Organizational culture and legitimacy: mediation of the process of knowledge sharing and knowledge creation

This research examines the relationship between organizational culture and organizational legitimacy in higher education institutions, analyzing the mediating role of knowledge creation and knowledge sharing processes. Using a multi-theoretical approach that integrates legitimacy, institutional, knowledge-based, and stakeholder theories, the study tested a theoretical model proposing sequential relationships between these constructs through structural equation modeling with data collected from academic and administrative staff in management positions at public and private universities in Ecuador (N = 370). Results confirm that organizational culture positively influences organizational legitimacy both directly and indirectly. Notably, knowledge sharing emerged as the most significant mediator in this relationship, while knowledge creation showed no direct effect on legitimacy but operated through knowledge sharing. Multigroup analysis revealed significant differences between public and private universities: in public institutions, knowledge sharing had a stronger influence on legitimacy, while in private universities, organizational culture had a more direct impact on legitimacy. The findings contribute to understanding how universities build and maintain social legitimacy through knowledge management processes and offer practical implications for university administrators seeking to enhance institutional legitimacy. The results underscore the importance of developing adaptive organizational cultures that facilitate knowledge creation and sharing as strategic mechanisms for legitimacy-building in contemporary higher education institutions.