Affective Events Theory, Institutional Theory and feral Systems: How do they all Fit?

This paper is an outflow of semi-structure interviews conducted in 2012 that investigated why members of organizations using institutionalized software, such as AGRESSO, create feral systems. We use Institutional Theory (Selznik, 1948; Zucker, 1977) as a broad theory to understand why software programmes like AGRESSO are institutionalised. We then nest Weiss and Cropanzano’s (1996) Affective Events Theory into Institutional Theory in order to understand how these instutionalised software programmes tend to create ‘hassles’ for the organisation’s member, which, in turn seem to create affect driven behaviour. We use the interpretive lens to understand the emotional process that the member’s experience in order for us to understand why feral systems exist and are inherently institutionalized.; ;