Short answer

Designers should consider the potential for public controversy and develop strategies for transparent communication and justification that resonate with various societal values to maintain project legitimacy.

Field: Innovation & Design
Source: Journal of Management Studies (2010)
Method: Qualitative analysis of a controversy
Evidence: Moderate effect

Stakeholders actively engage in public justifications and debates during controversies to re-establish and maintain the legitimacy of institutions and their practices. This innovation & design research insight is drawn from a 2010 study published in Journal of Management Studies. Using Qualitative analysis of a controversy, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Designers should consider the potential for public controversy and develop strategies for transparent communication and justification that resonate with various societal values to maintain project legitimacy.

Study

Innovation & DesignHigh ImpactModerate effect

Controversy as a Catalyst for Institutional Legitimacy Repair

Stakeholders actively engage in public justifications and debates during controversies to re-establish and maintain the legitimacy of institutions and their practices.

Journal of Management Studies · 2010

Key Findings

01Legitimacy maintenance is a controversy-based process driven by stakeholder justifications to a public audience.
02Meta-level 'orders of worth' (e.g., market, civic, industrial) provide frameworks for agreement and shape public justifications.
03Stakeholders deploy specific capacities to construct robust justifications from diverse forms of agreement.

Application

Design takeaway

How to apply

When launching a new technology or project with potential societal implications, map out potential stakeholder groups, anticipate their concerns, and prepare justifications that appeal to recognized 'orders of worth' (e.g., efficiency, fairness, safety, innovation).

Project actions

01Consider how your design project might be perceived by different groups and what justifications would be needed if it faced public scrutiny.
02Research the 'orders of worth' most relevant to your design's context and target audience.

Method & Evidence

AimHow do stakeholder groups engage in public justifications and utilize different 'orders of worth' to maintain institutional legitimacy during controversies?

MethodQualitative analysis of a controversy

ProcedureAnalyzed a controversy surrounding a nuclear accident involving a European energy company, focusing on public debates and stakeholder justifications using Boltanski and Thévenot's theory of justification.

ContextInstitutional legitimacy, public perception, crisis management, energy sector

Variables

IVPublic controversy, stakeholder engagement, public justifications

DVInstitutional legitimacy

CVSpecific 'orders of worth' (e.g., civic, industrial, market)

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

+Provides a theoretical framework (Boltanski and Thévenot) for analyzing complex social processes.
+Offers a process model for institutional repair.

Limitations

It can be challenging to accurately identify all relevant 'orders of worth' or to predict how different groups will react to justifications.

Reliability & validity

The validity of the findings relies on the accurate interpretation of stakeholder discourse and the application of the theoretical framework. Reliability would depend on consistent coding and analysis of qualitative data.

Think critically

How might a designer proactively build legitimacy for a potentially controversial design by anticipating and addressing public concerns through carefully crafted justifications aligned with multiple 'orders of worth'?

Design Principles

"Legitimacy is actively constructed and maintained through public justification and engagement, especially during periods of controversy."

Understanding how controversies unfold and how different stakeholder groups justify their positions is crucial for navigating public perception and ensuring the continued acceptance of design projects, especially those with potential societal impact. This insight highlights the dynamic nature of legitimacy and the importance of proactive communication and justification strategies.

What This Means for Your Design

When something goes wrong and people question if a company or project is still good (legitimate), the company needs to explain itself publicly, using arguments that people understand and agree with based on different values like fairness or efficiency.

How to use in your project

1.Use this research to justify your design choices by explaining how they align with societal values and address potential concerns, thereby strengthening your project's legitimacy.

Add to My Project

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

The research by Patriotta, Gond, and Schultz (2010) suggests that maintaining institutional legitimacy, particularly in the face of controversy, relies heavily on active public justification by stakeholders. This process involves appealing to various 'orders of worth'—societal principles like fairness, efficiency, or innovation—to build consensus and re-establish trust. For this design project, understanding these dynamics is crucial for anticipating public reception and proactively developing justifications that align with relevant societal values, thereby ensuring the project's long-term acceptance and legitimacy.

Source

Journal of Management Studies

Maintaining Legitimacy: Controversies, Orders of Worth, and Public Justifications

journal · 2010

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about controversy as a catalyst for institutional legitimacy repair?: Designers should consider the potential for public controversy and develop strategies for transparent communication and justification that resonate with various societal values to maintain project legitimacy. Evidence: Journal of Management Studies (2010).
Why does "Controversy as a Catalyst for Institutional Legitimacy Repair" matter for design?: Understanding how controversies unfold and how different stakeholder groups justify their positions is crucial for navigating public perception and ensuring the continued acceptance of design projects, especially those with potential societal impact. This insight highlights the dynamic nature of legitimacy and the importance of proactive communication and justification strategies.
How can designers apply this research?: Designers should consider the potential for public controversy and develop strategies for transparent communication and justification that resonate with various societal values to maintain project legitimacy.
What were the main findings?: Legitimacy maintenance is a controversy-based process driven by stakeholder justifications to a public audience.. Meta-level 'orders of worth' (e.g., market, civic, industrial) provide frameworks for agreement and shape public justifications.. Stakeholders deploy specific capacities to construct robust justifications from diverse forms of agreement.
What research method was used?: Qualitative analysis of a controversy.
How strong is the evidence?: Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2010 journal from Journal of Management Studies.
What should I do differently in my next project?: When launching a new technology or project with potential societal implications, map out potential stakeholder groups, anticipate their concerns, and prepare justifications that appeal to recognized 'orders of worth' (e.g., efficiency, fairness, safety, innovation).
What are the limitations?: The study's focus on a single controversy may limit generalizability; the specific 'orders of worth' and their salience can vary across contexts.