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Cited by 19,903Management and Organizational StudiesOrganizational Strategy and CultureCorporate Identity and Reputation

Managing Legitimacy: Strategic and Institutional Approaches

Suchman, Mark C.·1995·The Academy of Management Review
DOI 10.2307/258788
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Abstract

This article synthesizes the large but diverse literature on organizational legitimacy, highlighting similarities and disparities among the leading strategic and institutional approaches. The analysis identifies three primary forms of legitimacy: pragmatic, based on audience self-interest; moral, based on normative approval: and cognitive, based on comprehensibility and taken-for-grantedness. The article then examines strategies for gaining, maintaining, and repairing legitimacy of each type, suggesting both the promises and the pitfalls of such instrumental manipulations.

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Crossref · 10.2307/258788

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117 of 117 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Legitimacy can be understood as a generalized perception or assumption that the actions of an entity are desirable, proper, or appropriate within some socially constructed system of norms, values, beliefs, and definitions.

    “…a generalized perception or assumption that the actions of an entity are (desirable), proper, or appropriate within some socially constructed system of norms, values, beliefs, and definitions. (Suchman 1995, 574)”

    From Algorithmic Governance: Experimental Evidence on Citizens' and Public Administrators' Legitimacy Perceptions of Automated Decision‐Making (2026) · cites this paper as Suchman 1995

  • Conformity to cognitive institutions confers legitimacy, which helps firms create public acceptance, political protection and venture capital mobilization.

    “Conformity to cognitive institutions confers legitimacy, which help firms to create public acceptance, political protection and venture capital mobilization (Suchman, 1995).”

    From Ontologies, socio-technical transitions (to sustainability), and the multi-level perspective (2010) · cites this paper as Suchman, 1995

  • Discourse analysts added interactive dimensions by addressing collective sensemaking; interpretations sediment into discourses, which contain deep structural elements framed by actors; discursive framing is contested, and discursive struggles influence cultural legitimacy, public support, political protection or financial resources.

    “Discourse analysts added interactive dimensions by addressing collective sensemaking around specific issues.Because collective sense-making is an ongoing process, the interpretations sediment into particular discourses, i.e. ways of talking and thinking about issues (Hajer, 1995).Discourses contain deep structural elements that are framed by actors in particular ways.This discursive framing is a”

    From Ontologies, socio-technical transitions (to sustainability), and the multi-level perspective (2010) · cites this paper as Suchman, 1995

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Authors
Suchman, M. C.
Affiliations
University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
Corresponding author
Suchman, Mark C.
Venue
The Academy of Management Review
Publisher
Academy of Management
Published
1995-07
Volume
20
Issue
3
Pages
571
ISSN
0363-7425 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.2307/258788
OpenAlex
W2162412465
Cited by
19,903
References
119
Citations by year
2026: 2681 · 2025: 1654 · 2024: 1347 · 2023: 1207 · 2022: 1227 · 2021: 1174 · 2020: 1231 · 2019: 1123 · 2018: 948 · 2017: 865 · 2016: 807 · 2015: 769 · 2014: 768 · 2013: 729 · 2012: 572
FWCI
29.24
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Academy of Management Review (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Management and Organizational Studies
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Organizational Strategy and Culture
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Corporate Identity and Reputation
Keywords
organizational legitimacy, legitimacy management, pragmatic legitimacy, moral legitimacy, cognitive legitimacy, legitimation strategies, legitimacy maintenance, institutional theory

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