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Multiple legitimacy narratives and planned organizational change

Landau, Dana ; Drori, Israel and Terjesen, Siri LU (2014) In Human Relations 67(11). p.1321-1345
Abstract
This article explores the cultural narratives through which members of organizations define legitimacy during prolonged periods of change. We view legitimacy work as a cultural practice and interpretive process that takes the form of organizational narratives. We show how the shifting configurations of internal power relations shape both the choice and the meaning attached to the varied legitimacy narratives. We investigate the construction of legitimacy through a longitudinal case study based on participant observation of Gamma, a government Research and Development (R&D) organization, during a process of intense change. We provide theoretical insights into the construction and deconstruction of the legitimacy by analyzing the... (More)
This article explores the cultural narratives through which members of organizations define legitimacy during prolonged periods of change. We view legitimacy work as a cultural practice and interpretive process that takes the form of organizational narratives. We show how the shifting configurations of internal power relations shape both the choice and the meaning attached to the varied legitimacy narratives. We investigate the construction of legitimacy through a longitudinal case study based on participant observation of Gamma, a government Research and Development (R&D) organization, during a process of intense change. We provide theoretical insights into the construction and deconstruction of the legitimacy by analyzing the narratives in play during a process of planned change. We claim that legitimation narratives not only evolve in accordance with functional need or, in a sense, that older narratives give room to newer, more updated or relevant narratives, but also that multiple narratives are used by different organization actors alternately and interchangeably as part of internal contestation over legitimation of change. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
conflict, employee voice, ethnography, identity, narrative, organizational culture
in
Human Relations
volume
67
issue
11
pages
1321 - 1345
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • wos:000345965700002
  • scopus:84911143471
ISSN
0018-7267
DOI
10.1177/0018726713517403
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
4db06fcf-3101-443e-b734-c47e1813c563 (old id 4960541)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:49:59
date last changed
2022-04-20 06:36:22
@article{4db06fcf-3101-443e-b734-c47e1813c563,
  abstract     = {{This article explores the cultural narratives through which members of organizations define legitimacy during prolonged periods of change. We view legitimacy work as a cultural practice and interpretive process that takes the form of organizational narratives. We show how the shifting configurations of internal power relations shape both the choice and the meaning attached to the varied legitimacy narratives. We investigate the construction of legitimacy through a longitudinal case study based on participant observation of Gamma, a government Research and Development (R&D) organization, during a process of intense change. We provide theoretical insights into the construction and deconstruction of the legitimacy by analyzing the narratives in play during a process of planned change. We claim that legitimation narratives not only evolve in accordance with functional need or, in a sense, that older narratives give room to newer, more updated or relevant narratives, but also that multiple narratives are used by different organization actors alternately and interchangeably as part of internal contestation over legitimation of change.}},
  author       = {{Landau, Dana and Drori, Israel and Terjesen, Siri}},
  issn         = {{0018-7267}},
  keywords     = {{conflict; employee voice; ethnography; identity; narrative; organizational culture}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{11}},
  pages        = {{1321--1345}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Human Relations}},
  title        = {{Multiple legitimacy narratives and planned organizational change}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0018726713517403}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/0018726713517403}},
  volume       = {{67}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}