Abstract
The overarching purpose of Solidarity in Strategy is to describe and explain the evolution of business associations as a distinct organizational form and to demonstrate their value in the modern economy beyond the pursuit of economic self-interest. Drawing on her extensive sociological research experience, Lyn Spillman identifies cultural structure as a way to understand the growth and survival of business associations in the American economy and their contribution to the economic arena. A central thesis of the book is that business associations are “cultural producers for economic action” (pp. 71-72) that act around cultural norms of solidarity and group identity in addition to economic self-interest. Solidarity in Strategy makes an important contribution to the nonprofit literature in establishing business associations as creatures of public associational life as well as organizations that promote a product or industry. Spillman’s unique and extensive data and blend of sociological and economic perspectives generate a thought-provoking work that complements existing literature on nonprofit organizations and broadens our understanding of motivation in organizational arrangements. The book is also a timely addition to emerging literature that demonstrates the important role played by nonprofit organizations in generating information and cultural practices, and the critical ways in which these organizations enhance public and private sector capacity to meet a variety of policy challenges as well as economic goals.
A central contribution of the book is its meticulous methodological approach, which Spillman locates in the tradition of comparative historical methods. Spillman relies on the literature of business associations, an original national census of business associations, and archival research of public documents for 25 representative organizations. An admirable feature of the book is its careful specification of data sources, coding practices, instruments used for data collection, and analysis. Equally welcome is the availability of her original data through the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Science Research (ICPSR).
Solidarity in Strategy is organized into four substantial parts. Part I provides a detailed analytic history of American business associations from the 19th century through the mid-20th century. Part II examines the activities of business associations as cultural structures. Part III explores the activities of business associations with respect to their members, and Part IV examines the ways these groups interact with the external political environment.
In Part I, Spillman casts business associations as highly adaptive organizations that have assumed an expanding role and presence regardless of political or legal climate. The dramatic growth of associations during the early 20th century alongside unprecedented expansion of regulatory oversight of the economy serves as the backdrop for the central thesis of the book, that business associations are “cultural producers for economic action” (pp. 71-72) in addition to the economic self-interest of members. A fundamental role for business associations is to produce and share information and networking practices that facilitate practical coordination and cultural solidarity. Chapter 3 extends the discussion through a presentation of the organizational features of contemporary business associations in the late 20th century including membership size and type, staff and headquarters, and draws various comparisons between them as social, service, or policy organizations. Spillman identifies common contemporary practices and functions of business associations such as various forms of meetings and publications that produce and share information and culture across these roles.
Part II examines the cultural production of information more closely. Chapter 4 explores the production, reproduction, and sustainability patterns that business associations use to establish unique organizational cultures. Spillman argues that the types of information that business associations generate, their networks, and the cultures that they establish not only help sustain industry interests but also help sustain them as organizations and meet member needs. Forms of information such as standards and best practices become cultural norms, and networking opportunities serve dual purposes; they provide a framework for members to articulate and situate their activities, and also generate and structure organizational fields for industry. Chapter 5 focuses on the noneconomic rationales for associational life that explain why business associations exist. Nonprofit scholars understand these themes of camaraderie, professionalization, and sociability as explanation for some types of nonprofit organizations, but these concepts are not commonly applied to industry trade associations. The occupational community of a business association supports a collective identity and an occupationally specific point of view. Associations establish and reinforce particular expertise, history, and experience that confer legitimacy for individuals within the association and to the external environment. Examples of the ties that bind members to one another include professional standards and technical practices, various forms of recognition for achievement, sociability at meetings, collective responsibility through charitable works such as scholarships, and honoring the legacies of members.
Part III examines American business associations and economic action. Chapter 7 focuses on the dual nature of member professionalism as a means of economic differentiation and competitive advantage and also as a way to satisfy member interest. For example, Spillman makes the case that professionalism extends beyond the ancient professions and that businesspeople from all realms/sectors can be fairly considered to be “professionals.” This conclusion is well- and long established in the public administration literature, which understands professionalism as a specialized body of knowledge, accessed through particular education and/or training, and holding common ethical and other norms; however, Spillman challenges us to understand how we have traditionally sorted business “practitioners” out of almost any professional category and why that approach is mistaken.
In Part IV, Spillman analyzes typical association activities linked to politics such as lobbying, monitoring public policy, public relations, and civic practices. Chapter 8 demonstrates that lobbying is widely misunderstood and far less common than popular reporting suggests. Instead, associations typically rely on volunteer member committees to monitor public policy activity and educate the membership; most are not political interest groups and few are tied specifically to political activity. As with the concept of professionalization, the findings in this chapter should not be particularly surprising to nonprofit and public administration scholars; however, the detailed exposition makes an ample and accessible contribution to the literature. One welcome aspect here is the discussion about terminology that invokes expertise and the public good to frame points of view in terms of broad democratic norms rather than in terms of political gain. Chapter 9 breaks new ground in examining how business associations participate in civil society and contribute more broadly to civil discourse. Spillman demonstrates that most business associations exist to pursue particular industry goals rather than to promote greater civil good; related, most business associations intend to change public opinion about some aspect of their industry rather than advance a political agenda. Strong policy debates continue to rage about the way in which organizations can participate in political discourse; the observations here make a timely contribution to this broader discussion.
This book can be used well in nonprofit studies programs and public administration courses. The rich and historical detail would be welcome in legal studies programs that focus on the evolution of types of nonprofit organizations and their role in politics. Scholars of nonprofit organizations and public/private organizational arrangements in general will find that the extensive treatment of business associations extends our understanding of these groups far beyond their common and reductionist identity as interest groups. Solidarity in Strategy establishes a compelling case for the existence of business associations which does not rely entirely on economic self-interest, but rather depends on the cultural production of knowledge by these groups. Through Spillman’s well-grounded and meticulously documented study, we understand the dual contributions that business associations make as they advance industry interests and as they also align with norms of associational life and democratic participation.