

Standards are receiving increasing attention, especially at the transnational level where standardization aims at coherence and social ordering beyond the nation-state. However, many attempts to bring about uniformity via formalized standards fail. To understand better how such rules successfully sp...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Organization studies 2012-05, Vol.33 (5-6), p.737-762
Main Authors: Botzem, Sebastian, Dobusch, Leonhard
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accounting standards
Coherence
Diffusion
International business
International standards
Legitimacy
Organization studies
Organization theory
Organizational behavior
Sequences
Standardization
Studies
Transnationalism
Windows
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Standards are receiving increasing attention, especially at the transnational level where standardization aims at coherence and social ordering beyond the nation-state. However, many attempts to bring about uniformity via formalized standards fail. To understand better how such rules successfully span national and organizational boundaries over time, we compare two cases of standardization in international business. Both Windows desktop software and International Accounting Standards demonstrate the need for a process perspective to understand and explain social ordering through standards. Long-lasting standardization processes require conceptualizing how different sequences of transnational standardization relate to each other. We find that at the core of such recursive cycles is the interplay of input and output legitimacy.
ISSN:0170-8406
1741-3044
DOI:10.1177/0170840612443626