Institutional Framing

Frames are the cognitive categories or schema people use to describe, interpret, and sort events, issues, and entities for themselves and others to understand and predict their environment. Institutions can be described as a set of societal rules or expectations that govern interactions or as organizations created to achieve a specific, collective purpose. The concept of institutional frames considers both descriptions. This entry discusses the use of frames, cognitive frames, organizational identity orientation, business versus ethical frames, ownership versus stakeholder theory, and the social and environmental consciousness frame.

Institutional frames provide a lens for understanding the complex interrelationships among organizations and their policies, processes, products and services, and relationships with stakeholders. For example, a company trying to survive in a weak economy may need to downsize, ...