The Why, How, and When of CSR Managers’ Internal Legitimation Strategies

Organizations often leverage corporate social responsibility (CSR) in their efforts to gain external legitimacy, and yet CSR managers – the very people responsible for implementing CSR initiatives – often struggle to achieve internal legitimacy and, thus, their objectives. This qualitative research seeks insights into CSR managers’ need for legitimation (why) and the strategies they use to overcome challenges and establish legitimacy within their organizations (how). A set of six distinct challenges CSR managers face reveals the complex reality of their roles and the factors that drive their quests for legitimacy. In turn, CSR managers draw on a repertoire of eight legitimation strategies to navigate the challenges, each reflecting a different legitimacy dimension. Notably, CSR managers’ occupational self‐perception influences their perceptions of challenges and choice of legitimation strategies, indicating the importance of individual characteristics (when) in shaping CSR practices. These nuanced insights into the micro‐level dynamics of legitimacy advance literature on both legitimacy and micro‐CSR by offering a personalized approach that accounts for the unique perspectives and strategies of CSR managers.