Moving Beyond Pragmatism: The Authenticity of Sustainable Supply Chain Legitimacy

Abstract

This research investigates how organizations can attain and maintain the legitimacy of their environmental sustainability leadership over time. Utilizing data from the corporate sustainability reports of a global sustainability leader, this research analyzes a company's efforts to secure moral, cognitive, and pragmatic legitimacy in the eyes of its evaluators at the macro level. Adopting a template analysis approach and building on prior research on corporate sustainability reporting, this research examines the temporal shifts in IBM's (International Business Machines Corporation) sustainability commitments, with a focus on its sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). This research advances comprehension of legitimacy theory through theory elaboration by navigating the intersection of empirical data and existing literature. It posits that the construct of authenticity serves as a pivotal link between an organization's SSCM and its attainment of sustainable supply chain legitimacy at the macro level. Furthermore, organizations seeking to attain and maintain legitimacy must continually adapt to evolving expectations from external evaluators.