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An exploration of ambiguity logic in organizations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 November 2015

Yung-Kai Yang
Yung-Kai Yang*
Affiliation:
Department of Asia-Pacific Industrial and Business Management, National University of Kaohsiung, Taiwan
*
Corresponding author: yyang@nuk.edu.tw
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Abstract

Organizations often face the challenge of institutional complexity, which involves incompatible prescriptions from multiple institutional logics. To deal with this challenge, prior researchers have proposed several strategies to tackle conflicts within and between organizations. The success of these solutions fundamentally hinges on achieving clarity. However, while clarity often brings further conflicts for both internal and external stakeholders, I argue that ambiguity logic is an alternative approach to deal with institutional complexity as it creates space for negotiations and potential solutions. As such, this paper proposes five research propositions that examine when ambiguous language and behavior can be better used to deal with institutional complexity. In general, the use of ambiguity logic is associated with power. Specifically, ambiguity logic is better applied in organizations when power is more evenly distributed among the stakeholders.

Keywords

ambiguity logicinstitutional complexitytheoretical perspectivesneoinstitutional theorynew institutional economics
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 22 , Issue 4 , July 2016 , pp. 517 - 534
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2015 

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