Pathways to Institutional Disruption? Translation, hope, and the dynamics of hype

In this paper, we theorize the institutional dynamics of hype by approaching hype as involving translation that holds potential to threaten institutional orders. Theorizing the relationship between hope, expectations, and master-ideas, we build a process model of hype involving translation of a pathway passing through three distinct phases: materialization, mobilization, and immunization. In doing this, we chart a new approach to explore the role of hype when altering and potentially even disrupting institutions, without significant blowback, driving a particular form of radical institutional change. The paper contributes to seminal work on hype produced by entrepreneurship and science and technology studies, as well as to research on organizational institutionalism and the travel and translation of ideas.