Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

From Voluntary Collective Action to Organized Collaboration? The Provision of Public Goods in Pluralistic Organizations

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Multi-Level Governance in Universities

Part of the book series: Higher Education Dynamics ((HEDY,volume 47))

Abstract

Our study examines the relationship between voluntary collective action, organized collaboration, and the provision of public goods in pluralistic organizations. Using German higher education as a context, we investigate whether specialized central support structures contribute to performance in three fields of action: the training of young scientists, internationalization, and gender diversity. The findings indicate that organized collaboration may lead to improved performance in the training of young scientists and gender diversity. Conversely, voluntary collective action enhances internationalization. Based on our results, we suggest that, depending on the field of action, voluntary collective action and organized collaboration are substitutes with regard to performance. Our study contributes to the literature on collective action and to research on public organizations in pluralistic institutional environments. It also informs higher education research and policy on the effectiveness of new organizational designs based on centralized and specialized support structures at universities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 119.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Aguinis, H., Shapiro, D. L., Antonacopoulou, E., & Cummings, T. G. (2014). Scholarly impact: A pluralist conceptualization. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 13(4), 623–639.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Altbach, P. G., & Knight, J. (2007). The internationalization of higher education: Motivations and realities. Journal of Studies in International Education, 11, 290–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bäker, A. (2015). Non-tenured post-doctoral researchers’ job mobility and research output: An analysis of the role of research discipline, department size, and coauthors. Research Policy, 44, 634–650.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baum, J. A. C. (2011). Free-riding on power laws: Questioning the validity of the impact factor as a measure of research quality in organization studies. Organization, 18, 449–466.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benner, M., & Waldfogel, F. (2008). Close to you? Bias and precision in patent-based measures of technological proximity. Research Policy, 37, 1556–1567.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blaschke, S., Frost, J., & Hattke, F. (2014). Towards a micro-foundation of leadership, governance, and management in universities. Higher Education, 68, 711–732.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boardman, P. C., & Corley, E. A. (2008). University research centers and the composition of research collaborations. Research Policy, 37, 900–913.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buchanan, J. M., & Yoon, Y. J. (2000). Symmetric tragedies: Commons and anticommons. Journal of Law and Economics, 43, 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cardinal, L. (2001). Technological innovation in the pharmaceutical industry: The use of organizational control in managing research and development. Organization Science, 12, 19–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chatterjee, S., & Simonoff, J. S. (2013). Handbook of regression analysis. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coggburn, J. (2005). The benefits of human resource centralization: Insights from a survey of human resource directors in a decentralized state. Public Administration Review, 65(4), 424–435.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, M. D., March, J. G., & Olsen, J. P. (1972). A garbage can model of organizational choice. Administrative Science Quarterly, 17, 1–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DAAD. (2012). Erasmus 2010/2011 – Statistische Übersichten zu den ERASMUS-Mobilitätsmaßnahmen. Bonn: Nationale Agentur für EU-Hochschulzusammenarbeit im Deutschen Akademischen Austauschdienst (DAAD).

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, G. F., & Thompson, T. A. (1994). A social movement perspective on corporate control. Administrative Science Quarterly, 39, 141–173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., Connell, J. P., & Ryan, R. M. (1989). Self-determination in a work organization. Journal of Applied Psychology, 74, 580–590.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Denis, J.-L., Lamothe, L., & Langley, A. (2001). The dynamics of collective leadership and strategic change in pluralistic organizations. Academy of Management Journal, 44, 809–837.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Denis, J.-L., Langley, A., & Rouleau, L. (2007). Strategizing in pluralistic contexts: Rethinking theoretical frames. Human Relations, 60, 179–215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DFG. (2010). Monitoring des Förderprogramms Sonderforschungsbereiche. Bonn: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.

    Google Scholar 

  • DFG. (2012a). Förderatlas 2012 Kennzahlen zur öffentlich finanzierten Forschung in Deutschland. Weinheim: WILEY-VCH Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • DFG. (2012b). Guidelines for reviewing proposals in the collaborative research centres programme. www.dfg.de/formulare/60_14/60_14_en.pdf. Accessed 13 Sept 2014.

  • DiMaggio, P. J., & Powel, W. W. (1983). The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields. American Sociological Review, 48, 147–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doty, D. H., Glick, W. H., & Huber, G. P. (1993). Fit, equifinality, and organizational effectiveness: A test of two configurational theories. Academy of Management Journal, 36, 1196–1250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Efron, B. (1979). Bootstrap methods: Another look at the jackknife. Annals of Statistics, 7, 1–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Efron, B., & Tibshirani, R. J. (1993). An introduction to the bootstrap. New York: Chapman & Hall.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Enders, J., de Boer, H., & Weyer, E. (2013). Regulatory autonomy and performance: The reform of higher education re-visited. Higher Education, 65, 5–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Espeland, W. N., & Sauder, M. (2007). Rankings and reactivity: How public measures recreate social worlds. American Journal of Sociology, 113, 1–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fauchart, E., & Cowan, R. (2014). Weak links and the management of reputational interdependencies. Strategic Management Journal, 35, 532–549.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feeney, M., & Welch, E. (2012). Realized publicness at public and private research universities. Public Administration Review, 72(2), 272–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frese, E., Graumann, M., & Theuvsen, L. (2012). Grundlagen der Organisation: Entscheidungsorientiertes Konzept der Organisationsgestaltung (10th ed.). Wiesbaden: Gabler.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Frey, B. S., & Jegen, R. (2001). Motivation crowding theory. Journal of Economic Surveys, 15, 589–611.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frey, B. S., & Oberholzer-Gee, F. (1997). The cost of price incentives: An empirical analysis of motivation crowding-out. The American Economic Review, 87, 746–756.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frost, F., & Brockmann, J. (2014). When quality is equated with quantitative productivity – Scholars caught in a performance paradox. ZfE – Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaften, 23, 1–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frost, F., & Hattke, F. (2013). University commons: Kollektivressourcen als alternative Steuerungsperspektive für das Hochschulmanagement. Hochschulmanagement, 8, 35–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frost, F., & Morner, M. (2005). Corporate commons: Sustaining competitiveness through public goods in multidivisional firms. International Journal of Learning and Change, 1, 28–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frost, F., & Morner, M. (2010). Overcoming knowledge dilemmas. Governing the creation, sharing and use of knowledge resources. International Journal of Strategic Change Management, 2, 172–199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gornitzka, Å., & Larsen, I. M. (2004). Towards professionalisation? Restructuring of administrative work force in universities. Higher Education, 47, 455–471.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenwood, R., Raynard, M., Kodeih, F., Micelotta, E. R., & Lounsbury, M. (2011). Institutional complexity and organizational responses. Academy of Management Annals, 5, 317–371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gurin, P., Dey, E. L., Hurtado, S., & Gurin, G. (2002). Diversity and higher education: Theory and impact on educational outcomes. Harvard Educational Review, 72, 330–366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hardin, G. (1998). The tragedy of the commons. Science, 280, 682–683.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hargrave, T. J., & Van de Ven, A. H. (2006). A collective action model of institutional innovation. Academy of Management Review, 31, 864–888.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harlacher, D., & Reihlen, M. (2014). Governance of professional service firms: A configurational approach. Business Research, 7, 125–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hattke, F., Blaschke, S., & Frost, J. (2014). Governance logics in universitities. Organizational change as oscillating conversations. In A. Pettigrew, E. Cornuel, & U. Hommel (Eds.), The institutional development of business schools (pp. 69–94). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hattke, F., Vogel, R., & Woiwode, H. (2016). When professional and organizational logics collide: Balancing invisible and visible colleges in institutional complexity. In J. Frost, F. Hattke, & M. Reihlen (Eds.), Multilevel governance in universities (pp. 235–256). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hellström, T. (2004). Between a rock and a hard place: Academic institutional change and the problem of collective action. Higher Education, 48, 511–528.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, A. D., Raynor, M. E., & Ahmed, M. (2012). How long must a firm be great to rule out chance? Benchmarking sustained superior performance without being fooled by randomness. Strategic Management Journal, 33, 387–406.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holmstrom, B., & Milgrom, P. (1994). The firm as an incentive system. American Economic Review, 84, 972–991.

    Google Scholar 

  • Humboldt. (2012). Wissenschaftliche Hochschulen in Deutschland (2007–2011). Bonn: Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jia, N. (2014). Are collective political actions and private political actions substitutes or complements? Empirical evidence from China’s private sector. Strategic Management Journal, 35, 292–315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kezar, A. (2000). Pluralistic leadership: Incorporating diverse voices. Journal of Higher Education, 71, 722–743.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kieser, A. (2010). Unternehmen Wissenschaft? Leviathan, 38, 347–367.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kieser, A., & Kubicek, H. (1992). Organisation (3rd ed.). Berlin/New York: Walter de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kitagawa, F. (2010). Pooling resources for excellence and relevance: An evolution of universities as multi-scalar network organisations. Minerva, 48, 169–187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kollock, P. (1998). Social dilemmas: The anatomy of cooperation. Annual Review of Sociology, 24, 183–214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kraatz, M. S., & Block, E. S. (2008). Organizational implications of institutional pluralism. In R. Greenwood, C. Oliver, K. Sahlin, & R. Suddaby (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of organizational institutionalism (pp. 243–275). London: Sage.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Locker-Grütjen, O. (2009). Erfolgreiches Forschungsmanagement durch zentrale Einrichtungen. Hochschulmanagement, 4, 17–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Löther, A. (2013). Hochschulranking nach Gleichstellungsaspekten 2013. Köln: GESIS – Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lutz, F. W. (1982). Tightening up loose coupling in organizations of higher education. Administrative Science Quarterly, 27, 653–669.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McWilliams, A., & Siegel, D. (1997). Event studies in management research: Theoretical and empirical issues. Academy of Management Journal, 40, 626–657.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meinzen-Dick, R., DiGregorio, M., & McCarthy, N. (2004). Methods for studying collective action in rural development. Agricultural Systems, 82, 197–214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mohr, L. B. (1971). Organizational technology and organizational structure. Administrative Science Quarterly, 16, 444–459.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monge, P. R., Fulk, J., Kalman, M. E., Flanagin, A. J., Parnassa, C., & Rumsey, S. (1998). Production of collective action in alliance-based interorganizational communication and information systems. Organization Science, 3, 411–433.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mora, J.-G. (2001). Governance and management in the new university. Tertiary Education and Management, 7, 95–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morgeson, F. P., & Hofmann, D. A. (1999). The structure and function of collective constructs: Implications for multilevel research and theory development. Academy of Management Review, 2, 249–265.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morrison, E., & Milliken, F. J. (2000). Organizational silence: A barrier to change and development in a pluralistic world. Academy of Management Review, 25, 706–725.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moses, I. (2007). Institutional autonomy revisited: Autonomy justified and accounted. Higher Education Policy, 20, 261–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Musgrave, R. A. (1969). Provision for social goods. In J. Margolis & H. Guitton (Eds.), Public economics (pp. 124–144). London: McMillan.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Olson, M. (1965). The logic of collective action: Public goods and the theory of groups. New York: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Orton, J. D., & Weick, K. E. (1990). Loosely coupled systems: A reconceptualization. Academy of Management Review, 15, 203–223.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osterloh, M. (2010). Governance by numbers. Does it really work in research? Analyse und Kritik, 32, 267–283.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osterloh, M., & Frey, B. S. (2014). Academic rankings between the “republic of science” and “new public management”. In A. Lanteri & J. Vromen (Eds.), The economics of economists (pp. 77–103). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ostrom, E. (1997). A behavioral approach to the rational choice theory of collective action. The American Political Science Review, 92, 1–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ostrom, E. (2003). How types of goods and property rights jointly affect collective action. Journal of Theoretical Politics, 15, 239–270.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pache, A.-C., & Santos, F. (2010). When worlds collide: The internal dynamics of organizational responses to conflicting institutional demands. Academy of Management Review, 3, 455–476.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pandza, K. (2011). Why and how will a group act autonomously to make an impact on the development of organizational capabilities? Journal of Management Studies, 48, 1015–1043.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parker, M., & Weik, E. (2013). Free spirits? The academic on the aeroplane. Management Learning, 45, 167–181.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pickering, A. (1992). Science as practice and culture. Chicago/London: The University of Chicago Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Polanyi, M. (1969). The republic of science. Reprint in P. Mirowski, & E.-M. Sent (2002) (Eds.), Science bought and sold (pp. 465–485). Chicago/London: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Power, M. (1999). The audit society: Rituals of verification. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Pugh, D. S., Hickson, D., Hinings, C. R., & Turner, C. (1968). Dimensions of organization structure. Administrative Science Quarterly, 13, 65–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pugh, D. S., Hickson, D., Hinings, C. R., & Turner, C. (1969). The context of organization structures. Administrative Science Quarterly, 14, 91–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qiang, Z. (2003). Internationalization of higher education: Towards a conceptual framework. Policy Futures in Education, 1, 248–270.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reihlen, M., & Wenzlaff, F. (2014). Institutional change of the German higher education system: From professional dominance to managed education. In A. Fayolle & D. T. Redford (Eds.), Handbook of research in entrepreneurship education. Vol 4 – Entrepreneurial university handbook (pp. 112–135). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ringelhan, S., Wollersheim, J., Welpe, I. M., Fiedler, M., & Spörrle, M. (2013). Work motivation and job satisfaction as antecedents of research performance: Investigation of different mediation models. Journal of Business Economics, 3, 7–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Samuelson, P. A. (1954). The pure theory of public expenditure. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 36, 387–389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schimank, W. (2005). “New public management” and the academic profession: Reflections on the German situation. Minerva, 43, 361–376.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schofer, E., & Meyer, J. W. (2005). The worldwide expansion of higher education in the twentieth century. American Sociological Review, 70, 898–920.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Squazzoni, F., Bravo, G., & Takács, K. (2013). Does incentive provision increase the quality of peer review? An experimental study. Research Policy, 42, 287–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Staehle, W. H. (1976). Der situative Ansatz in der Betriebswirtschaftslehre. In H. Ulrich (Ed.), Zum Praxisbezug der Betriebswirtschaftslehre in wissenschaftstheoretischer Sicht (pp. 33–50). Bern: Haupt.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teece, D. J. (2007). Explicating dynamic capabilities: The nature and microfoundations of (sustainable) enterprise performance. Strategic Management Journal, 28(13), 1319–1350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Teece, D. J., Pisano, G., & Shuen, A. (1997). Dynamic capabilities and strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 18, 509–533.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Teichler, U. (2004). The changing debate on internationalisation of higher education. Higher Education, 48, 5–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vining, A. R. (2003). Internal market failure: A framework for diagnosing firm inefficiency. Journal of Management Studies, 40, 431–457.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weed, F. J. (1977). Centralized and pluralistic organizational structures in public welfare. Administration & Society, 9, 111–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weibel, A., Rost, K., & Osterloh, M. (2010). Pay for performance in the public sector? Benefits and (hidden) costs. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 20, 387–412.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weick, K. E. (1976). Educational organizations as loosely coupled systems. Administrative Science Quarterly, 21, 1–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilkesmann, U. (2013). Effects of transactional and transformational governance on academic teaching: Empirical evidence from two types of higher education institutions. Tertiary Education and Management, 19, 281–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Young, S., & Tavares, A. T. (2004). Centralization and autonomy: Back to the future. International Business Review, 13, 215–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Grant No. 01PW11018).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Organization and Management, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Fabian Hattke & Jetta Frost

  2. Department of International Business Communication, Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Steffen Blaschke

Authors
  1. Fabian Hattke
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Steffen Blaschke
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jetta Frost
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fabian Hattke .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Organization and Management, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Jetta Frost

  2. Organization and Management, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Fabian Hattke

  3. Strategic Management, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Lüneburg, Germany

    Markus Reihlen

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Hattke, F., Blaschke, S., Frost, J. (2016). From Voluntary Collective Action to Organized Collaboration? The Provision of Public Goods in Pluralistic Organizations. In: Frost, J., Hattke, F., Reihlen, M. (eds) Multi-Level Governance in Universities. Higher Education Dynamics, vol 47. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32678-8_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32678-8_6

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-32676-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-32678-8

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation