Mind the Gap: Translation, Decoupling, and Educational Entrepreneurship

• In Event: Organizational Theory Across and Beyond the Education Sector

Abstract

Establishing an entrepreneurial school requires translating the new vision for the partners in the field to achieve the necessary legitimacy and resources. In this study, we followed an entrepreneurial school that challenged the field’s logic and practices for a better understanding of this translation process. Using a case study method, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis, we analyzed the translation process of the school’s vision for the parents and the Ministry of Education. We found that while the school managed to translate part of its vision within the field's decoupling logic, it refused to do so with other parts of it. We conclude that translation and decoupling are intertwined, and although decoupling enables field sustainability, it also allows room for change.

Authors

• Hilla Tal, Ben Gurion University of the Negev

• Dorit Tubin, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

• Hagar Levy, Ben Gurion University of the Negev