This open access book presents case studies of twelve organisations which the public have come to view as institutions. From the BBC to Doctors Without Borders, from the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra to CERN, this volume examines how some organisations rise to prominence and remain in high public esteem through changing and challenging times. It builds upon the scholarly tradition of institutional scholarship pioneered by Philip Selznick, and highlights common themes in the stories of these highly diverse organizations; demonstrating how leadership, learning, and luck all play a role in becoming and remaining an institution. This case study format makes this volume ideal for classroom use and practitioners alike. In an era where public institutions are increasingly under threat, this volume offers concrete lessons for contemporary organisation leaders.

Arjen Boin is Professor of Public Institutions and Governance at the Department of Political Science, LeidenUniversity, Netherlands.

Paul ‘t Hart is Professor of Public Administration at the Utrecht School of Governance, Utrecht University, Netherlands. 

Lauren A. Fahy is a PhD Fellow at the Utrecht School of Governance, Utrecht University, Netherlands.

Narrates the histories of a dozen high-profile pubic organisations from across the world Analyzes how over time these organisations have become highly values 'institutions' Suggests leadership lessons for institution builders Offers an array of teachable case studies about successful organisations fit for classroom use

Open Access This book is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this book are included in the book's Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the book's Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder.