Abstract: In the context of an innovation ecosystem, the acquisition and its evolution of ecosystem legitimacy is an effective mechanism for start-ups to successfully carry out disruptive innovation. Through the longitudinal case analysis of Maixin from 1993 to 2023, it was found that the process of start-ups achieving disruptive innovation through ecosystem legitimacy is actually that start-ups build an innovation ecosystem around a disruptive value proposition, and constantly overcome various obstacles to ecosystem legitimacy during this period, so as to gradually get the understanding and recognition of internal and external actors of the ecosystem, and finally disrupting or partially replacing the existing ecosystem value proposition. In the formation process of disruptive innovation, the ecosystem legitimacy of start-ups has experienced the dynamic evolution of “norm legitimacy”, “cognition legitimacy” and “value legitimacy”. Accordingly, the corresponding legitimacy can be obtained through the ecological legitimation strategies of “discursive legitimation”, “performative legitimation” and “meaning legitimation”. The conclusions of this article provide important insights for start-ups to successfully carry out disruptive innovation.

摘要： 在创新生态系统情境下，生态系统合法性的获取及演化是创业企业成功开展颠覆性创新的有效机制。通过对迈新1993-2023年的纵向案例分析发现，创业企业通过生态系统合法性实现颠覆性创新的过程，实际上是创业企业围绕颠覆性的价值主张构建创新生态系统，并不断克服各种生态系统合法性障碍，逐步得到创新生态系统内外部行动者的理解和认可，最终实现对现有生态系统价值主张的颠覆或部分替代的过程。在此期间，生态系统合法性经历了“规范”、“认知”和“价值”维度的演化，并依次通过“行为”、“话语”和“意义”合法化策略获取相应的合法性。研究结论对于创业企业成功开展颠覆性创新具有重要见解。