Balanced or unbalanced routines : the case of two routines dynamics in a French hospital
Résumé
Purpose – The performative approach views organizational routines as generative systems
with internal aspects – ostensive and performative – and dynamics (Feldman and Pentland,
2003). This paper intends to better understand under which conditions the routine dynamics
happens or not.
Design/methodology/approach – To deal with this issue, for 13 months, we conducted a
comparative and longitudinal case studies based on the evolution of the organizational
routines in absence management in two departments of a French hospital.
Findings – The results show contrasting dynamics in the studied organizational routines: one
evolved, the other in contrast, seemed blocked. The authors suggest that the routine dynamics
depends on the relative weight of its ostensive and performative aspects: a balance situation
makes mutual adaptions possible and an imbalance situation leads to the conservation of
defective routine. The research underlines also that, in the hospital context, the capacity of
management and teams to discuss and to negotiate the implementation of external rules plays
an important role in the balance of the internal dimensions of routine.
Originality/value –While the literature on performative approach focuses on the “how and
why” the routine act as a source of continuous change, this research investigates more in
depth the working of the routines dynamics itself. The issue of balance or imbalance
introduces a new element in the framework of routine dynamics and can constitute an
interesting focus for managers looking to transform their organizational routines.