TCI2013 Mobilizing stakeholders through legitimation strategies

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Mobilizing Stakeholders through Legitimation Strategies Anna Emmoth & Jörgen Elbe Academic Summit: Clusters as entrepreneurial ecosystems 5 September 2013

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By Anna Emmoth & Jörgen Elbe, Dalarna University, Sweden, presented at the 16th TCI Global Conference, Kolding 2013.

Transcript of TCI2013 Mobilizing stakeholders through legitimation strategies

Page 1: TCI2013 Mobilizing stakeholders through legitimation strategies

Mobilizing Stakeholders through Legitimation Strategies Anna Emmoth & Jörgen Elbe

Academic Summit: Clusters as entrepreneurial ecosystems

5 September 2013

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Mobilizing Stakeholders through Legitimation Strategies

– The Formation of a Tourist Destination Cluster Initiative

Jörgen Elbe

[email protected]

Anna Emmoth

[email protected]

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The Research

• How mobilizing cluster stakeholders?• Longitudinal case study• Multiple data sources: Interviews,

observations, documents• Qualitative interpretation – abductive

approach

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Case Study Background• Regional tourism development initiative:

• Destination Dalarna: One region – five destinations• Hundreds of businesses– a few ”locomotives” but

mainly SMEs• Huged planned investment – stagnating domestic

market = need to attract foreign markets (overcapacity?)

• Solution: cluster initiative with one brand, joint marketing and a joint sales platform

• Regional tourism developer as cluster facilitator

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General Prerequisites

• Cluster facilitator:• Limited budget• No formal authority

• Many different and important stakeholders:• Local businesses, residents, funding agencies, governments,

academic institutions…• In different organizational fields with different institutional logics

• Legitimacy • A crucial resource in order to mobilize resources and support

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A Conceptual Framework• Three types of legitimacy (Suchman,1995):

• Moral: Being perceived as a legitimate representative• Pragmatic: Being perceived as a commercially interesting and legitimate

partner • Cognitive: Taken for granted structures in the society, i.e. is the

cluster/industry perceived as legitimate

• Rhetoric as a mean (Suddaby & Geenwood, 2005; Aristotle) • Logos: Arguments referring to what appears to be logical• Pathos: Arguments referring to emotions and moral• Ethos: Arguments referring to the perceived authority of the presenter

• Strategic legitimation approaches (based on Suchman, 1995)• Conforming: Adapting arguments to stakeholders’ existing institutional logics• Manipulating: Try to influence the stakeholders’ perception• …or seek stakeholders in another field

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Analysis scheme - example

Stakeholder Type of approach

Rhetorical style

Resource Type of legitimacy

Associated themes

Quotes by regional DMO directed to stakeholder

Funding agencies Local DMOs Local businesses

Conforming Manipulating Manipulating

Logos Pathos Ethos

National development funds Support Support

Cognitive Moral Pragmatic

Cluster – innovation – growth External threats – increased global competition – joint challenges Business benefits through collaboration

“Today there is a common understanding in the region to enhance the co-operation between industry actors. The aim is that the industry will take a step forward toward more refined products, better distribution channels, more intense national and international sales and more efficient processes. The goal is to develop a regional cluster which can be part of a national innovation system.” (application for funding) ”Our region is the fourth largest tourist region in Sweden. We have a strong destination but we have not developed in the pace as other destinations in Sweden and therefore we risk losing visitors to destinations that develop better and faster.” (project description) “We have come together since we believe in Dalarna as a region. We have an interesting brand, and we have numerous of companies with exciting ideas and they will be in the forefront when the destinations and products of the future are developed”. (Project information web page)

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The conceptual framework – an analytic and strategic tool

Required resources

Stakeholders Type of approach

Rhetorical style

Legitimacy obtained

Funding, competency, skills, support

 

 

 

Businesses, tourists, residents, governments, NGOs, funding agencies, academic institutions

Conforming or manipulating

Logos, pathos, ethos

Moral, pragmatic, cognitive,

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Thank you!

Contact:

Jörgen Elbe

Dalarna University

[email protected]