much power as possible. Despite being constrained with respect to political and lobbying
activities, NPOs can still yield enormous power and influence in the environment by
mobilizing consumers, pressuring lawmakers, increasing awareness about their cause,
etc.
Institutional isomorphic mechanisms. Actively managing dependencies is one
key driver of ongoing organizational change, for it is a complex interdependent web of
relationships that constantly has to be attended to. This type of adaptation is an example
of competitive pressures acting upon an organization. Since organizations, especially in
highly-specialized arenas, are likely to experience very similar environments and respond
to them in similar ways, over time organizations in the same field often become relatively
homogenous (DiMaggio & Powell, 1983).
However, in addition to the isomorphic pressures related to competition for
resources, DiMaggio and Powell (1983) delineated political and ceremonial pressures
that also contribute to organizational change and eventual isomorphism. The author’s
neo-institutional analysis of organizations contends that in addition to competing for
resources and customers, organizations also compete for legitimacy and political
influence, opening the way for coercive, mimetic and normative pressures to influence
their adaptation. Coercive pressures are direct or indirect demands from a group the
organization depends on for crucial resources as well as by societal and legal expectation;
for example, all United Way-funded organizations adopting formal strategic planning
processes and standardized reporting practices as a requirement to continue receiving
funding. Mimetic pressures to emulate another organization that is perceived to be more
successful are often more subtle and are common in the face of technological or