Water Supplier Decisions & Institutional Change During Transitions - CASE STUDIES

The study draws on the concept of institutional logics to investigate the decision-making behavior of drinking water suppliers. Interviews were conducted with managers and staff from mid-sized drinking water utilities in the USA during 2022. The interviews elicit information about the organization structure of the drinking water supplier, the types of decisions they make, and the general decision-making process used by the organization. Interviewees then identify one or more examples of situations for which the drinking water supplier needed to make a challenging decision and describe the considerations and decision-making process associated with that decision. Topics addressed include repairs of aging, outdated, or degraded infrastructure; updates to operational practices; operational disruptions; and responses to external mandates. Interviews vary in length and in the number of decisions discussed.