Institutional Parasites

Rintamäki, Jukka; Parker, Simon; Spicer, André

Abstract

In this paper, we conceptualize the institutional parasite and examine its role in institutional change and maintenance. Institutional parasites are a widespread group of illegitimate actors that undermine the institution their livelihood depends on. Through their illegitimate activities, they may alert institutional functionaries: elite institutional actors capable of maintaining and changing the institution. Depending on the functionaries’ reactions we show there are three potential outcomes: institutional drift, layering, or reform. Through our theorization of the institutional parasite, we point to the role of deviant actors in maintaining institutional arrangements, driving unintended institutional change and highlight the ambiguous relationship between institutional change and maintenance: sometimes maintaining an institution requires changing it.

Citation

Rintamäki, J., Parker, S., & Spicer, A. (in press). Institutional Parasites. Academy of Management Review, https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2021.0502

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 31, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Mar 14, 2024
• Deposit Date: Feb 14, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 15, 2025
• Journal: Academy of Management Review
• Print ISSN: 0363-7425
• Electronic ISSN: 1930-3807
• Publisher: Academy of Management
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2021.0502
• Keywords: Management of Technology and Innovation, Strategy and Management, General Business, Management and Accounting
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/31445649