战略行动场域理论研究新进展

New Progress in the Research on Theory of Strategic Action Fields

战略行动场域理论是一个旨在解释社会行动者如何在特定场域中建立和维持秩序的综合性理论。该理论基于经济社会学、制度理论、社会运动理论,为理解社会变革和社会创新发生的方式与发展的过程提供了新的理论视角,在组织管理研究领域表现出了较强的应用与发展潜力,尤其适合在当下愈加复杂和高度不确定的环境中探讨组织的行动机制、组织与制度的互动机制等研究话题。本文首先基于文献计量的方法,对战略行动场域理论近十多年的发展与应用进行了系统分析;其次,结合定量分析的结果和定性的方法,梳理了战略行动场域理论的核心内容及拓展;文章最后提出了未来潜在的研究方向。本文首次将战略行动场域理论引入中文世界,希望有助于学者们了解该理论的核心内容与应用情况,推动探索组织在复杂环境中的可持续发展路径,构建战略行动场域中组织行动测量体系,加强各学科之间的对话,并结合中国情境下的实际问题,发展和构建本土化理论。

The theory of strategic action fields provides a new theoretical perspective for understanding the process of social change and social innovation. Since its proposal, this theory has been extensively applied to analyze various types of action fields, notably within organizational management research. Based on 107 key publications from prominent international journals, this paper employs the bibliometric method to systematically assess the evolution and application of this theory, and delineates its core concepts and extensions by combining quantitative insights with qualitative examination.The findings are as follows: First, by categorizing the actors into incumbents, challengers, and internal governance units, the theory of strategic action fields introduces a fresh and more systematic framework for understanding the agency-actor-field relationship, and proves particularly well-suited for investigating topics related to organizational mechanisms and the interplay between organizations and institutions in today's intricate and unpredictable environment. Second, this theory has primarily been applied in research fields such as management and sociology. The literature on this topic is extensive but somewhat scattered, and there is a need for stronger dialogue between different research contents. Third,factors influencing organizational actions in strategic action fields include external institutional factors,internal crises within the fields, and various aspects of organizational consciousness.Future research can delve into further understanding the reasons behind organizational actions in strategic action fields, and considering a wider range of factors influencing such actions at various levels. It may also explore advanced research methodologies for studying organizational actions in these fields, including the development of quantitative and mixed research methods. Considering China's unique economic development mode, policy environment, and governmental approach, future research may explore actors' new roles and relationships in the Chinese context, socioeconomic impact of emerging fields, and distinctive factors influencing field changes, to provide a good opportunity for constructing and expanding the field theory.The contributions of this paper are that: First, it reviews the concepts of fields and the evolution of the field theory, highlights the limitations of prior field theory, and shows the potential value of the theory of strategic action fields. Second, it employs bibliometric analysis to create a knowledge map of this theory's research applications, aiding scholars in understanding its core content and current application status. Third, it outlines this theory's core principles and research frontiers,fostering exploration of sustainable development pathways for organizations operating in complex environments. Fourth, it paves the way for future research by proposing topics for exploration in the Chinese context, offering new directions for Chinese scholars to develop and construct indigenous theories.