Translating Institutional Change to Local Communities: The Role of Linking Organizations
研究了链接组织如何将宏观层面的制度变迁转化到地方社区，通过解释核心原则、本地化定义和监管合规，同时与社区协商并管理模糊性，使模式适应当地需求。
We examine the processes and mechanisms of translating broader field-level change to the local community, drawing on insights from the inhabited institutions perspective and community-based institutionalism. In particular, we develop the concept of linking organizations as key actors in institutional change that connect the broader field and community levels. We use multiple forms of qualitative data, collected over a two-year time frame, to study the processes of a community foundation, the ‘Rainbow Wellness Foundation’, as a linking organization that engaged five community coalitions to embed a new wellness approach, locally. Our findings suggest that linking organizations interpret the central tenets of the approach, define them locally around relevant aims, and regulate community organizations’ adherence, to ensure legitimacy with the field. In addition, by engaging and negotiating with the community and helping manage ambiguity, linking organizations enable local ‘filling-in’ of these models with practices that meet community needs and interests. This study contributes to the literature on institutional change by identifying the activities of linking organizations as agents that translate broader field change, locally.