Hybrid Institutional Messages and Organizational Legitimacy Across Disparate Stakeholders

Contemporary organizations navigate complex environments where plural institutional logics compete to shape organizational fields. These logics often prescribe contradictory actions, exposing organizations to scrutiny from multifaceted stakeholders with competing agendas and disparate expectations. Thus, hybrid organizing is essential for engaging diverse stakeholders – but poses significant challenges for achieving legitimacy. Using data from 209 certified benefit corporations integrating dual social-market orientations, this research examined three dimensions of hybridity—logic centrality , integration , and scope —in their institutional messages via mission statements. Results suggested that organizations with greater legitimacy (1) prioritized communicating their social mission, (2) exhibited higher levels of integration in benefit and employment models, and (3) targeted broader stakeholder groups. However, the legitimacy implications of each hybridity dimension varied based on the evaluating stakeholder group: the accreditation organization or social media users. This research sheds light on when and how organizational hybridity fosters legitimacy, highlighting an institutional and communicative model of stakeholder engagement.