Administrative Science Quarterly Online Table of Contents Alert
The June 2025 issue of Administrative Science Quarterly is available online:
Vol. 70, No. 2
The June issue of ASQ has a bit of wanderlust. From spreading passion across teammates in China, to philanthropic contributions as insurance against political transition in Taiwan. From young job seekers reconciling the use of social connections with meritocracy in Spain, to doctors influenced by peers to perform more births via caesarean section in Brazil. From the innovative benefits of multi-method analytics in the U.S., to democratic organizing and its effects on society around the world. And we have an account of digital nomads, whose wanderlust motivates them to find a way to create work stability despite their freedom in frequently changing locations. Deputy Editor András Tilcsik and I also share some parting words about the role of journals in our field, as the June issue marks our last as editors. Bon Voyage!
On Democratic Organizing and Organization Theory
Julie Battilana, Christine M. Beckman, and Julie Yen
To what extent does autocracy at work spill over to normalize authoritarian governments? As threats to democracy loom, this article argues for more study of how organizations shape democratic and authoritarian societies. The authors argue that we need to better understand the processes and outcomes associated with democratic governance and worker participation, such as conflict, scaling, innovation, and efficiency. They advocate greater understanding of how organizational governance structures influence outcomes beyond the organization, such as expectations of civic participation in society and democratic governance more broadly .
Place Iteration and Integration: How Digital Nomads Navigate the Mobile Worker Paradox
Melanie K. Prengler, Anthony C. Klotz, and Chad Murphy
Digital nomads have wanderlust for traveling but need to work. How do they manage the tension between their desire to be mobile and a lack of structures to facilitate work? The authors show that digital nomads interpret placefulness-a deep connection to their physical location-differently according to their degree of wanderlust. Some create temporary homes to balance the freedom of mobility with familiar work practices; others oscillate between freedom and familiarity, revisiting familiar locations. The article shows how mobility and a sense of place can be compatible.
CSR as Hedging Against Institutional Transition Risk: Corporate Philanthropy After the Sunflower Movement in Taiwan
Yishu Cai, Lori Qingyuan Yue, Fangwen Lin, Shipeng Yan, and Haibin Yang
Political connections to an authoritarian regime can give firms a competitive advantage, but how do firms respond when such regimes undergo democratic transitions? Studying Taiwan's 2014 Sunflower Movement, the authors show that when mass protests signal that a regime change is likely, firms engage in philanthropy to protect themselves from the risks associated with their political connections. The effect is stronger for firms in regions with strong civil society or where political opposition is on the rise. The article sheds light on the signaling functions of social movements.
Methodological Pluralism and Innovation in Data-Driven Organizations
Ryan T. Allen and Rory M. McDonald
Multi-method analysis-in papers and in firms-leads to innovation. In this study, the authors show that when organizations use both quantitative and qualitative analyses, their new-product sales increase more compared to when organizations rely on one or the other type alone. Data-driven innovation based on quantitative analysis often leads to incremental innovations. Qualitative analysis can lead to greater novelty but also more failures. With these findings, the authors show how methodological pluralism can help organizations make the most of their efforts to innovate new products.
Riding the Passion Wave or Fighting to Stay Afloat? A Theory of Differentiated Passion Contagion
Emma L. Frank, Kai Krautter, Wen Wu, and Jon M. Jachimowicz
How easily does passion spread within a team? This article, based on an experience-sampling study at an engineering company, shows that high-passion teams have higher performance and social connections. However, it is emotionally exhausting and effortful to increase levels of passion compared to other emotional states, and this can undermine the beneficial effects of high passion in teams. The study offers important nuance to theories of emotional contagion and suggests that passion acquired from others may be less beneficial than self-initiated passion.
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A Little Help from My Friends? Navigating the Tension Between Social Capital and Meritocracy in the Job Search
Laura Adler and Elena Ayala-Hurtado
How do job seekers reconcile the use of personal connections with the ideal of merit-based hiring? Leveraging a difficult Spanish labor market, the authors conducted interviews and conducted a survey experiment. They find that using connections is seen as more legitimate for low skill jobs, when connections don't lead to circumventing the interview process, and when the person is qualified. These features create situational alignment, particularly when the job seeker is a close tie, whereby job seekers can justify using connections to find a job and reconcile the conflicting logics of social capital and meritocracy.
Peer Influence in the Workplace: The Moderating Role of Task Structures Within Organizations
Jillian Chown and Carlos Inoue
The fact that peer influence shapes work practices is well known. The authors argue that task structures moderate peer influence and the extent of information sharing among doctors. They investigate the consequential context of doctors' decisions to perform births via caesarean section or vaginal delivery. Examining a dataset of nearly 5 million births across over 900 hospitals in Brazil, the authors find that working with peers whose practice favors C-sections leads the focal physicians to perform more C-sections, particularly among physicians with higher task variety and those with higher task similarity with their peers.
Book Reviews
Sander van der Linden. Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity
Oliver Hahl and Jisoo Hyun
Timon Beyes. Organizing Color: Toward a Chromatics of the Social
Stoyan V. Sgourev
Guido Alfani. As Gods Among Men: A History of the Rich in the West
David Lingelbach and Valentina Rodríguez Guerra
Michael Lounsbury and Joel Gehman. Concise Introduction to Organization Theory: From Ontological Differences to Robust Identities
Heather Haveman
Gail T. Fairhurst and Linda L. Putnam. Performing Organizational Paradoxes
Stewart Clegg
Benjamin Shestakofsky. Behind the Startup: How Venture Capital Shapes Work, Innovation, and Inequality
Andrew B. Hargadon
Maryann P. Feldman and Martin F. Kenney. Private Equity and the Demise of the Local: The Loss of Community Economic Power and Autonomy
Daniel Armanios and Hanzelle Kleeman
Stewart R. Clegg. Frameworks of Power, Second Edition
Roy Suddaby
Our student-run ASQ Blog features interviews with ASQ authors that offer insights into the research and writing process. To stay informed, follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe to our newsletter on Substack for all the latest ASQ announcements and information (including the announcement of the incoming editor of ASQ!).
Christine Beckman, University of California, Santa Barbara
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Christine Beckman
University of California Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara CA
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