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The Multiple Dynamics of Isomorphic Change: Australian Law Schools 1987–1996

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Abstract

The theory of institutional isomorphism has been criticized for overemphasizing organizational convergence and neglecting organizational divergence. Drawing on a range of empirical data, this paper shows that multi-dimensional accounts of isomorphic change are not necessarily incompatible with accounts emphasizing divergence as a typical form of organizational response to environmental uncertainties. The specific case investigated is the proliferation of academic organizational units teaching law at Australian universities over a ten-year period (1987–1996) that saw far-reaching structural transformations of the Australian university system. The key heuristic strategy employed in this paper is to scrutinize (a) when isomorphic responses appear to occur, and (b) which specific organizational form they take. In the empirical case examined, scrutiny of each of these dimensions strongly suggests that at least some isomorphic responses of universities were driven by a dual agenda of manifesting not only similarity but also distinction.

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Notes

  1. Universities are a prime example for this (Whitley 2008; Krücken and Meier 2006; Gumport 2000), which may explain why the study of these organizations has revealed substantial empirical evidence for competing institutional logics (Townley 1997; Swan et al. 2010). It is an interesting coincidence that universities are one of the few examples of organizations for which there is compelling empirical evidence both for conflicting institutional logics as well as for institutional isomorphism. Despite this, there appears to be a dearth of empirical studies of universities aiming to integrate these two perspectives (an exception is Townley 1997).

  2. For student data, 1988 was used as the first reference year to ensure comparability of data up to 1996, as the Australian government made some changes to student data collection between 1987 and 1988.

  3. Throughout that year a further three universities were established, meaning that at the end of 1991 there existed 30 accredited public universities in Australia.

  4. Both the University of Tasmania (established in 1890) and the University of New England (1954) were included in this group rather than the first group due to their considerably smaller degree of research intensity.

  5. The University of Tasmania converted its stand-alone law school to a department in its Faculty of Business and Law over the period 1987–1991.

  6. As previously noted, two of the post-1987 universities (the University of Technology Sydney and Queensland University of Technology) had already established law schools prior to gaining university status in 1988 and 1989 respectively.

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Acknowledgments

The authors contributed equally to this article. We are grateful for financial support from the Australian Research Council (Discovery Grant DP140102874) and the University of Melbourne (Early Career Researchers Grant, Peter Woelert). We thank Michael Crommelin, Georg Krücken and two anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions. We also thank Lachlan McKenzie for research assistance.

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  1. Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia

    Peter Woelert

  2. Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia

    Gwilym Croucher

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Correspondence to Peter Woelert.

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Woelert, P., Croucher, G. The Multiple Dynamics of Isomorphic Change: Australian Law Schools 1987–1996. Minerva 56, 479–503 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11024-018-9350-8

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