anize mass numbers of people ensuring that goal oriented decisions are made in accordance to formal rational procedures, that is procedures consistent with internal rules or principles uniformly applied resulting in the same outcome given similar circumstances (Weber as cited by Giddens, Duneier, & Applebaum, 2003: 150). Through the acquisition of rational procedure the modern-day bureaucracy attains "legitimacy" or the likelihood of an authority's request being met. Furthermore, just as individuals are subject to the law so too are organizations. As Weber argues, individuals, despite the liberty of free will, align themselves to the law because of the law's legitimate authority. In a process paralleling the individual, organizations also gain legitimacy by aligning with the law through legalization:
             The process that encompasses the diffusion of legal reasoning, procedures, and structures as means of sustaining or enhancing the legitimacy of the organization with critical internal or external constituents and its environment (Quinn Lecture 4/26/04)
             Institutional isomorphism is one process by which organizations gain legitimacy under the law. That is to say the organizations evolve to take on "templates of organizational structure" bearing similarities to preexisting organizations that are often times the leaders in a particular field (DiMaggio & Powell, 1983: 146). While the goals and practices of an organization may undergo change, rational decision making orients the social actors to their environment thus inhibiting future change (DiMaggio & Powell, 1983). Furthermore, while new organizational actors may enter into the same environment they share the common interest in improved performance. At this stage the organizations become subjected to the paradox of legitimacy. That is to say procedural "innovation spreads, [and] a threshold is reached beyond which adoption provides legitimacy rather tha...