Organizational culture and professional selves: The impact of large law firm practice upon young lawyers. (Volumes I and II).
Item
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Title
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Organizational culture and professional selves: The impact of large law firm practice upon young lawyers. (Volumes I and II).
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Identifier
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AAI9417501
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identifier
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9417501
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Creator
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Poor, Daniel Clinton.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Robert R. Alford
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Date
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1994
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Sociology, Industrial and Labor Relations | Sociology, General
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Abstract
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This is a study of professional identity formation in organizations. Recent rational action and power theories of large law firms have assumed strong and coherent organizational cultures constraining the entropic tendencies of self-interested maximization and power. This study foregrounds professional organizational culture, as a contribution to a more satisfactory theory of organizations and their members' self-identities. Theoretically, this study's contribution is to demonstrate how organizational structures and practices can impede the sharing of an organizational culture--isolating a whole strata of members. Empirically, this study updates and extends data on "Wall Street" law firms' structures and practices.;From participant observation and a literature review, I develop two ideal typical models of professional organizational culture--collegial-driven and entrepreneurial-driven firm cultures. I then assess the 30 largest (as measured by number of attorneys) New York City law firms on a variety of structural and organizational practices measures. These indicators are used to impute likely organizational cultures. One firm with an imputed collegial-driven culture is studied. I hypothesized that if organizational culture has an effect on the selves of members ("junior associates"), they would reflect this in their rhetorics of motive regarding their work practices.;During 1992, I conducted 29 semi-structured interviews with a random sample of 29 first-, second-, and third-year associates. Further, I conducted 4 semi-structured partner interviews and two focus groups on associate hiring, training, assignments, and reviews. In addition, I conducted 103 informant interviews with current and former associates and partners at other large firms, consultants, reporters, and law school students and counselors.;The findings reveal no measurable influence of the partners' organizational culture on the selves of the junior associates. While a partial and contradictory partner culture was found to exist, it did not shape the selves of the junior associates, as assessed by their rhetorics of motive. Moreover, organizational structures and practices frustrated associates' production of an oppositional subculture. Organizational culture, rational action, and power theories are critiqued and amended on the subjects of cultures and selves.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
