Deinstitutionalisation from the perspective of sensemaking: an empirical investigation of the Electricity of Vietnam Corporation HUYEN ANH THAM, MA Thesis submitted to the University of Nottingham for the degree of Doctoral of Philosophy, January, 2012 Table of Contents Acknowledgements .........................................................................................................i ABSTRACT ............................................................•........................................................•.ii ABBRIVIATION ........••................•......•...................•..•.....................................................• iv LIST OF FIGURES ......•............................•...............•....•.....................................................v LIST OF TABLES ..............•..•...••....••••••••.•.•....••••....•••••••••.......•....••••••.•••••.•....•••........•.....•.• vi CHAPTER 1 ..................•.............•.....•..........••........•......................................•...................1 Introduction ................................•.........•.............•.........................................................•1 1.1 Research focus ............................................................................................................... 3 1.2 Research aims and questions ......................................................................................... 9 1.3 Research setting and methodology ............................................................................. 11 1.4 Contributions of the thesis ........................................................................................... 12 1.5 Chapter outline ............................................................................................................ 14 CHAPTER 2 .................................................................................................................... 18 Institutions and Sensemakinc: An overview ..........•.........•...•.....••...•.............•.•............... 18 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 18 2.2 Deinstitutionalisation ................................................................................................... 20 2.3 Institutional theory ...................................................................................................... 25 2.3.1 The promotion of the cognitive dimension, agency and legitimacy ..................... 26 2.3.2 The acknowledgement of institutional microprocesses ....................................... 31 2.3.3 Research gaps ........................................................................................................ 35 2.4 Sensemaking literature ................................................................................................ 36 2.4.1 Properties of sensemaking .................................................................................... 37 2.4.2 Occasions for sensemaking ................................................................................... 38 2.4.3 Sensemaking during disasters and crises .............................................................. 41 2.4.4 Sensemaking and emotions .................................................................................. 44 2.4.5 Sensemaking as a social and political process: the role of power and the notion of sensegiving ..................................................................................................................... 46 2.4.6 Sensemaking and institutions ............................................................................... 48 2.5 Understanding de institutionalisation: institutional theory and sensemaking in collaboration ...................................................................................................................... 51 2.6 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 55 CHAPTER 3 ••••••••.••••....•.•••••••.••.....•••..••.......•••••.....•••••.•.•.•.•...•••.•..•...••••.....••.•••.•.•••...•.•••.. 57 Theoretical framework ..•.•..•.......•••..........•............•••..................•...•............................... 57 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 57 3.2 Theoretical model ........................................................................................................ 57 3.2.1 Deinstitutionalisation process ............................................................................... 58 3.2.2 Active sensemaking intensified by switching events during deinstitutionalisation ........................................................................................................................................ 63 3.3 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 73 CHAPTER 4 ....••........•.........•.............••...................•........................................................ 75 On the quest for knowledge - Perspectives and methods in researching institutions and sensemaking .•.......•...............•.....................••.•.....•.......•............•................................... 75 4.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 75 4.2 Research questions and aims ....................................................................................... 76 4.3 Research design ........................................................................................................... 79 4.4 Case selection ............................................................................................................... 82 4.5 Data collection ............................................................................................................. 87 4.5.1 Purposive, theoretical and networking sampling ................................................. 87 4.5.2 Documentations and historical analysis ................................................................ 90 4.5.3 Semi-structured in-depth interviews triangulated with observations .................. 91 4.6 Data analysiS ................................................................................................................ 95 4.6.1 Multi-level analysis ................................................................................................ 95 4.6.2 Content analysis .................................................................................................... 96 4.6.3 Data analysis procedure ........................................................................................ 97 4.6.4 Data management ............................................................................................... 105 4.7 Validity and generalisability ....................................................................................... 107 4.7.1 Problem of social desirability bias ....................................................................... 107 4.7.2 Internal validity of processual research .............................................................. 107 4.7.3 Generalisability.................................................................................................... 110 4.8 Limitations and methodological reflections ............................................................... 110 4.9 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 114 CHAPTER S..•.•••.....•.•...•••••.•...•...•.••••••••..••.•••....••..•.........•....•••....•......••••......•••..•.......•••. 116 Contexts, logics, features and Inconsistencies of old Institutions .................................. 116 5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 116 5.2 The evolution of old institutions (up to 1975) ........................................................... 118 5.2.1 prior-to-20th-century institutional contexts: the dominance of agricultural- Confucian institutions .................................................................................................. 119 5.2.2 20th century institutional contexts: the arrival of central planning and the emergence of hybrid Confucian-central planning institutions .................................... 123 5.2.3 Institutional contexts at organisational level: Management institutions at EVN127 5.3 Deinstitutionalisation antecedents: post war crisis (1975 -1985) ............................. 133 5.4 Deinstitutionalisation and moderating factors .......................................................... 139 5.5 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 144 CHAPTER 6 •.....•..•..•...•.....................•......•........•....•.............................................•........ 148 Market socialism and organisational restructuring ....................................................... 148 6.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 148 6.2 Switching event - economic reform (1986) ................................................................ 150 6.3 New sensemaking account of institutional agents - 'market socialism'