Organization & Processes of Organizing in Society (OPOS) is the research program of the Department of Organization Sciences (ORG) within the Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS) at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VUA). Organizations are key to our understanding of societal dynamics, just as insights into society are crucial for our understanding of processes of organizing.
The objective of OPOS is to advance understanding of processes of organizing in a society of organizations. Studying organization in a societal context involves the adoption of a multi-disciplinary, multi-methodological perspective that brings together close-up, micro-level examinations and broader, contextual, macro-level analyses. See an overview of videos related to research conducted by OPOS, see the Organization Sciences Showcase.
OPOS creates an open research environment and contributes to research fields that are not fully covered yet and which require research on organizational interdependence and (in)stability.
Cooperation and Conflict between Individuals and within Teams
The research in the Organizational Behavior (OB) cluster focusses on cooperation and conflict and aims to contribute to the literature on organizational behavior at the micro and meso level, particularly related to conflict management, motivation of employees, well-being and performance. Theoretical foundations for the clusters’ research are social identity theory, interdependence theory, dual concern theory, and motivated information processing in groups theory. Methodologically, OB-researchers focus primarily on quantitative methods (survey and experimental studies), combined with qualitative studies that deepen specific insights. See the website of Force of Gossip for information about one of the research projects of this cluster. This cluster is headed by prof. dr. Beersma.
Political, cultural and emotional dynamics of organizational actors
The research in the Organizational Ethnography (OE) cluster focusses on the political, cultural and emotional dynamics of organizational actors’ sense- and meaning-making and narrative processes. In addition, the cluster focusses on organizational identity, legitimacy, transnational entrepreneurship and collaboration across cultural divides. It addresses how, in an interconnected, interdependent society, individuals work across boundaries to establish new business ventures and organizational forms, to deal with issues of diversity on both societal, organizational and individual levels. Methodologically, the cluster combines a variety of interpretive methods, including narrative analyses. With ethnographic sensibilities, it describes organizational life ‘from within’ and ‘from below’. This cluster is headed by prof. dr. Ybema.
Organizational dynamics and inter-organizational processes
The research in the Organization Theory (OT) cluster focusses on organizational dynamics and inter-organizational processes at the meso- and macro-level. The cluster investigates the structural properties of organizations in order to understand their dynamics and outcomes. Theoretical foundations for this group are institutional theory, theories on coordination and (temporal) collaboration, and social network theory. Methodologically, the cluster employs a variety of methods such as in-depth case studies, social network analysis to understand the dynamics and outcomes of the structural properties and process dynamics of social, cultural, semantic or issue-based networks.
Cultural dynamics and organizational change
The research in Organizational Change and Resilience (OCR) cluster is related to the area of cultural dynamics and organizational change, and conducts research on processes of creating, maintaining, and disrupting organizational policies and practices. In this research domain the research cluster investigate change in complex, mixed public-private settings, such as megaprojects, as well as in administrative change processes in various settings including crisis management and higher education. Resilience in this cluster refers both to organizational stability (i.e. inertia) and organizational change. Methodologically, the cluster adopts a variety of approaches to unravel adaptive capacity of organizations and their capabilities for change. This cluster is headed by Dr. Teelken.