Knowledge Agora



Scientific Article details

Title Managing Legitimacy in Complex and Heterogeneous Environments: Sustainable Development in a Globalized World
ID_Doc 77664
Authors Scherer, AG; Palazzo, G; Seidl, D
Title Managing Legitimacy in Complex and Heterogeneous Environments: Sustainable Development in a Globalized World
Year 2013
Published Journal Of Management Studies, 50, 2
DOI 10.1111/joms.12014
Abstract The sustainability problems with regard to the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services increasingly challenge the legitimacy of corporations. The literature distinguishes three strategies that corporations commonly employ to respond to legitimacy problems: adapt to external expectations, manipulate the perception of their stakeholders, or engage in a discourse with those who question their legitimacy. We discuss three approaches to determine the appropriate response strategy: one-best-way approach, contingency approach, and paradox approach. We argue that in the face of heterogeneous environments with conflicting demands, corporations that follow a paradox approach are likely to be more successful in preserving their legitimacy than those that adopt one of the other two approaches. We develop a theoretical framework for the application of different response strategies and explore the management of paradoxes by way of structural, contextual, or reflective means.
Author Keywords corporate legitimacy; corporate responsibility; globalization; institutional theory; paradox; sustainability
Index Keywords Index Keywords
Document Type Other
Open Access Open Access
Source Social Science Citation Index (SSCI)
EID WOS:000315398500004
WoS Category Business; Management
Research Area Business & Economics
PDF https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/76572/1/20130308194008_merlin-id_8064.pdf
Similar atricles
Scroll