Making sense of integrity: Civil society’s influence on international operating firms in collective action against corruption
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2025-06-30
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en
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This study investigates the influence of civil society actors on international operating
firms in making sense and responding to collective anti-corruption initiatives within global
supply chains. By employing a longitudinal qualitative case study of the International
Collective Action Conference (ICAC), the research utilizes a sensemaking lens along with
the Gioia methodology to capture the evolution over time in the context of global supply
chains. The study identifies three core sensemaking mechanisms: framing integrity,
institutional anchoring, and ethical norm-setting. Through these mechanisms, civil society
actors shape corporate compliance behaviour, reframe integrity as a shared social
responsibility, and bridge the gap between soft and hard law. The findings show civil
society’s role has evolved from advocacy to co-regulation, co-creating institutional pathways
that embed collective action in global supply chains. This research contributes to governance,
institutional, and sensemaking theory by demonstrating this role in the global anti-corruption
landscape.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen