Entrepreneurial framing and legitimacy construction: A process framework

Entrepreneurial ventures operate under conditions of uncertainty, liabilities of newness, and limited reputational capital, making legitimacy a central challenge. Although entrepreneurial framing is widely recognized as an important mechanism through which legitimacy is constructed, research remains fragmented across contexts, theoretical traditions, and analytical perspectives. Addressing this gap, we conduct a systematic literature review of 94 studies and develop a process-oriented framework of entrepreneurial framing and legitimacy construction. Drawing on legitimacy theory and Aristotelian rhetoric, we identify three dimensions: logos, which establishes cognitive plausibility; ethos, which enhances credibility and moral appropriateness; and pathos, which generates emotional resonance. We conceptualize framing as a configurational, processual mechanism through which entrepreneurs construct legitimacy over time, while stakeholder responses may reinforce, redirect, or undermine framing efforts. Our synthesis shows that legitimacy emerges through the contingent configuration of these rhetorical mechanisms in response to stakeholder expectations, institutional conditions, and specific legitimacy deficits.