Abstract
In Europe, the escalation of climate protection movements has heightened the pressure on polluting companies that contribute to global warming. These organizations face increasing social pressures that challenge their societal license to operate. In response, they have adopted strategies to preserve their legitimacy. Existing literature explores various strategies, from justifying their societal roles to implementing corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies and collaborating with recognized stakeholders.However, these legitimate stakeholders can also become sources of criticism, often fueled by ideological motives—as seen with non-governmental organizations (NGOs)—or by market competition. Extensive research on NGO-firm relations and coopetition underscores the complexities of cultivating successful partnerships. Nevertheless, scant research has been done on these paradoxical collaborations as a strategy for maintaining legitimacy. Our research question is: How can a contested organization collaborate with an adversarial one to maintain its legitimacy?To investigate this "tango with the devil," we conduct a detailed case study of Air France, significantly affected by flight shaming. Utilizing participant observation, 38 interviews, and various secondary sources (company archives, press releases), we examine three initiatives contributing to the company's strategy to maintain legitimacy. The first initiative, an unsuccessful attempt to define Air France's core purpose, raises questions about the feasibility of collaborating with legitimate yet adversarial entities. The second is the company's CSR communications campaign, conducted in partnership with an NGO. The third investigates collaboration with SNCF, Air France's competitor in the domestic network. This case study demonstrates that adversaries can serve as valuable allies in maintaining a contested organization's legitimacy.This study contributes to the literature on maintaining legitimacy by illustrating that (1) self- legitimization strategies are ineffective for a contested organization's sustainability, making collaboration with legitimate stakeholders essential. It is feasible to (2) collaborate with adversaries without relying on legitimacy transfer techniques. However, (3) it is incumbent upon the contested organization to transform adversarial relationships into partnerships for these strategies to succeed.Moreover, this thesis also enhances our understanding of coopetition by showing how (1) legitimacy asymmetry can facilitate the evolution of coopetitive relationships. However, (2) rebalancing by the contested actor is necessary to render coopetition an effective strategy for maintaining legitimacy, and (3) this requires reshaping the narrative toward greater collaboration.