Managing Competing Institutional Logics in Public–Private Joint Ventures

Abstract Abstract Cross-sector inter-organizational partnerships, alliances and networks have become extremely popular. Yet, we may expect competing societal-level institutional logics to play an important role in cross-sector alliances, hence making their management central to alliance success. This article responds to the general research question: How do participants of public–private joint ventures manage competing institutional logics? Based on in-depth interviews we empirically characterize two competing logics in a cross-sector collaborative and identify two practices used to cope with them. Key words: Institutional logicsbusiness–government relationsjoint venturesqualitative research Acknowledgements The authors are grateful to Albert Serra, Marc Esteve and Tamyko Ysa who helped during different stages of the research and to two blind reviewers. Notes Sector differences that derive from societal-sector institutional logics are in line with empirical findings by scholars studying differences between the public and private sectors in terms of attitudes, personal values, motivation and organizational context (Crewson, 1997 Crewson, P. E. 1997. Are the Best and Brightest Fleeing Public Sector Employment? Evidence From the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Public Productivity and Management Review, 20(4): 363–71. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]; Houston, 2000 Houston, D. J. 2000. Public-Service Motivation: A Multivariate Test. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 1(4): 713–27. [Google Scholar]; Rainey and Bozeman, 2000 Rainey, H. and Bozeman, B. 2000. Comparing Public and Private Organizations: Empirical Research and the Power of the A Priori. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 10(2): 447–69. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]; Poole and Gould-Williams, 2006 Poole, M. M. R. and Gould-Williams, J. 2006. Public and Private Sector Managers over 20 Years: A Test of the 'Convergence Thesis'. Public Administration, 84(4): 1051–76. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Lyons et al., 2006 Lyons, S. T., Duxbury, L. E. and Higgins, C. A. 2006. A Comparison of the Values and Commitment of Private Sector, Public Sector, and Parapublic Sector Employees. Public Administration Review, 66(4): 605–18. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Feeney, 2007 Feeney, M. K. 2007. Sector Perceptions Among State-Level Public Managers. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 18(1): 465–94. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Nutt, 2006). Explanations regarding different institutional logics between public and private sectors are also backed by public management scholars. Differences between private and public sectors have been highlighted regarding decision-making modes and level of constraints on managers (Nutt, 2006), openness to environment (Poole and Gould-Williams, 2006 Poole, M. M. R. and Gould-Williams, J. 2006. Public and Private Sector Managers over 20 Years: A Test of the 'Convergence Thesis'. Public Administration, 84(4): 1051–76. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Ring and Perry, 1985 Ring, P. S. and Perry, J. L. 1985. Strategic Management in Public and Private Organizations: Implications of Distinctive Contexts and Constraints. Academy of Management Review, 10(2): 276–87. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), control over personnel (Rainey and Bozeman, 2000 Rainey, H. and Bozeman, B. 2000. Comparing Public and Private Organizations: Empirical Research and the Power of the A Priori. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 10(2): 447–69. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) and the politics–administration divide (Svara, 1999 Svara, J. H. 1999. Complementarity of Politics and Administration as a Legitimate Alternative to the Dichotomy Model. Administration & Society, 30(6): 676–705. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Peters, 2001 Peters, B. G. 2001. The Politics of Bureaucracy, London: Routledge. [Google Scholar]; Goodnow, 2003 Goodnow, F. J. 2003. Politics and Administration: A Study in Government, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers. [Google Scholar]; Meier and Bohte, 2006 Meier, K. J. and Bohte, J. 2006. Politics and the Bureaucracy: Policymaking in the Fourth Branch of Government, Florence, KY: Thomson Wadsworth. [Google Scholar]). However, a major difference exists with respect to existing studies on competing institutional logics. We find competing societal institutional logics within an organization, while the cited studies look at the competing institutional logics within an organizational field. Moreover, this finding responds partially to Wall and Connollys' (2009) call for more research on the interaction between public–private collaboratives and their external stakeholders.