From isomorphism to institutional work: advancing institutional theory in sport management research

This paper offers a review of institutional work and its utilization in sport management. We detailed how institutional work offers a modern paradigm of institutional theory that addresses calls for examining how institutions are created, maintained, and disrupted in sport. Upon review of the institutional work research in sport management, we argue for more studies of embedded agency and provide insights into how scholars may effectively implement institutional work within studies of sport phenomena. We advocate for the expansion of methods and analyses to provide empirical relationships between embedded agency and institutional outcomes. Further, we concluded that there is a need for more research with institutional work and other core institutional elements. Thus, we offer important insights into the progression of institutional theory research in sport management.