Theorizing Institutional Entrepreneuring: Arborescent and rhizomatic assembling

A growing body of research has cataloged the myriad actors involved in tackling persistent institutional problems. Yet we lack a theoretical toolkit for explicitly conceptualizing and comparing diverse modes of institutional entrepreneuring-the processes whereby actors are created and equipped for institutional action-capable of ameliorating grand challenges. Drawing on assemblage theory, we articulate two ideal-typical modes of assembling actorhood: arborescent and rhizomatic. We differentiate each mode along four principles: association, combination, division, and population. Building on our theorization, we propound an arborescent-rhizomatic space comprising clusters of arborescent, rhizomatic, and hybrid actorhood. To explore the generativity of our framework, we revisit selected research at the intersection of institutional entrepreneurship and grand challenges. We close by articulating how our concept of assembling actorhood reorients research toward institutional entrepreneuring and contributes to the application of assemblage theory within organization studies.

Automated summary

Research has identified various actors involved in addressing institutional challenges, but there is a lack of theoretical framework for conceptualizing different modes of institutional entrepreneuring. Drawing on assemblage theory, two ideal types of assembling actorhood, arborescent and rhizomatic, are articulated. These modes are differentiated based on principles of association, combination, division, and population, leading to the proposal of an arborescent-rhizomatic space comprising clusters of different actorhood types.