© 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and Society for the Advancement of Management Studies WHEN I NSTITUTIONAL WORK BACKFIRES: ORGANIZATIONAL CONTROL OF PROFESSIONAL WORK IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY 1 JAGDIP SINGH and RAMA K. JAYANTI* * Jagdip Singh is AT&T Professor of Marketing at Case Western Reserve University, Weatherhead School of Management, Cleveland, OH 44106, (jagdip.singh@case.edu). Rama K. Jayanti is Professor of Marketing, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH 44114 (r.jayanti@csuohio.edu). Correspondence: Jagdip Singh. Abstract Integrating institutional and role theories, this paper develops a Logics-Roles-Action (LRA) framework for understanding how for-profit organizations structure institutional work to managerially control the work of professionals they employ. Structurally, this institutional work involves three elements: (1) internalizing pluralistic logics (logics), (2) institutionalizing distinct roles embedded in these logics (roles), and (3) scripting goal- oriented role enactment plans (action). The LRA framework posits that social knowledge of clients and publics is a critical factor in precipitating institutional change from the institutional work of organizations, whether intended or not. An empirical examination of the LRA framework in the pharmaceutical industry evidences four distinct organizational strategies that script role enactments of sales professionals in their interactions with physicians. Each strategy is intended to reaffirm prevailing institutional logics, but eventually This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as doi: 10.1111/joms.12022 Accepted Article