In Research

Details

Year: 2019
Published in: Journal of Business Ethics 159(4):1-5
Cited as: Mongelli, L., Rullani, F., Ramus, T. et al. The Bright Side of Hybridity: Exploring How Social Enterprises Manage and Leverage Their Hybrid Nature. J Bus Ethics 159, 301–305 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-4050-8

Abstract

The study suggests that, under certain conditions, the involvement of a social enterprise’s beneficiaries in mechanisms typical of the market—like competition and customer orientation—can trigger processes of empowerment and emancipation that directly cater to social impact, well beyond the usual “economic support.” This empowerment, in turn, can drive positive social change that transcends the boundaries of the single organization.

The paper investigates how hybrid organizations can become purposeful actors fostering social innovation, more sustainable businesses, and inclusive markets, exactly because of their recombination of apparently incompatible institutional elements.