From Revolution to a Credible Political Alternative: A Case Study of AAP from Organizational, Leadership and HR Theory Perspective

Abstract

The transformation of social movements into institutionalized political entities remains insufficiently examined within organizational and management scholarship, particularly in emerging democracies. This study investigates the evolution of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from an anti-corruption mass movement in 2011 into a credible political alternative within a decade. Drawing upon Organizational Behavior theory (Schein, 2010; Mintzberg, 1979), Transformational and Situational Leadership theories (Bass, 1985; Hersey & Blanchard, 1969), and Human Resource Management (HRM) frameworks (Saks, 2006; McGregor, 1960), the paper analyzes the structural, cultural, and leadership mechanisms that facilitated—and at times constrained—AAP’s organizational transition.

Adopting a qualitative longitudinal case study methodology (Yin, 2014), the study relies on secondary data sources including peer-reviewed research, policy documents, parliamentary records, party manifestos, and archival media reports spanning 2011–2023. Thematic analysis and theory-driven pattern matching are employed to trace the stages of organizational institutionalization

Findings indicate that AAP’s rapid rise was driven by symbolic identity construction (Blumer, 1969), entrepreneurial organizational structuring (Mintzberg, 1979), distributed volunteer mobilization, and governance-based legitimacy building. However, leadership centralization, factional conflict (Forsyth, 2010), structural constraints, and resource limitations posed challenges to internal cohesion and expansion sustainability. The study proposes a Movement-to-Political Institutionalization Model comprising six transformation stages.