Organizational Routines as Sources of Connections and Understandings
Open accessAbstract
Organizational routines are increasingly identified as an aspect of organizations that allows them to achieve the balance between adaptability and stability. We contribute to this discussion by showing that the connections that organizational routines make between people contribute to both stability and the ability to adapt. We argue that the connections between people that are formed as they engage together in organizational routines are important for developing understandings about both what needs to be done in a specific instance of performing a routine and about the goals of the organization that routines presumably help accomplish. Together the two sets of understandings influence organizational performance by affecting the ability of organizations to adapt to changing circumstances. These arguments lead to a general recognition of the importance to organizations of connections and the suggestion that the connections, themselves, may be an important outcome of organizational routines.
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Improvisation in organizational routines involves attending to the actions taken by relevant others and the details of the situation.
“And just as musical improvisation involves listening to what others are playing, improvisation in organizational routines involves attending to the actions taken by relevant others and the details of the situation (Moorman and Miner, 1998a, 1998b; Feldman and Rafaeli, 2002).”
From Reconceptualizing Organizational Routines as a Source of Flexibility and Change (2003) · cites this paper as Feldman and Rafaeli, 2002
Participants in an organizational routine must adjust to each other's actions.
“Like dancers, participants in an organizational routine must adjust to each other's actions (Feldman and Rafaeli, 2002).”
From Reconceptualizing Organizational Routines as a Source of Flexibility and Change (2003) · cites this paper as Feldman and Rafaeli, 2002
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- Authors
- Feldman, M. S., & Rafaeli, A.
- Affiliations
- University of Michigan (US)
- Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (IL)
- Corresponding author
- Feldman, Martha S.
- Venue
- Journal of Management Studies
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2002-05
- Volume
- 39
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 309-331
- ISSN
- 0022-2380 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-6486
- OpenAlex
- W2165628711
- Cited by
- 463
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 24 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 27 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 29 · 2015: 31 · 2014: 28 · 2013: 25 · 2012: 23
- FWCI
- 37.97
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- papers.ssrn.com
- Locations
- Journal of Management Studies (publishedVersion)
- SSRN Electronic Journal (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Innovation and Knowledge Management
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Management and Organizational Studies
- Social Sciences › Human Factors and Ergonomics › Innovative Education and Learning Practices
- Keywords
- organizational routines, organizational stability, organizational adaptability, mutual understanding, organizational performance, goal understanding
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