Management adaptation of business association services: long-term stability 1783-2012 and ‘change points’ for Irish chambers of commerce

This paper seeks to fill an important gap in literature on institutional adaptation, using Irish chambers of commerce services to examine how managers of business associations adjust long-term balances in services, and respond to short-term challenges. The paper uses the theoretical expectations from collective action theory, transactions cost economics, the theory of organisational evolution and interactions with state supports to explore how the management strategies of chambers adapted to challenges from the economic and institutional environment. The paper demonstrates durability in the long term over the 200- year history of chambers, by an adaptation of service bundles and resource mixes, with major ‘change points’ being critical to re-balancing services and income sources. Using the example of challenges arising from the ‘change point’ of the Irish economic contraction 2008–2012, the paper shows how short-term adaptation mechanisms operate. Larger chambers generally survived better. Smaller chambers had more challenges, but demonstrate the durability of engaged management by volunteers.