So What Exactly Is a “Coalition” Within an Organization? A Review and Organizing Framework

Murad A. Mithani; Jonathan P. O’Brien

doi:10.1177/0149206320950433

So What Exactly Is a “Coalition” Within an Organization? A Review and Organizing Framework

Murad A. Mithani, Jonathan P. O’Brien

Camden School of Business

Rutgers, The State University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

Abstract

An organizational coalition consists of individuals who, despite their persistent differences, work together to pursue a mutually beneficial goal. While central to the political view of the firm, the research on organizational coalitions has evoked diverse characterizations of its members, their relationship with the rest of the organization, and how coalitions balance conflicts and compromise. The result is a fragmented literature that has limited the theoretical clarity necessary to appreciate one of the most important forms of collective political influence in organizations. Drawing on six decades of research, we offer a systematic review of organizational coalitions. We anchor our review on the actors who are party to a coalition, the structures that characterize the boundaries of a coalition, and the processes that lead to a coalition’s influence. This synthesis reveals significant overlaps with regard to the definition of actors, their structural positions, and the perpetual nature of conflict and negotiations. Yet we also note significant divergence in the interactions between actors, how the structure of a coalition maps onto that of an organization, and the processes that affect a coalition’s bargaining position and outcomes. These divergences reveal six distinct streams of research. Using our actor-structure-process model, we organize these research streams into a framework that identifies the diverse conceptualizations as contextual and reconcilable manifestations of a common underlying construct, thus yielding a dynamic model of organizational coalitions. Building on this framework, we propose an agenda for future research.

Original language	American English
Pages (from-to)	171-206
Number of pages	36
Journal	Journal of Management
Volume	47
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206320950433
State	Published - Jan 2021

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Finance
Strategy and Management

Keywords

behavioral theory of the firm
coalition
conflict
negotiation

Access to Document

10.1177/0149206320950433

Cite this

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title = "So What Exactly Is a “Coalition” Within an Organization? A Review and Organizing Framework",

abstract = "An organizational coalition consists of individuals who, despite their persistent differences, work together to pursue a mutually beneficial goal. While central to the political view of the firm, the research on organizational coalitions has evoked diverse characterizations of its members, their relationship with the rest of the organization, and how coalitions balance conflicts and compromise. The result is a fragmented literature that has limited the theoretical clarity necessary to appreciate one of the most important forms of collective political influence in organizations. Drawing on six decades of research, we offer a systematic review of organizational coalitions. We anchor our review on the actors who are party to a coalition, the structures that characterize the boundaries of a coalition, and the processes that lead to a coalition{\textquoteright}s influence. This synthesis reveals significant overlaps with regard to the definition of actors, their structural positions, and the perpetual nature of conflict and negotiations. Yet we also note significant divergence in the interactions between actors, how the structure of a coalition maps onto that of an organization, and the processes that affect a coalition{\textquoteright}s bargaining position and outcomes. These divergences reveal six distinct streams of research. Using our actor-structure-process model, we organize these research streams into a framework that identifies the diverse conceptualizations as contextual and reconcilable manifestations of a common underlying construct, thus yielding a dynamic model of organizational coalitions. Building on this framework, we propose an agenda for future research.",

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So What Exactly Is a “Coalition” Within an Organization? A Review and Organizing Framework

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Keywords

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