This article studies organization building from a social constructionist perspective. It adopts a meaning-centered and endogenic approach to study the formation and establishment of a union of clerical workers at Yale University. Based on a review of existing literature on organizational creation, this article views social constructionism as a fruitful alternative theoretical framework for the study of organization building. Qualitative research methods, combining extensive document analysis with semistructured interviews, are used in a case study of union formation. The key elements of successful organization building appear to be defining meaningful realities, transforming contexts, and benefiting from the historical backwardness of organization members. Implications for organization theory are discussed.
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