Failed institution building: Understanding the interplay between agency, social skill and context

Tim Edwards and Ossie Jones

Scandinavian Journal of Management, 2008, vol. 24, issue 1, 44-54

Abstract: Summary This article examines the idea of institution building in terms of the interplay between agentic orientation, social skill and context. It argues that a relational approach to agency provides a useful framework for understanding the limits of social skill in explaining such processes. A detailed account, using the lens supplied by the idea of 'agentic orientation' helps to elaborate the failed formation of NewBuC, a public-private partnership designed to give assistance to entrepreneurs keen to establish technology-based companies on a UK Regional Science Park. This approach is seen to provide a conception of agency that allows for critical reflection at the micro-level around the role of champions and social skill in institutional analysis.

Keywords: Relational; approach; Agency; Failed; institution; building; Social; skill; Champions; Regional; Science; Park (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956522107000930
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:scaman:v:24:y:2008:i:1:p:44-54

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/872/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... me/872/bibliographic

Access Statistics for this article

Scandinavian Journal of Management is currently edited by Janne Tienari

More articles in Scandinavian Journal of Management from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().