Vontrese Pamphile
Northwestern University
Pragmatic Ambiguity in Situations of Enduring Institutional Complexity
ABSTRACT
Drawing from 40 interviews with corporate grantmakers as well as participant observation of corporate foundations, this study shows that the successful navigation of enduring institutional complexity can be achieved through pragmatic ambiguity. Infusing ambiguity into the process of corporate philanthropy – including via ambiguous goals, ambiguous definitions of success, and imprecise outcome metrics – assists corporate grantmakers as they navigate both business and nonprofit sectors. The paper outlines two mechanisms by which ambiguity assists organizational actors in complex situations: multivocality and myth-making. First, ambiguous words and action foster multiple interpretations which helps address competing dimensions without engaging in costly negotiations (multivocality). Second, ambiguity provides the space to for organizational actors to construct coherent identities from otherwise incommensurable demands (myth-making). I argue that ambiguity is most successful as a response to enduring complexity when complete hybridization of competing elements is not the primary goal.
BIOGRAPHY
Vontrese Pamphile is a Ph.D. candidate in the joint-degree program between the Department of Sociology and Management and Organizations at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She is a mixed-method scholar with research interests in organizational theory, inequality, philanthropy, CSR, and social networks. Her dissertation project uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to understand why companies pursue different philanthropic strategies and how grantmakers manage ambiguity. Her other research streams explore the importance of authentic organizational values at the workplace and how people use their social and organizational networks for support. Prior to graduate school, Vontrese was an AmeriCorps member, worked for Teach For America, and ran an education nonprofit, the I Have A Dream Foundation, in Newark, NJ. She currently serves as a consultant to the Lilly School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. She received a B.A. from the University of Michigan in Sociology and American Culture.