制度逻辑理论与中国实践:对创业研究的启示

Institutional Logics Theory and Practice in China:Implications for Entrepreneurship Research

尽管不少学者将制度逻辑理论引入中国管理问题研究中,但主要是运用该理论解释中国现象,对中国情境下如何塑造不同层面制度逻辑的研究比较缺乏。本文在回顾基于我国情境所开展的制度逻辑研究的基础上,对我国创业实践中的国家逻辑和市场逻辑进行进一步阐释,认为我国的国家逻辑在合法性和认同来源、注意力基础和战略基础上区别于其他国家,而我国市场逻辑的“中国特色”主要体现为市场资源利用与配置中的“协调有序性”,包括国有资本对市场资源配置的协调作用以及产业园区的产业链整合角色等。本文进一步从制度逻辑变迁、多级行政体系、多重制度逻辑三个方面对我国的创业研究问题进行了剖析。基于制度逻辑的创业研究需要关注我国市场中独特的行业属性、区域属性和社会属性,讲好具有中国特色的创业案例和故事,以期形成中国情境下的制度逻辑与创业理论。

For the past two decades,institutional logics perspective has been receiving increasing attention from strategy and entrepreneurship scholars.The development of the institutional logics perspective was based on the Western modernity and the rise of capitalist societies.In recent years,scholars have started to draw on the institutional logics perspective to explore organizational practices in China’s context,with an attempt to apply the existing theorical framework into the explanation of Chinese phenomena.Yet little has been done to explore how the unique context of China shapes institutional logics.Given the uniqueness of China’s e-conomic and political system,it is crucial that we integrate Chinese characteristics into the discussion of logics.In this study,we first review literature on institutional logics in China and then,elaborate on state logic and market logic in China’s entrepreneur-ship practices.In western countries,the boundary between state logic and market logic is clear:the former conceives of the maximization of public goods as its basis of strategy and state authority as the sources of legitimacy and recognition;the latter highlights efficiency and market competition as its basis of strategy and reputation and performance as the sources of legitimacy and recognition.Yet in China’s context,the boundary of state logic and market logic overlaps:the sources of legitimacy and recognition in China’s market logic include serving and supporting national and regional social economic development.In this study,we propose that the develop-ment of China’s state logic follows certain historical trajectory and is highly associated with the need in national and regional social economic development.First,the leadership of the Communist Party of China constitutes the sources of legitimacy and recognition in China’s state logic.Second,economic development serves the basis of strategy and attention allocation that affects state authori-ties’decision making.In terms of market logic,we argue that the Chinese characteristics of market logic stress on the“coordinated ordering”in terms of market resource utilization and configuration,which is reflected in the role of state-owned capital in resource allocation and the role of industrial parks in value chain integration.The“coordinated ordering”is totally different from planned e-conomy which relies on central plan and control to coordinate resource deployment and production.It means that market economy is driven by orderly organization and coordination,which is achieved on the basis of the division of labor.“Coordination”explains the role played by the state authority.As avenues for future research,this study points to the evolution of Chinese firms’institutional logics,the multi-level hierar-chical structure of administration,and the presence of multiple societal-level institutional logics.First,the change of institutional factors and the corresponding change in institutional logics poses challenges to entrepreneurship practices,which also provides en-trepreneurs with spaces to participate in institutional entrepreneurship.Second,the multi-level administration system developed by China is an important factor that affects entrepreneurial behaviors.From the perspective of entrepreneurship management,multi-level administration plays a vital role in affecting entrepreneurial strategy and behavior.Since the governance mechanisms at differ-ent administrative levels are distinctive and will exert different impacts on regional economic development,entrepreneurs need to pay special attention to potential impacts of those differences on resource acquisition and entrepreneurial exit.Meanwhile,because of the difference in terms of economic development between different regions,the policies and governmental supports in entrepre-neurship are distinctive across regions.Scholars can benefit from exploring how regional logics shape entrepreneurial behaviors.Fi-nally,the interaction between multiple logics may bring about substantive impacts on entrepreneurs’behaviors and decision-mak-ing,which in turn,influences entrepreneurial success.Scholars should thus take into account the presence of multiple logics when exploring entrepreneurship practices in China.Furthermore,while entrepreneurs normally share similar professional logics in both Western and Chinese markets,there are industries that demonstrate significant differences in terms of logics between these two con-texts.It is thus vital that we understand entrepreneurial behaviors from the perspective of a certain market area or industry in Chi-nese economy.Our study contributes to the literature in several ways.First,we add to our understanding of institutional logics in China by providing detailed explanations of Chinese state logic and market logic.Second,we explain in detail how institutional logics in Chi-na’s context shape entrepreneurial behaviors.The analyses conducted in our study will also have implications for entrepreneurs in China’s market and for scholars that aim to explore entrepreneurial strategy in China’s context.