‘Capital Breeds Capital’: Bourdieu and the Cross-National Importation of Organisational Models

Yang, Ruomei; Harvey, Charles; Mueller, Frank; Maclean, Mairi

Abstract

This chapter draws upon Bourdieu’s concept of capital to examine the importation of organisational models and the adaptive processes that we observed in respective institutional contexts. Through the lens of a longitudinal case study, we demonstrate how a coalition of elite actors mobilised capital to successfully import the US community foundation model into the North East of England. By converting different forms of capital within the philanthropic field, local power brokers enabled the local adaptation of models and associated practices aligned with particular community needs and circumstances. Our main contribution to this book is to demonstrate the need for elite actors to convert capital, which can facilitate the importation of organisational models. We show how local elite actors drawn from different professional and business fields build coalitions during the process of importation to engage in the conversion of different types of capitals.

Citation

Yang, R., Harvey, C., Mueller, F., & Maclean, M. (2021). ‘Capital Breeds Capital’: Bourdieu and the Cross-National Importation of Organisational Models. In S. Robinson, J. Ernst, K. Larsen, & O. J. Thomassen (Eds.), Pierre Bourdieu in Studies of Organization and Management: Societal Change and Transforming Fields. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003022510

• Online Publication Date: Sep 30, 2021
• Publication Date: 2021
• Deposit Date: Jan 14, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 30, 2023
• Publisher: Routledge
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Book Title: Pierre Bourdieu in Studies of Organization and Management: Societal Change and Transforming Fields
• ISBN: 9780367893354
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003022510
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1626121