Talking the Talk, Moral Entrapment, Creeping Commitment? Exploring Narrative Dynamics in Corporate Responsibility Standardization
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State: Public
Version: author
Serval ID
serval:BIB_0FD171F27B97
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Talking the Talk, Moral Entrapment, Creeping Commitment? Exploring Narrative Dynamics in Corporate Responsibility Standardization
Journal
Organization Studies
ISSN
0170-8406
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2012
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
33
Number
5-6
Pages
815-845
Language
english
Abstract
This paper examines the type and temporal development of language in the process of corporate responsibility (CR) standardization. Previous research on CR standardization has addressed the proliferation and organizational embedding of material practices but neglected the analysis of underlying ideational dynamics. Departing from this practice, we introduce a narrative perspective that illuminates the trajectory a CR standard follows, from being formally adopted to becoming collectively accepted as a valid solution to a problem of societal concern. We argue that this perspective helps scholars explore the dynamic interplay between symbolic and material aspects of standardization and understand better the discursive antecedents of coupling processes in organizations. Drawing on the case of the Equator Principles standard in international project finance, we empirically study how narratives create meaning shared by both business firms and their societal observers, thereby exemplifying the analytical merit of a narrative approach to CR standardization.
Keywords
Corporate responsibility, decoupling, Equator Principles, institutionalization, narratives, standardization
Web of science
Create date
20/04/2016 16:46
Last modification date
20/08/2019 13:36