From Value Infusion to Evaluate Embodiment: Integrating Emotions into Values-Centric Institutionalism

Ricardo Flores () and Matthew S. Kraatz ()
Additional contact information
Ricardo Flores: University of Victoria, Gustavson School of Business
Matthew S. Kraatz: University of Illinois

Chapter 3 in The Palgrave Handbook of Emotions and Values in Organizational Institutionalism, 2026, pp 45-92 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Values and emotions are fundamental aspects of institutional life, yet institutional theory has explored them through separate scholarly discussions. Values research focuses on how moral commitments are embedded in organizational structures, while emotions research highlights affective dynamics that drive institutional stability and change. This disconnect prevents understanding how these intrinsically linked phenomena—values as emotion-rich concepts—shape institutional reality. This chapter combines values-centric institutionalism (VCI) with pragmatist-realist approaches to embodied experience. We introduce evaluative embodiment—the phenomenological process of transforming abstract values into lived commitments through visceral-cognitive integration—and emotional-historical sedimentation—the process by which embodied patterns become ingrained into institutional character. These interconnected concepts demonstrate how individual experience and institutional structures mutually influence each other through continuous, embodied processes. Three key contributions emerge. First, moral agencyagency functions through embodied rather than solely cognitive mechanisms, challenging Cartesian ideas about institutional action. Second, institutional persistence is rooted in accumulated visceral engagement rather than mere structural inertia. Third, values acquire motivational power through phenomenological rather than purely intellectual processes. Practically, institutional leaders need to foster embodied experiences, making values felt viscerally rather than just articulated. Successful reform involves transforming emotional engagement patterns alongside formal restructuring—without changing embodied experience, institutional change remains superficial despite structural adjustments.

Keywords: Values; Institutions; Emotions; Values-centric institutionalism; Evaluative embodiment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

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:spr:sprchp:978-3-032-12670-2_3

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/9783032126702

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-12670-2_3

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Springer Books from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().