Taming the Entrepreneur to do Institutional Work: A Case Study on Institutional Entrepreneurship in RSPO

Abstract

This paper studies institutional entrepreneurship in the multi-stakeholder initiative (MSI) the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). With the aim to investigate the strength in the legitimacy claim of the MSI, the authors analyse the General Assembly (GA) of the RSPO. They test to what extent characteristics inherent of actors influence the conditions to propose resolutions in this forum, and to what extent events external to the actors influence these conditions. Based on a relativist ontology and constructionist epistemology, the history of resolutions in the RSPO GA is studied through a theoretical framework of institutional theory. The data consists of meeting minutes corresponding to all GA’s in the history of RSPO between 2004 and 2015, as well as qualitative interviews with members. The data is analysed through thematic analysis and pattern matching. The study concludes that characteristics to a large extent influence the conditions for institutional entrepreneurship. Events show indications for influencing the conditions for institutional entrepreneurship at certain periods in time. The study identifies a pattern between when events are followed by resolutions, and when they are not. Furthermore, in periods of relative stability, institutional entrepreneurs seem to use characteristics that are usually attributed to institutional work in order to promote their agenda. Based on these findings, the authors propose that the institutional entrepreneur is tamed to do institutional work when the emerging institution is in a stable period.