数字平台的合法性建设与治理研究

A study of legitimacy building and governance of digital platforms

随着数字平台的发展,平台的合法性建设近年来已成为全球关注的议题。尽管平台企业与利益相关者的协调是合法性建设的重点,但是两者之间的紧张关系应如何处理未被厘清。基于此,通过阿里巴巴平台案例研究,构建了“合法性前因-合法性响应-新的合法性”的数字平台合法性建设过程模型。研究发现:受社会和企业环境驱动,平台企业在初始、发展和成熟阶段分别采取战略操纵、道德推理和同构适应的合法性战略。不同阶段的合法性战略实施过程中,平台企业和利益相关者之间形成价值创造-价值获取、边界控制-边界开放、个体身份-集体身份的紧张关系。为了应对这些紧张关系,平台企业采取协调、控制和价值机制获取合法性。研究结论对数字平台、合法性建设和平台治理提供理论和实践意义。

Digital platforms are changing the way society produces and lives,becoming a digital service hub for many industries.These digital platforms are constantly changing new technologies and business models,breaking established institutional frameworks,laws,and expectations,and need to constantly justify and explain their actions to society or stakeholders in order to gain legitimacy.Accordingly,the legitimacy building of platforms has become a global concern in recent years.Although the research on legitimacy building is of great significance to the development of digital platforms,there are many tensions in the implementation of legitimacy strategy,and the existing research lacks attention.In addition,the relationship between platform governance and legitimacy has not been systematically discussed,thus how platform governance promotes the construction of legitimacy remains to be studied.Based on these analyses,this study constructs a digital platform legitimacy building process model of"legitimacy antecedent-legitimacy response-new legitimacy"through a case study of Alibaba platform.The findings are as follows:(1)legitimacy strategy is diversified and driven by social and corporate environment.In the initial stage,platform enterprises adopt strategic manipulation for survival and their own interests.In the development stage,platforms firms use moral reasoning in order to expand their social impact.In the mature stage,in order to make the activities of enterprises and platforms taken for granted,platform enterprises adopt the legitimacy strategy of isomorphic adaptation.(2)In the implementation of legitimacy strategy,the legitimacy perception and cognition deviation of platform enterprises and stakeholders lead to tension.In the initial stage,platform enterprises and stakeholders pay attention to the disputes of benefit distribution(value creation-value acquisition).The development stage forms the open controversy of digital platform(boundary control-boundary opening).At the mature stage,platform enterprises and stakeholders pay attention to the controversy of the nature of the platform(individual identity-collective identity).(3)Platform governance,supported by technology,plays an important role in reconciling these tensions.To cope with these tensions,platform enterprises adopt coordination,control,and value mechanisms to gain legitimacy.In the initial stage,platform enterprises adopt coordination mechanism to reduce bilateral information asymmetry and improve transaction efficiency through reputation system,granting autonomy and fostering common culture.In the development stage,platform enterprises adopt control mechanisms to improve the threshold of entry and ensure the quality of products or services by means of entry,quality,and output control.Furthermore,in the mature stage,platform enterprises adopt the value mechanism,and enhance collective consciousness by means of multilateral dependence,technology empowerment and brand effect.This study has the following theoretical contributions.First,we analyze the development of digital platform with legitimacy.Secondly,the research on the antecedents of platform legitimacy strategy and the relationship between platform enterprises and stakeholders should be deepened.Third,the role of platform governance.The practical implications are as follows.First,the study echoes the government's latest call to investigate how digital platforms are legitimized.Secondly,platform enterprises should pay attention to the identification and treatment of tension between themselves and stakeholders.Third,platform companies should pay attention to the different purposes brought by the type of legitimacy.