The nature and limits of collective identity as an editing lens for institutional complexity

Through a comparative case study of two Indian microfinance organizations embedded in two different institutional logics of microfinance we demonstrate how collective identity is important for explaining how and why strong institutional pressures are translated into practice differently by different organizations in complex institutional fields. We also suggest that which institutional pressures are translated depends on the degree to which pressures are 'editable' in talk and practice, and on their perceived identity implications. Thus we contribute to the literature on institutional complexity by inductively arguing that collective identity and pressure editability are important moderators of the effect of strong uniform institutional pressures on organizational practice in complex fields.