This chapter lays down the theoretical framework for this investigation. I propose that organisational commitments have two functions (more succinctly, a two-way function): the People-Centred Function (Function 1), i.e., the purported role of inclusion-oriented organisational commitments in making universities more demographically inclusive; and the Institution-Centred Function (Function 2), i.e., whereby commitments facilitate the inclusion of universities into the organisational field in which they operate. It is noted that the new institutionalist emphasis on organisational commitments as a purveyor of legitimacy for institutions provides a solid theoretical grounding for Function 2. However, new institutionalist theory is not well-equipped to anticipate scenarios where Function 1 may apply. To address this limitation, early and new institutionalist arguments are compared with the scope of compiling a coherent and fortified institutionalist framework for anticipating a diverse set of empirical realities when it comes to whether and how commitments work.