To Compassion Organize or Not to Compassion Organize, That is the Question - Exploring the Micro-Foundational Mechanisms of Compassion Organizing
60 Pages Posted: 13 Sep 2011 Last revised: 2 Nov 2013
Date Written: September 11, 2011
Abstract
In their seminal paper on compassion organizing, Dutton et al. (2006) analyze a case study with potentially restricted external validity. To explore the conditions under which their processual theory will hold, I adhere to Stinchcombe's (1991) suggestion and examine the micro-foundations of this collective process. I develop a perspective of compassion as a communicative act and explore the conditions and boundaries of compassion organizing at the dyadic level. Focusing on the mechanisms of compassion activation and compassion mobilization, I develop a typology of compassion-related organizing. As such I am able to clarify the concept of compassion organizing and provide insights into its general applicability. This can help explain the current levels of compassion organizing and how they could be increased.
Keywords: Compassion Organizing, Care, Empathy, Social Mechanisms, Communicative Act
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