Dear RC17 members,
In a recent board meeting, RC17 has decided to “activate” its affiliated membership option and set the membership fees for affiliated members to zero. The affiliated membership is for those who are not members of ISA but want to partake in RC17’s activities nevertheless. This effectively means that from now on, anyone who is not a member of ISA can become an RC17 member for free. Note that RC17 is still largely dependent on its regular members to be able to continue existing and operating (more information below). But we believe that we should give anyone the opportunity to participate in the RC – even if they do not want to or cannot pay the fees for the regular membership.
If you know colleagues who would like to join us as affiliated members, please let them know to sign up here: https://organizational-sociology.com/join-us Registration is free and takes 30 seconds.
The newsletter also features some exciting publication announcements. Check out below!
Last but not least, the preparations for the ISA World Congress 2023 are ongoing. The program coordinators are currently working on selecting sessions and we will announce the corresponding call for abstracts very soon!
We also want to remind you of the RC17 activity grants. The procedure is simple. If you have an idea, just contact our Secretary Michael Grothe-Hammer. More information below.
If you have any suggestions, announcements, publications, or call for papers for the next newsletter, please contact our newsletter editor Michael Grothe-Hammer (Michael.grothe-hammer@ntnu.no).
RC17 Affiliated membership
Activation of the affiliated membership option
At its meeting on April 13, the RC17 board has decided to activate its affiliated membership option. The ISA and the RC17 statutes feature two membership categories: regular members and affiliated members. Regular members are those who are members of ISA and of our RC. Affiliated members are those who are members of our RC but not of ISA.
While it is not possible to set the regular membership fees lower than they are (RC17 actually collects the lowest possible fee), it is possible to set the fee to zero for affiliated members (not for regular members). And on April 13, the RC17 board decided to do exactly that.
Some benefits are:
- The initial threshold to join RC17 has now become extremely low.
- Affiliated members can remain members indefinitely (although we hope, of course, that they turn into regular members at some point).
- We can from now on recruit way more easily, especially those scholars who do not want to or cannot afford the ISA fees, which are relatively high.
- We can turn outgoing regular members into affiliated members (if they agree, of course) in order to keep them in the RC and perhaps convince them to come back at some point.
However, affiliated memberships also have some caveats:
- Most obviously, RC17 is not earning any income from these members. So affiliated members do not add to our activities budget.
- ISA Research Committees must maintain a high number of regular members in order to remain in existence. If the number of regular members would become too low, ISA would disband our RC. So we need our regular members!
- The number of session slots that an RC receives on the ISA Forums and the World Congresses of Sociology is assigned based on the number of regular members. On the next Congress, for example, some RCs with many regular members get 26 session slots that they can use for their thematic sessions while RC17 receives 14.
- The amount of money provided by ISA to the RCs in form of “activity grants” is determined by the number of regular members.
- Last but not least, for the members themselves, affiliated membership does not come with all the benefits that the regular membership offers (conference fee discounts; eligibility to registration grants, book shopping discounts, access to certain SAGE collections, etc.)
Please spread the word to anyone who is not a member of ISA but might be interested in joining RC17 for free: https://organizational-sociology.com/join-us
Registration takes 30 seconds!
Publication announcements
SPECIAL ISSUE: META-ORGANISATION | M@n@gement 25(2) (Open Access)
Edited by Héloïse Berkowitz, Nils Brunsson, Michael Grothe-Hammer, Mikaela Sundberg, Bertrand Valiorgue
Link to the Special Issue: https://management-aims.com/index.php/mgmt/issue/view/530
Contents of the Special Issue:
Meta-Organizations: A Clarification and a Way Forward
Héloïse Berkowitz, Nils Brunsson, Michael Grothe-Hammer, Mikaela Sundberg, Bertrand Valiorgue
Digital Platforms as Members of Meta-Organizations: A Case Study of the Online Advertising Market
Théophile Megali
Meta-Organizations in the Making. A Multiple Case Study of Multi-Stakeholder Meta-Organizations for Social Innovation
Jennifer Saniossian, Xavier Lecocq, Christel Beaucourt
Same but Different: Meta-Organization and Collective Identity Dynamics
Eric Michael Laviolette, Sébastien Arcand, L. Martin Cloutier, Laurent Renard
A Necessary Evil: The Role of the Secretariat in Effective Meta-Organizations. Lessons from the Multilevel Study of a Business Cooperative
Benoît Roux, Xavier Lecocq
Research Handbook on the Sociology of Organizations
Edited by Mary Godwyn
Publication Date: 2022; ISBN: 978 1 83910 325 4; 576 pp
With original contributions from leading experts in the field, this cutting-edge Research Handbook combines theoretical advancement and the newest empirical research to explore the sociology of organizations as mesa-level mediators of individual and societal outcomes.
Covering the major theoretical foundations of the topic, this innovative Research Handbook analyses critical and contemporary sociological theory and examines the purposes and goals of a diverse range of organizations in a variety of contexts. Chapters detail original research that investigates labour relations, ethical and sustainable environmental practices, race, gender, class, sexuality, media, religion, politics, and alternative economic models.
This Research Handbook will prove an engaging and informative read for students and scholars of organization studies, labour policy, sociology, political science, economics, management, philosophy, and social psychology. With its global, interdisciplinary scope, it will also be invaluable to practitioners and policymakers working within a vast range of organizations.
More information on the book, access to the Open Access contents, and buying options under: https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/research-handbook-on-the-sociology-of-organizations-9781839103254.html
The Routledge Handbook of the Communicative Constitution of Organization
Edited By Joëlle Basque, Nicolas Bencherki, Timothy Kuhn
ISBN 9780367480707; Published April 25, 2022 by Routledge; 584 Pages
This Handbook offers state of the art scholarship on the perspective known as the Communicative Constitution of Organization (CCO). Offering a unique outlook on how communication accounts for the emergence, change, and continuity of organizations and organizing practices, this Handbook systematically exposes the theoretical and methodological underpinnings of CCO, displays its empirical diversity, and articulates its future trajectory.
Placing communication firmly at the centre of the organizational equation, an international team of expert authors covers:
- The key theoretical inspirations and the main themes of the field
- The debates that animate the CCO community
- CCO’s methodological approaches
- How CCO handles classic management themes
- Practical applications
Offering a central statement of CCO’s contributions to the fields of organization studies, communication, and management, this Handbook will be of interest to organization studies and communication scholars, faculty, and graduate and advanced undergraduate students, as well as anyone associated with CCO theorizing seeking a comprehensive overview of the theoretical, methodological, and practical tenets of this growing area.
More information on the book, access to the Open Access contents, and buying options under: https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Handbook-of-the-Communicative-Constitution-of-Organizations/Basque-Bencherki-Kuhn/p/book/9780367480707
The Construction of Social Bonds: A Relational Theory of Globalization, Organizations and Society
Monograph by Göran Ahrne
Publication Date: 2021; ISBN: 978 1 78990 944 9; 160 pp
This engaging and timely book demonstrates how a deeper understanding of theories about organizations are necessary for the development of a relational sociology and provides an in-depth explanation of globalization and social change. It also examines how social bonds are constructed through combinations of different forms of communication and investigates the bonds of intimate relationships and partially organized relationships such as street gangs, brotherhoods, and social movements.
Göran Ahrne addresses the five key organizational elements: membership, rules, monitoring, sanctions, and hierarchy and illustrates this detailed analysis with examples of organizations ranging from rock groups and mafias, to global organizations such as Google, and meta-organizations such as FIFA. Drawing on extensive research with co-authors, Ahrne reviews how both old and new relationships expand, change and remain together amongst globalization and social change.
This insightful book will be an invaluable resource for researchers and students in organizational studies as well as those studying sociology. It will also provide useful guidance for sociologists and theorists interested in social and organization theories.
Critical Acclaim:
‘Göran Ahrne begins with a master class in social analysis. He follows this up with compelling ideas about the reconstitution of social relations in a globalising world. The new forms of organised relationships envisaged – often just outside the range of conventional scholarship – are revelatory. In sum, this book is a bold assertion of the importance of social relationships and the social sphere in an emerging world more often exclusively defined in terms of concentrations of political and economic power.’
– Stephen Ackroyd, University of Lancaster, UK
‘Göran Ahrne is one of the most creative sociologists in Europe and the author of a number of important studies, mainly in the areas of organization and everyday life. In this new volume he has produced a highly interesting synthesis of what is new and old in his thinking about society. His concept of social bonds is very innovative and helpful. Researchers, students and libraries should all get a copy.’
– Richard Swedberg, Cornell University, US
More information on the book, and buying options under: https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/the-construction-of-social-bonds-9781789909449.html
Activity grants
Possible support by RC17
RC17 can support selected activities by members (e.g., workshops or conferences) with up to $500. Informal applications can be addressed to the RC17 board via the Secretary Michael Grothe-Hammer (Michael.grothe-hammer@ntnu.no). The board will then discuss the proposal and issue a decision soon. One central requirement is the thematic connection to RC17 and that some advertising for RC17 takes place at the sponsored event.
Call for Contributions to our Newsletter
If you have anything for the newsletter, please send it to our Newsletter editor Michael Grothe-Hammer (Michael.grothe-hammer@ntnu.no). Do also not hesitate to contact Michael, if you have any other suggestions regarding our Newsletter.
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