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Organization without actorhood: Exploring a neglected phenomenon

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  • Grothe-Hammer, Michael

Abstract

Most scholars explicitly or implicitly build on the assumption that organizations have to be externally recognized as actors to become constituted as organizations. Although recently some scholars have reported on instances of organization without actorhood, the phenomenon still remains widely neglected. Moreover, so far, organization without actorhood is seen as something very limited in terms of complexity and permanency. In this paper, we will draw a different picture. Drawing on the concept of degrees of organizationality (Dobusch & Schoeneborn, 2015) and a decision-based understanding of organization (Ahrne & Brunsson, 2011; Luhmann, 2003), we develop a framework that allows us to explore how much organization is possible without actorhood. Drawing on a qualitative case study of an inter-organizational collective concerned with ensuring public safety, we illustrate that highly complex organization is possible without constituting an actor. Our study presents evidence contradicting the common assumption that complex organization relies on the external attribution of actorhood. We also add to debates on responsibility of organizations and inter-organizational relations by pointing out that organization without actorhood has certain implications, i.e. it allows for a specific avoidance of responsibility.

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  • Grothe-Hammer, Michael, 2019. "Organization without actorhood: Exploring a neglected phenomenon," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 325-338.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eurman:v:37:y:2019:i:3:p:325-338
    DOI: 10.1016/j.emj.2018.07.009
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    4. Berkowitz, Heloise & Souchaud, Antoine, 2024. "Filling successive technologically-induced governance gaps: Meta-organizations as regulatory innovation intermediaries," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
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    6. Héloïse Berkowitz & Antoine Souchaud, 2019. "(Self-)Regulation of Sharing Economy Platforms Through Partial Meta-organizing," Post-Print hal-02528015, HAL.
    7. Heloise Berkowitz & Antoine Souchaud, 2019. "(Self-)Regulation of Sharing Economy Platforms Through Partial Meta-organizing," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 159(4), pages 961-976, November.
    8. Héloïse Berkowitz & Nils Brunsson & Michael Grothe-Hammer & Mikaela Sundberg & Bertrand Valiorgue, 2022. "Meta-Organizations: A Clarification and a Way Forward," Post-Print hal-03685386, HAL.
    9. Héloïse Berkowitz, 2020. "Participatory Governance for the Development of the Blue Bioeconomy in the Mediterranean Region," Working Papers hal-02555685, HAL.
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