Business management authority after years of war - post-war rehabilitation as the foundation for legitimate relationships with business for peace managers at the workplace

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2024-08-12

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en

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For the orchestration of peace in Sri Lanka 2009, Virtusa Corporation provided vocational training and labour to the rehabilitation program. After years of war, it is questionable whether management authority involved in militarized rehabilitation is perceived as legitimate among rehabilitees. This study explores the formation of legitimacy towards ‘Business for Peace’ management authority amidst post-war rehabilitation camps. First, how does the rehabilitation strategy aim to construct legitimacy among the rehabilitees towards ‘Business for Peace’ management authority? And second, how do rehabilitees legitimize the management authority under the conditions in rehabilitation camps? This study tested four hypothetical explanations on legitimacy; coercion, returnment, deception, and socialization. Although the rehabilitation strategy aimed for socialization, no evidence is found to support successful socialization. For rehabilitees, the rehabilitation efforts are rather perceived as surveillance and regulative measurements that detract from the legitimacy. Then, the observed compliance is explained by deception in relation with coercion and conditional returns during rehabilitation. Therefore, ‘Business for Peace’ corporations should consider how joint rehabilitation efforts are being perceived by rehabilitees. If not considered, discourses on labour and management authority may misalign. Then, ‘Business for Peace’ initiatives associated with a feared military may rather detract from legitimacy towards management authority.

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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen