The agency of incumbents has gained increasing attention in the study of transitions. Recent studies show that besides being inert and resistant to change, incumbents can also support transitions. We focus on the agency of a particular type of incumbent, grid operators. In several countries, these actors play an active role in institutional change in the energy domain. At the same time, they are engaging in activities to maintain the regime. This paper examines the actions of grid operators when performing institutional work, i.e. when creating, maintaining and disrupting institutions. We conducted a qualitative content analysis of Dutch media to analyze the actions of grid operators while engaging with decentralized energy innovations. We conclude that grid operators are both subject and object of institutional work as part of a distributed, collective process of institutional change. Furthermore, our analysis reflects on their paradoxical position as embedded actors engaging in institutional change.

在过渡研究中，现任机构越来越受到关注。最近的研究表明，任职者除了具有惰性和抵抗变化的能力外，还可以支持过渡。我们专注于特定类型的现有电网运营商的代理。在一些国家，这些参与者在能源领域的制度变革中发挥着积极作用。同时，他们正在从事维持该政权的活动。本文研究了电网运营商在执行机构工作时（即创建，维护和破坏机构时）的行为。我们对荷兰媒体进行了定性内容分析，以分析电网运营商在开展分散式能源创新的同时所采取的行动。我们得出结论，作为分布式的一部分，网格运算符既是机构工作的主题又是对象，制度变迁的集体过程。此外，我们的分析反映了他们作为参与机构变革的嵌入式参与者的悖论地位。