Advancing the common good through business excellence awards: A legitimacy-seeking perspective

Competing for and winning business excellence awards (BEAs) is essential for firms' long-term performance. However, the role of these BEAs in inspiring good and generating sustainable business practices has often been overlooked. In this article, we draw on the legitimacy-seeking theory to explore the “socially good” transformations firms go through by competing for BEAs. Data for the inquiry come from semi-structured interviews with managers whose firms competed in two BEAs in the United Kingdom. Providing insight into BEAs as a competitive legitimating frame in organizing, our findings shed light on how BEAs may serve as competitive crucibles that provide opportunities for feedback and learning, potentiality for brand positioning, and a possibility for stimulating excellence in the adoption of good business practices. The implications of these findings for the theory and practice of advancing the “common good” are outlined.