Building legitimacy for it innovations: Organizing visions and discursive strategies of legitimacy
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
1-1-2006
Abstract
The concept of an organizing vision, developed in work by Swanson and Ramiller, provides a valuable perspective to examine institutional processes that underlie diffusion of complex information technology (IT) innovations among organizations. Our understandings of the key functions performed by organizing visions - interpretation, legitimation and mobilization - however, are very limited, as are the specific actions engaged in by innovation entrepreneurs. The research presented in this paper begins to address this need by developing a conceptual framework through which to examine the legitimation function performed by an organizing vision and the discursive strategies IT entrepreneurs may engage in to promote the legitimization of an innovation. The framework builds upon a taxonomy of legitimacy and legitimation strategies by Suchman (1995). In addition, to adapt this taxonomy to the context of IT innovations we draw on the work by Ramiller and Swanson (2003) on critical receptions of executive response to organizing visions of IT. 20 discursive strategies for gaining and maintaining legitimacy of IT innovations are identified, categorized according to the type of legitimacy supported - pragmatic, moral or cognitive. A case study of an IT innovation in healthcare, computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems, is employed to illustrate how IT entrepreneurs utilize these strategies. 142 press releases issued by vendors of CPOE software, hardware and services from 1998 to 2005 were content-analyzed and examples of each strategy are presented. This work contributes to elaboration of the organizing vision concept and offers insight into the specific discursive strategies used by IT entrepreneurs.
Publication Source (Journal or Book title)
Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings
Recommended Citation
Pawlowski, S., Kaganer, E., & Wiley-Patton, S. (2006). Building legitimacy for it innovations: Organizing visions and discursive strategies of legitimacy. Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2006.27169069