Organizational scholars have had to begin to take more account of social movements because, in their myriad forms, they have been an important source for organizational change. Indeed, a case can be made that, along with technological, market, and political policy changes, social movements have been a major engine in the transformation of organizations. Movements have this impact on organizations through several mechanisms and processes. As forces acting in the wider environment, movements contribute to the reconstitution of organizational fields. For instance, the consumer movement of the early twentieth century contributed to the development of norms and standard-setting bodies for industries producing consumer products (Rao 1998). Similarly, among its many manifestations the progressive movement contributed to the enactment of child labor laws, the development of municipal building codes, and the transformation of city and state agencies that regulate industries (Keller 1990; Skowronek 1982). Movement activists or sympathizers external to organizations also attempt to affect organizations directly: they organize boycotts, pursue publicity campaigns, and bring lawsuits to attempt to change policy. Finally, members of organizations who also have professional and personal affinities to movements attempt to work within those organizations to change policies and procedures. In some cases, organizations are obliged not only to listen to and negotiate with movement members, but to hire persons sympathetic to their interests (Hoffman 2001 [1997]).

The chapters in this section employ a variety of different but overlapping lenses to consider the topic of how movements impact organizations.