This paper examines Chapter 10, “Relational Power, Personhood, and Organizations,” in Howard-Grenville et al. (2016). Unlike the previous chapters, Chapter 10 moves away from organizational routine theory, focusing on the perspective of process philosophy, the creativity that relational power can produce. This paper presents an overview of Chapter 10 and then discusses the similarities between the process philosophy perspective and the process school of organizational routines. The future worldview, as portrayed by the process school, is also discussed.

This paper presents an overview of Chapter 8 “Teaming routines in complex innovation projects,” of Howard-Grenville et al. (2016). The chapter focuses on innovation, where multiple experts work together towards the success of an unprecedented project and aim to achieve innovative outcomes. The authors examine the factors that contribute to success by investigating the Nona Lake project, which took place in Florida, USA. The analysis reveals that “teaming,” which refers to the ongoing adjustment and collaboration between experts, was effectively implemented in the project. Moreover, two routines that promote teaming and three types of leadership that enable these routines were identified. The chapter also suggests that in the context of innovation, leaders intentionally create teaming routines and that the performative aspect of teaming routines leads to the creation of the ostensive aspect. This paper provides an overview of Chapter 8, discusses its contributions and challenges to routine research, and explores potential avenues for future research.

This paper is a commentary on Chapter 7 of the Handbook of Routines. The purpose of Chapter 7 is to clarify the effects of power among organizational actors in the execution of routines. Three performance review interviews are used as case studies, recorded and analyzed in conversation. The analysis revealed that the power relationship between the supervisor and the subordinate in the execution of the routines changes whether or not deviations from the ostensive aspect occur. However, since this chapter is also biased toward a discussion of performative aspect in routine dynamics, it is considered necessary to reexamine the presence or absence of a patterning component in order to make this a truly routine dynamics study.

This paper examines Chapter 6, “The Role of Artifacts in Establishing Connectivity Within Professional Routines” in Howard-Grenville et al., (2016). Chapter 6 focuses on professional routines and suggests that actors and artifacts are not independent entities, but that routines are composed in an inseparable relationship. This framework suggests that actors and artifacts, in their entanglement, are the basis for the connectivity of “profession,” “individual work,” and “collective work” in professional routines. This paper presents an overview of Chapter 6, reaffirms the definition of professional, and discusses possible developments from Jarzabkowski, Bednarek, and Spee.