The notion of institution has a long and rich history in social sciences. For many reasons, it has lost credibility in recent years. In keeping with Émile Durkheim’s work, while steering clear of determinism, this article proposes to rehabilitate the institution in terms of a multi-polar process. In this perspective, the relational program proves itself to be particularly revealing. The decomposition of all institutions into four basic functions which are autonomous and, therefore, potentially conflicting invites us to rethink how we see the varied social processes in an open and dynamic perspective. In this regard, the institution can be defined as a collection of relations of relations.