A Process Model of Internal and External Legitimacy. Issue 3 (March 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Drori, Israel; Honig, Benson
• Is Part Of: Organization studies. Volume 34:Issue 3(2013)
• Page Start: 345
• Page End: 376
• Publication Date: 2013-03
• Subjects: internal and external legitimacy -- institutional work -- organizational legitimation -- process model; Organizational sociology -- Periodicals; Organizational behavior -- Periodicals; Organization -- Periodicals; 302.35
• DOI: 10.1177/0170840612467153
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0170-8406

Abstract

We report the results of a longitudinal case study depicting the relationship between internal and external legitimacy at Orion, an emergent creative professional firm. We address the following questions: How do different types of legitimacy emerge, and how do they interact to shape organizational evolution? Introducing a staged process model, we demonstrate that organizational legitimacy is a product of action, which is continually reproduced and reconstructed by members of an organization in concert with external legitimation activities. Internal and external legitimacy evolve through a process of emergence, validation, diffusion and consensus, sometimes recursively repeating the cycle when imbalances result in conflict and friction.