TY - JOUR
T1 - Legitimation of a heterogeneous market category through covert prototype differentiation
AU - Krzeminska, Anna
AU - Lundmark, Erik
AU - Härtel, Charmine E.J.
PY - 2021/3
Y1 - 2021/3
N2 - The literature on market category formation provides insufficient insights into how entrepreneurs address the need for collective legitimation of a market category while simultaneously managing tensions between heterogeneous practices. Through a study of the Autism@Work market category, this article shows that covert prototype differentiation constitutes a distinct construct that explains how entrepreneurs in heterogeneous market categories can strengthen category legitimacy while supporting the practices that they perceive as appropriate, without triggering conflicts related to category heterogeneity. The article also provides insights into how market category legitimacy is perceived by entrepreneurs and the antecedents and implications of such perceptions.
AB - The literature on market category formation provides insufficient insights into how entrepreneurs address the need for collective legitimation of a market category while simultaneously managing tensions between heterogeneous practices. Through a study of the Autism@Work market category, this article shows that covert prototype differentiation constitutes a distinct construct that explains how entrepreneurs in heterogeneous market categories can strengthen category legitimacy while supporting the practices that they perceive as appropriate, without triggering conflicts related to category heterogeneity. The article also provides insights into how market category legitimacy is perceived by entrepreneurs and the antecedents and implications of such perceptions.
KW - Covert prototype differentiation
KW - Heterogeneity
KW - Legitimacy threshold
KW - Market category legitimation
KW - Suppressed competition
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85098968170&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jbusvent.2020.106084
DO - 10.1016/j.jbusvent.2020.106084
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85098968170
SN - 0883-9026
VL - 36
JO - Journal of Business Venturing
JF - Journal of Business Venturing
IS - 2
M1 - 106084
ER -