One result of new venture creation can be a fundamental change of economic processes and structures (Schumpeter 1934, p. 99). Such change often follows a conflict with the environment i.e. established industries. Yet, to receive vital resources young ventures need the support from their environment. Support will be granted once the young venture and its request is considered legitimate. However, young ventures often lack organisational legitimacy and, as a consequence, struggle for their existence.

Legitimation strategies are discussed as one way out of this vicious circle (Suchman 1995; Zimmerman/Zeitz 2002). This paper examines four different legitimation strategies and their effect on organisational legitimacy in an experimental setting. Results suggest that the legitimation strategies only have an effect on the development of cognitive legitimacy and that the conformance strategy is preferred. After a consideration of the limitations of this experimental study, implications for future research are discussed.

JEL Classification : M13