Toward New Organizational Sociology of Quantification: From Interlopers to Plurality and Contestation

Sociologists examine various forms of quantification and their consequences. In organizational sociology, the interloper perspective represents the dominant view on quantification, conceptualizing it as a new field actor that creates commercial opportunities through the institutionalization of quantification mechanisms and generates changes in institutions and organizations. After defining the interloper perspective and demonstrating its applications in organizational sociology, we discuss the assumptions and limitations of this perspective in understanding quantification processes. We then identify three mechanisms that contribute to the institutionalization of quantification in organizational research. Next, we present four alternative approaches to studying quantification drawn from political and economic sociology. We argue that organizational sociology of quantification can benefit from these alternatives by generating new theoretical questions about quantification processes and their impact on institutions: quantification is an interactive process that must address the demands of those being quantified; the production of quantification creates uncertainties as problems of cooperation and coordination emerge; the success of quantification depends on material mechanisms such as quantification devices; and social relations and collective action can increase plurality and diversity in the outcomes of quantification processes. Finally, we discuss how these new theoretical puzzles can be explored using theories of organizations and institutions.