On the 13th and 14th of May 2019 was held the first Toulouse workshop on “Meta-, Macro-, and Partial Organization: Advances in Research and Theory” at Toulouse School of Management. It gathered more than thirty researchers in management, economy and sociology from Toulouse, France and Europe (Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Finland, Sweden, Denmark). In a wonderfully benevolent, constructive and creative spirit, this forum constituted a unique opportunity to exchange about alternative concepts in organization theory, of their uses, validity and possible evolution. A delicious buffet dinner then allowed to continue discussion in a more relaxed atmosphere, at cozy restaurant Aux Pieds Sous la Table, in a privatized lounge.
The contemporary world is filled with a multiplicity of organizations. These organizations keep morphing into news forms to adapt to societal challenges and we still understand relatively little about these new dynamics. These organizations may be complete, in the sense of Swedish sociologists Ahrne and Brunsson, that is, with a membership, hierarchy, rules, monitoring and sanctions. Or they may be partial organizations, as in the case of standards. But organizations also increasingly create organizations, or meta-organizations (organizations of organizations). Meta-organizations then organize themselves at a macro level, resulting in an organizational milfoil that classic theories like institutionalism or network do not necessarily fully account for. A common feature to these forms is the central role played by decisions. The objective of this workshop was to develop the analytical power of these new concepts of meta-organization, partial organization and macro organization, in an interdisciplinary dialogue between economy, management and sociology centered on decision.
This meeting was made possible thanks to TSM Research, the MSHS Toulouse (2018?? grant application) and the Research Committee 17 “Sociology of Organizations” at the International Sociological Association (ISA). Several future events are planned to continue this fruitful dialogue on these topics, notably EGOS 2019 in Edinburg, EGOS 2020 in Hamburg and ISA 2020 in Porto Alegre.
A special issue on meta-organization is also in preparation in academic open access journal M@n@gement, with a call for papers in December 2019.
Program:
Monday 13th of May 2019 Manufacture des Tabacs - Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, 21 Allée de Brienne (See appendix for directions)
8h30-9h00 Registration, room MQ 212
9h00-9h10 Introduction by Héloïse Berkowitz (CNRS, TSM Research) and Michael Grothe-Hammer (Helmut Schmidt University Hamburg)
Boundary conditions and the formation of meta-organization to mitigate weak bargaining power in French dairy food systems, the MilkyWay Experience, by Emilie Bourlier-Bargues, Bertrand Valiorgue & Xavier Hollandts, Discussant: Pierre Garaudel
Hierarchy/ heterarchy from ‘either/or’ to ‘both/and’: Managing interdependencies in Meta Organisations, by Ruth McDonald, Simon Bailey, Kath Checkland, Damian Hodgson, Lisa Riste, and Sharon Spooner, Discussant: Claire Anaïs
Unpacking the Multifaceted Identity of the Meta-organisation: The Case of the RSPO, by Liliane Carmagnac, Valentina Carbone & Anne Touboulic, Discussant: Théophile Megali
What is meta about MSIs: The significance of formation and membership, by Luisa Murphy, Discussant: Elen Riot
A multi-level approach to social capital creation in multi-stakeholder meta-organizations, by Héloïse Berkowitz & Antoine Souchaud, Discussant: Göran Ahrne
13h00-14h00 Lunch in room ME 001
14h00-16h00 Session: Innovation, room MQ 212
Third-places as enablers for sustainable innovation: an analysis built on Berkowitz’ framework, by Claire-Anaïs Boulanger & Annick Castiaux, Discussant: Liliane Carmagnac
Innovative organizational structures in healthcare: Analysing territorial support platforms as meta-organizations, by Sandrine Cueille, Matthieu Sibé, Tamara Roberts, Discussant: Steve Cropper
Resource Orchestration in Meta-Organizations: The Role of Catalytic Orchestrators in Large-Scale Innovation Meta-Organizations, by Jane Zhao & Tao Wang, Discussant: Sanne Bor
16h00-16h30 Coffee break in room ME 001
16h30-17h50 Session: (Un-)Success of meta-organizations, room MQ 212
Permanently Failing Meta-Organizations? The Arduous Organization of Global Labour, by Göran Ahrne & Adrienne Sörbom, Discussant: Valentina Carbone
Market-shaping meta-organizations. A case study on the industrial response to the ad-blocking phenomenon., by Théophile Megali, Discussant: Antoine Souchaud
19h30 Dinner
Tuesday 14th of May 2019, Manufacture des Tabacs - Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, 21 Allée de Brienne (See appendix for directions)
9h00-9h10 Arrival
9h10-10h30 Session: Expanding MO theory I, room MQ 212
Variations in meta-organizations, by Héloïse Berkowitz & Sanne Bor, Discussant: Sandrine Cueille
Organization as decision, by Michael Grothe Hammer & Héloïse Berkowitz, Discussant: Mikaela Sundberg
10h30-11h00 Coffee break in room ME 001
11h00-13h00 Session: Expanding MO theory II, room MQ 212
On (re-)defining a type: The mixed character of a meta-organisation, by Steve Cropper & Sanne Bor, Discussant: Ruth McDonald
Membership versus autonomy: The case of the European accreditation cooperation and the transition to a mandatory membership, by Cecilia Fredriksson, Discussant: Bertrand Valiorgue
Understanding Accountability in the Context of Meta-Organizations, by Sanne Bor, Discussant: Xavier Hollandts
13h00-14h00 Lunch in room ME 001
14h00-16h00 Session: Tensions in and around MO, room MQ 212
Everybody’s meta-organization? Nobody’s? Practices of strategizing through differences in meta-organizing, by Jane Webb & Martin Löwstedt, Discussant: Luisa Murphy
Having almost everything of an MO… without being an MO. Competitive tensions in the French addiction field, by Pierre Garaudel, Adrien Laurent & Géraldine Schmidt, Discussant: Cecilia Fredriksson
Open and latent conflicts in the field: morphing the change process of meta/partial/macro organizations and institutions, by Elen Riot, Discussant: Jane Webb
16h00-17h00 Collective discussion and future steps