Strategic responses of social enterprises to institutional pressures in China

Kerlin, Janelle A.; Peng, Shuzhen; Cui, Tracy Shicun

doi:10.1080/17516234.2020.1848249

Cited by 13 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…These include demand for social legitimacy, professionalism, competition, conformance and economic efficiency (DiMaggio and Powell, 1983;Oliver, 1991;Yin and Jamali, 2021). Consequently, organisations will either comply or avoid conforming to such external demands as observed in recent studies by Kerlin et al (2021) and Yin and Jamali (2021). To illustrate such responses or behaviour amongst PBOs with respect to learning from failures, it is worth considering strategic responses identified earlier by Oliver (1991) as shown in Table 1.…”

Section: Institutional Factors Influencing Pbos Strategic Responsementioning

confidence: 92%

Organisational learning from failure and the needs-based hierarchy of project-based organisations

Chiponde

Gledson

Greenwood

2022

FEBE

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PurposeIn his 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation”, Maslow suggested the “Hierarchy of Needs” as a classification system that described the stimuli for human behaviour. Presently, project behaviour research, which inspired this work, encourages undertaking research on behavioural aspects within and across organisational and project settings. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to analyse project-based organisations’ (PBOs) seemingly reluctance in engaging in organisational learning from past project failures by drawing upon both institutional theory (since it focuses on how firms interact) and Maslow’s model within a project behaviour piece of research.Design/methodology/approachInterviews were held with purposively selected construction professionals from the UK construction industry, and data were analysed using thematic analysis.FindingsBesides the need to learn from failures, PBOs’ main competing needs revolve around their “competitiveness”; “profitability and productivity”; “repeat business” and “reputation and partnering”. Mirroring these needs against Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, “competitiveness” and “profitability” are analogous to foundational “physiological” and “safety” needs. The need for “repeat business” and “reputation” is approximated with Maslow’s “affiliation” and “self-esteem” needs, and organisational learning is associated with “self-actualisation”. From an institutional theory perspective, such response to failure is influenced by the need to show legitimacy and conformity imposed by institutional factors.Practical implicationsInstead of taking a simplified approach to learning from failure such as the use of technological tools, PBOs and the sector at large should consider more robust approaches, by appreciating the influence of institutional factors and the external environment on their efforts to learn from failure.Originality/valueUnlike past studies that present organisational learning within PBOs as a straightforward process, this study instead highlights the need of understanding various competing needs within a PBO and the external pressure.

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Section: Institutional Factors Influencing Pbos Strategic Responsementioning

confidence: 92%

Organisational learning from failure and the needs-based hierarchy of project-based organisations

Chiponde

Gledson

Greenwood

2022

FEBE

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“…Social enterprises (SEs) are organizations that produce, sell, and promote products and services, while supporting social causes ( Steiner and Teasdale, 2019 ). They fall between non-profit and profit-making enterprises ( Kerlin et al, 2021 ). While the main goal of a traditional business model is to maximize shareholder interests, SEs are different because they help to create jobs and develop local communities, including vulnerable groups, with social problem-solving as a top priority ( Cheah et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Does Corporate Social Responsibility Affect Sustainability of Social Enterprises in Korea?

Qing

Jin

2022

Front. Psychol.

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Social enterprises (SEs) are a new concept, integrating corporate profitability and social purposes. SEs seek to realize sustainable social values, rather than short-term profits. It is therefore important to study the factors that affect the sustainable management of SEs. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is known to improve corporate image and performance; it can also promote the sustainable development of companies. Innovation has been described as the driving force behind corporate growth and ultimate performance. This study aims to investigate whether CSR can affect sustainability through the economic and social performance of SEs. In addition, it attempts to verify the moderating role of innovativeness in the relationship between CSR and social enterprise (SE) performance. Using survey data from 226 employees of 204 SEs in Korea, we have empirically tested this conceptual framework. The results suggest that, while CSR can improve sustainability through economic and social performance, innovativeness has no moderating effect on the relationship between CSR and SE performance. This study enriches our understanding of the important role played by CSR in driving SE sustainability. It provides new insights into the mechanisms through which SEs can achieve sustainable development. It also contributes to the literature by emphasizing the need for innovation through technical support for SEs.

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“…According to Mason et al (2007), "The institutional environment supports the values that SEs are founded upon and influences the processes required to maintain the primacy of these values" (p. 292). Scholars have depicted the various isomorphic institutional pressures that SEs encounter in their institutionalization processes (DiMaggio & Powell, 1983;Huybrechts et al, 2014;Kerlin, 2017;Kerlin et al, 2021aKerlin et al, , 2021bMason et al, 2007).…”

Section: Legitimacy Of Social Enterprisesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When exposed to various institutional pressures, organizations need not passively accept them but can strategically respond to them (Kerlin et al, 2021b;Oliver, 1991;Scott, 1995). Scholars are particularly interested in the strategic responses of hybrid organizations that contain multiple, conflicting internal logics (Battilana & Lee, 2014).…”

Section: Legitimacy Of Social Enterprisesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Cross-Sector Support Help Social Enterprises in Legitimacy Building? The Mixed Effects in Hong Kong

Ma¹,

Kang

Feng

2022

J. Public Nonprof Aff.

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Cross-sector collaboration is widely considered beneficial for the sustainable development of social enterprises (SEs). This study provides a nuanced assessment of the impacts of cross-sector collaboration in supporting SE development (cross-sector support; CSS) by highlighting legitimacy building as the crucial goal for SEs in achieving sustainability. Studying Hong Kong, we examine the institutional pressures confronting SEs in their legitimacy building, their efforts to respond, and the role of CSS therein. Data from surveys and in-depth interviews show that the three key types of CSS—venture capital, operational, and promotional—have mixed effects on the efforts of SEs to cope with the various institutional pressures. Our findings suggest the necessity of an integrated blend of governance styles—a metagovernance approach—in shaping and guiding CSS of SEs and an approach that is sensitive to the plural, changing pressures in SE entrepreneurial processes to achieve financial sustainability as well as social legitimacy.

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Strategic responses of social enterprises to institutional pressures in China

Cited by 13 publications

References 34 publications

Organisational learning from failure and the needs-based hierarchy of project-based organisations

Organisational learning from failure and the needs-based hierarchy of project-based organisations

How Does Corporate Social Responsibility Affect Sustainability of Social Enterprises in Korea?

Can Cross-Sector Support Help Social Enterprises in Legitimacy Building? The Mixed Effects in Hong Kong

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