Legitimacy and legitimation: why it really matters

Understanding legitimacy and the legitimacy issues related to change, empowers leaders in government to effectively navigate social judgments and processes for fostering innovation and driving strategic change. The process by which this occurs is known as legitimation.

Legitimacy is the generalized belief or assumption that the actions, practices, or even the existence of an entity are appropriate, desirable, or proper within a socially constructed system of norms, values, beliefs, rules, and definitions. It's the judgements of stakeholders that says, "Yes, what you're doing fits within our sense of what's right and acceptable." This perception significantly influences an organization's ability to attract resources, sustain operations, and ultimately, survive.

Complexities of strategic change and innovation

When organizations embark on paths of strategic change and innovation, they inevitably question and test the established norms, values, beliefs, rules, and definitions that have often become deeply ingrained both within themselves and the broader society. Such transformative endeavors are inherently complex as they not only challenge existing conventions but also venture into the yet-to-be-accepted domains of what is deemed appropriate or desirable.

The silver lining for these pioneers of change lies in the dynamic nature of legitimacy. As societal perspectives evolve and through ongoing social interactions, the perception of legitimacy is continuously reshaped. This adaptability suggests that leaders, managers, and innovators possess the capacity to influence these legitimacy judgments, through the act of legitimation.

Legitimation: the process of gaining legitimacy

In environments where norms, values, beliefs, rules, and definitions are strongly institutionalized, the process of legitimation becomes a critical mechanism for overcoming obstacles to innovation and strategic transformation. Legitimation represents the active endeavor to earn, maintain, or restore legitimacy. It involves strategically engaging with and influencing the social perceptions that bestow or retract legitimacy. This might include actions aimed at aligning organizational practices with societal expectations and norms, as well as proactive efforts to shift perceptions and reform values, beliefs, and rules to embrace new practices or innovations.

Change initiators and innovators should be well-prepared with their legitimation strategies, essential for:

Overcoming organizational resistance: Kick-starting innovation and strategic change requires commitment and involvement from within the organization itself. Legitimation strategies could, for example, help frame innovations in ways they are perceived as congruent with organizational strategies, norms, and values.

Building support and mobilizing resources: Projects viewed as legitimate are more likely to attract funding, forge partnerships, and draw talent—all vital for the blossoming of innovation. Legitimation strategies could, for example, include dialogues with specific stakeholders to get their positive legitimacy judgment and negotiate access to resources.

Navigating regulatory environments: In many sectors, innovations must align with regulatory expectations to gain approval. In many cases, these regulations can hinder change. Legitimation strategies can aid in demonstrating how new ideas can (be made to) fit within existing regulatory frameworks, easing the path to implementation.

Shaping societal perceptions: Public opinion plays a significant role in influencing the legitimacy judgments of politicians, institutions, and even shareholders. Managing the public narrative can be crucial in indirectly shaping the legitimacy judgments of key stakeholders.

This highlights the necessity for leaders, managers, and innovators to engage in continuous dialogue and interaction with their environments to maintain their legitimate standing. It emphasizes the importance of legitimation as a deliberate process to shape perceptions, engage with stakeholders, and craft compelling narratives that place the organization's innovations within the socially acceptable domain.

This proactive journey demands ongoing awareness and involves continually assessing the landscape to understand the current legitimacy perceptions and the relevant stakeholders, engaging in multilevel interactions to ensure the appropriateness and the value are communicated not just externally but also internally, and monitoring your project's legitimacy and possibly adapting the narrative or project if deemed necessary to protect its overall legitimate standing.

In conclusion, the journey of innovation is fraught with challenges. Understanding and strategically navigating the terrain of legitimacy is likely to be indispensable for organizations aspiring to introduce novel ideas, technologies, or practices. Through adept application of legitimation strategies, organizations can alter perceptions, align with or reshape norms, and clear the way for innovation and strategic advancement.

Acknowledgement: The constructs in this blog are based on the research of Suddaby, Bitektine, and Haack (2017) and Suchman (1995) regarding legitimacy and legitimation.