The Emergence, Institutionalization and Consequences of National Management and Organization Congresses in Turkey

Abstract

In this study, the emergence, institutionalization, and consequences of National Management and Organization Congress (NMOC) in Turkey are examined from the new institutionalist perspective. Based upon the interview data collected from the main actors who play crucial roles in the emergence and structuring of the congress, it is examined how the congress was initiated, and structured, and how the conference influenced the management and organization field in Turkey. It is found that the congress was initiated by a group of academics who shared the logic of "scienticism" in the field, and were dissatisfied with the boundaries and outcomes of the traditional logic prevalent in the field. The congress was also structured and legitimated by this group by inspiring from the American and European models, and mobilizing the participation of the crucial actors who represented the traditional logic. It is also found that the congress influenced the identity of the field, the quantity and quality of researches in the field and triggered other congresses in the field.