Abstract

Does the form of organizations tend to show diversity or homogeneity? This paper begins with two contrasting
questions: ‘Why are there many organizational forms?’ and ‘Why are organizations similar?’ Population ecology
and institutional theory represent different lenses through which theorists use for interpreting these
organizational phenomena. Each paradigm offers compelling concepts and arguments for supporting their own
perspectives even though they seem to lead to contradictory results. This conceptual paper is an attempt to clarify
the fundamental divergence of ecological and institutional approaches and proposes an integrated perspective for
future empirical studies.

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