The role of a professional association in institutional change: The case of Turkish health field

This study focuses on the interaction of a professional association with the changes in its organizational field. It specifically investigates, with what kind of actions the professional association responds to the changes at different levels of the field, how these actions affect institutional changes and how institutional changes in the field affect the identity and actions of the association. The study elaborates the dominant view in the institutional theory that professional associations are considered as the actors which support the government in making organizational field isomorphic. Drawing on the findings of the empirical research, it is claimed that, effected by the macro institutional context, a professional association may oppose to the government rather than being at the same side with it. In the study, the role of Turkish Medical Association in the institutional change is analyzed by case study design. The changes in the institutional identity and actions of Turkish Medical Association are investigated and the kinds of actions through which the association responded against the changes in various levels of the medical field realized by the government as a consequence of current neo-liberal changes are examined. The findings indicate that the dominant institutional logic in the medical field evolve from societal base to market base. During the change process, Turkish Medical Association turns into an opposing organization, defending a societal thinking against the marked based one, which used to share similar institutional logic with the most important actor of change; the government.