The Tetranormalization Theory

Abstract

Tetranormalization is both a concept, a theory, and an eponymous international and interuniversity research network. The concept of tetranormalization was defined by professors Henri Savall and Véronique Zardet. It designates the problems (their descriptions, causes, and solutions) posed to companies and organizations by increasing standardization in the four major bodies of standards to which they are subject: accounting standards and financial; social norms; quality, safety, and environmental standards; and commercial and technical standards. From this concept, a theory of tetranormalization is developed thanks to the research of the eponymous international and interuniversity network created in 2007, which today has nearly a hundred European, South American, and North American associate researchers in management, geography, economics, law, and sociology. The tetranormalization literature presents the results of the network’s research, in particular its descriptive, explanatory, and prescriptive hypotheses regarding the normative phenomenon in the form of academic and popular articles and collective works in French, English, and Spanish. The salient assumptions of the tetranormalization theory are explained in the chapter, in particular the highlighting of the orchestration, arbitration, negotiation, ethics process (OANE) of efficient integration and governance of standards by companies and organizations.