Legitimidade organizacional em meta organizações sob a ótica da teoria ator-rede: uma análise do Pacto Alegre

Abstract

This dissertation addresses organizational legitimacy in the context of meta organizations formed by the association of organizations that share a common purpose. The objective of the research is to understand how legitimation processes occur in hybrid organizations characterized by a weak hierarchical structure, with flexible limits and based on voluntary affiliation. The research examines how the audience perceives legitimacy, what are the interests and controversies related to legitimacy, and identifies strategies that favor legitimacy. The case study is Pacto Alegre, a meta organization in the city of Porto Alegre dedicated to promoting innovation as a means of development for the city, based on the quadruple helix with the joint participation of academia, government, business and society. The methodology used is qualitative, applied to public information and reports from participants, and follows the approach proposed by the actor-network theory, mapping the controversies associated with legitimacy in its first three years. The evidence found for the case studied indicates that the cognitive, pragmatic and moral legitimacy influence and are respectively related to controversies regarding the purpose, identity and affiliation of the meta organization. Obtaining legitimacy by this type of organization can be facilitated through the development of discursive and performative processes aimed at balancing controversies and improving the understanding of objectives, the perception of value of deliverables and voluntary collaborative engagement. The managerial contribution establishes these processes, and the theoretical contribution to organizational legitimacy proposes that meta organizations are incubators of controversies and need to develop specific processes to understand them. By developing organizational legitimacy as a process, conducted with audience participation, meta organizations increase their perception of value and meaning, facilitating access to resources and support where they operate.