Date of Award

Spring 6-12-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D. in Business

Organizational Unit

Daniels College of Business

First Advisor

Dennis Wittmer

Second Advisor

Michael Nalick

Third Advisor

Daniel Baack

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved.

Keywords

Goals, Polarization, Procedural justice, Reframing, Political identity

Abstract

Political polarization in American society has reached unprecedented levels, creating critical challenges for organizational goal legitimacy. This dissertation investigates how the breakdown of work-political identity boundaries undermines employee acceptance of corporate goals, threatening organizational cohesion and strategic effectiveness. Drawing on Boundary Management Theory and Legitimacy Theory, this research examines how political mega-identities create systematic resistance to organizational objectives—addressing a critical gap in understanding how macro-level polarization disrupts micro-level organizational processes. The research tested a strategic legitimacy framework through controlled experimentation with 288 working adults, examining two legitimation mechanisms: (1) moral reframing that connects goals to universally valued foundations, and (2) procedural transparency demonstrating inclusive decision-making processes. Results demonstrated that both strategies significantly increased goal acceptance, but reframing emerged as the dominant approach—producing nearly twice the effect size of procedural transparency (Δ = 1.75 vs. 0.93). Critically, reframing generated convergence among politically diverse respondents, reducing response variability by 40%. Both strategies proved equally effective for strong partisans and moderates, and procedural transparency was significantly more effective for conservatives than liberals, consistent with Moral Foundations Theory predictions. The findings reveal that legitimation strategies work not by changing employees' political beliefs but by establishing goals as appropriate organizational objectives—employees can accept a goal as legitimate even when they personally disagree. Organizations need not achieve ideological conversion, only reduce disagreement. This research provides evidence-based strategies demonstrating that organizations can pursue values-based objectives while maintaining cohesion through strategic legitimation approaches.

Copyright Date

6-2026

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Thomas Lorenz

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

English (eng)

Extent

155 pgs

File Size

1.6 MB

Download

Available for download on Sunday, July 09, 2028



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