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Same Same but Different: the Relationship Between Organizational Reputation and Organizational Public Value

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But the matter [the Volkswagen diesel emission scandal] is not just about jobs, market share or corporate and bureaucratic reputations. The scandal captures Germany at a moment when it has been trying to hold on to values it always saw as defining, but that have become increasingly difficult to maintain as it becomes drawn into the messy problems of Europe and the world.

-The New York Times, September 23, 2015.

Abstract

Organizational public value and organizational reputation are different concepts stemming from independent research traditions. Nevertheless, the constructs share several similarities, which make a systematic comparison and investigation of their relationship a promising and necessary endeavor. In this paper, we compare the two constructs along seven dimensions, with special attention to the micro-level of individual psychology. Several similarities regarding strategic relevance, locus of control, measurement unit, process dynamics, and axiological nature exist. As we will see, the constructs differ significantly with respect to the basis of evaluation and their dominant logic. We draw on a recent micro-foundation of public value to elaborate on these differences and develop propositions about how the constructs are related. Public value applies a holistic basis of evaluation covering all basic values and collective frames of reference, while reputation is more adaptive. Moreover, public value follows a logic of contribution (to a collective), while reputation follows a logic of recognition (by a collective). The two constructs should not be taken as similar or used interchangeably. However, both fields can benefit from a joint theoretical basis and micro-foundation, as well as from connected research programs. Practitioners should consider both constructs in connection.

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Notes

  1. For an overview, see Meynhardt (2015, pp. 158–159).

  2. For a detailed account, see Meynhardt et al. (2016) as well as Meynhardt and Fröhlich (2019).

  3. Lange et al. (2011) note that besides specific issues and stakeholders, specificity could also refer to specific contexts and process, i.e., components of the organization as the object. We elaborate on that at a later stage.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the anonymous reviewers and the editor for their helpful comments on earlier versions of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dr. Arend Oetker Chair of Business Psychology and Leadership, HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management, Leipzig, Germany

    Timo Meynhardt & Andreas Fröhlich

  2. Center for Leadership and Values in Society, University of St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland

    Timo Meynhardt, Pepe Strathoff & Steven A. Brieger

  3. University of Sussex Business School, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom

    Steven A. Brieger

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  1. Timo Meynhardt
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Appendix

Appendix

See Table 1 and Fig. 1.

Table 1 Comparing public value and reputation
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Fig. 1
figure 1

(Public) value matrix

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Meynhardt, T., Strathoff, P., Fröhlich, A. et al. Same Same but Different: the Relationship Between Organizational Reputation and Organizational Public Value. Corp Reputation Rev 22, 144–158 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41299-019-00066-0

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