Fields, Organizations, and Agency

Melding key concepts from structuration theory with the organizational field framework, this article builds on current work establishing a micro foundation for neoinstitutional organizations theory. First, the author presents a synthesized theoretic approach to explore the institutionalization process. Then, applying the framework to data from a case study of a welfare-to-work program, the article examines the institutionalization process from the standpoint of one group of organizational actors (social service workers). The analysis shows that institutionalization can be a highly contentious process enacted by knowledgeable actors who engage, reject, and at times transform the value-laden structures in which they are working.