Organisational models of notified certification bodies in the trans-european railway system: isomorphic pressures and allomorphic responses

Regulatory and normative factors may affect the adoption of a specific organizational form, beyond the rationality that would suggest the selection among those derived by practice as plain technical solutions. New institutional theory points out the tendency for organizational forms to be deployed under the pressure of external and environmental conditions, regardless of their efficiency implications. It also emphasizes the role of social pressures imposed on organizations that influence organizational practices and structures. An articulated area of research in which verifying the adoption of alternative organisational structures may be provided by Notified Bodies, certification organisations operating in the European railway business system and established during the implementation phase of EU directives on trains interoperability.