Diffusion of standards: The importance of size, region and external pressures in diffusion processes
成果类型：
Article
署名作者：
Dahl, Poul Skov; Hansen, Kasper M.
署名单位：
University of Southern Denmark; University of Copenhagen
刊物名称：
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
ISSN/ISSBN：
0033-3298
DOI：
10.1111/j.1467-9299.2006.00011.x
发表日期：
2006
页码：
441-459
关键词：
摘要：
Organizational standards or guidelines, although commonly applied in public sector organizations, are rarely studied systematically. We report insights gained here into the circumstances present when organizations adopt standards by studying the diffusion of the Common Language Standard (CLS). Neo-institutional organization theory constitutes the theoretical framework, which highlights the empirical phenomenon that standards occasionally spread extremely rapidly to some - but not all - organizations within the same field. Empirical evidence from quantitative surveys of civil servants and elected officials in Danish municipalities is used to analyse the field and organizational levels. The levels of external pressure and organizational resources are important in order to understand why some municipal organizations have adopted the CLS whereas others have not. We find that the initial source of the standard as well as regional pressure play a strong role, something which contradicts other studies indicating that diffusion from organization to organization is more significant.