Where worlds collide: Competition Between Institutional Logics in Cross Sector Partnerships

This paper investigates the process through which firms and nonprofit organizations (NPOs) reconcile divergent worldviews in the development of cross sector social partnerships (CSSPs). Drawing on data from two long-lived CSSPs, it suggests that the dynamics of reconciliation in situations of institutional complexity can be better understood by examining how firms and NPOs manage the interplay of market and social logics in an interorganizational context. Our research findings contribute to the literatures on interorganizational collaboration and institutions by highlighting the means through which organizations reduce the tensions associated with divergent institutional logics and thereby keep their partnerships going.