THE INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT: THE EMERGENCE OF NORMATIVE TQM ADOPTION AND THE CONSEQUENCES FOR ORGANIZATIONAL LEGITIMACY AND PERFORMANCE.

This study develops an institutional perspective on the form of administrative innovations. We address how (1) institutional factors affect the form or operational definition of ambiguous innovations, (2) network ties amplify institutionalization for later adopters, while dampening institutionalization for early adopters, and (3) benefits from adoption change over time.