Trade Associations and the Strategic Framing of Change in Contested Issue Organizational Fields: The Evolution of Sustainability in the Canadian Mining Industry, 1993-2013

This dissertation examines the role of intermediary organizations in processes of change in organizational fields defined by contested issues. Drawing from a 20 year longitudinal study of the evolution of sustainability in Canadian Mining, I demonstrate how trade associationswhich occupy an intermediary position between incumbents and challengers in a fieldengage in the strategic framing of field-level change through interactions with both internal (incumbent) and external (challenger) audiences. Using a variety of data sources including 102 interviews with key actors in the field and the complete internal archives of the national mining trade association between 1993 and 2013, I demonstrate the key role of bridging work in the establishment and reinforcement of strategic frames. The model I present describes the process whereby internal and external contestation reveals conceptual divides which triggers bridging work on the part of intermediary organizations. I also demonstrate how once changes are introduced to the field, contradictions in strategic frames may emerge which triggers subsequent contestation and bridging work. In addition to this qualitative study, I also develop a conceptual framework which aims to enhance our understanding of when and why TAs are likely to play an active role in field-level change. I argue that playing an active role in field-level change on the part of trade associations hinges on the need for collective action by incumbents and the degree to which a trade association has autonomy from and control over its members. I discuss the contributions of my dissertation for research on the strategic framing of field-level change, intermediary organizations in organizational fields, and research on trade associations more generally.