Variation of modern actorhood

FESTO

Austrian Science Fund

Austrian National Bank

According to new institutionalism actorhood with individual rights and obligations is socially constructed. Actors are perceived as legitimate if they are perceived to have the following three characteristics: affect-controlled goal orientation, openness for advice from others and consideration of collective interests. These characteristics are universally valid in Western societies. However, different local environments lead to variations of these characteristics. The meaning of these characteristics has not been specified in organizational contexts nor have cross-cultural differences in legitimation been empirically investigated yet. The purpose of this project is to investigate how the nature and relevance of these characteristics vary across different cultural contexts. By studying legitimation in different cultural contexts, the research project aims to expand the applicability of new institutionalism by building a bridge between new institutionalism which focuses on explaining homogeneity and cross-cultural theory focusing on explaining differences. Empirical research subject are human resource departments. The author' s previous empirical research shows that legitimation of human resource departments involves compliance, effort and insightfulness. The project explores the meanings of these issues in different cultural contexts. More specifically the research project will address the following four questions:
(1) What does compliance with organizational order mean to managers in different cultural contexts?
(2) What is important to managers for evaluating their HR departments’ effort in different cultural contexts?
(3) How do managers recognize their HR departments’ insightfulness in different cultural contexts?
(4) What is the importance of compliance, effort and insightfulness in different cultural contexts for obtaining legitimacy?
The methodological approach combines qualitative and quantitative research methods.