The goal of the present work is to explore characteristics of social enterprises that are developing across 11 European countries. We explore factors that influence their development and identify the characteristics of enabling eco-system, with particular focus to see if there is a ‘’new type’’ of social enterprises sprouting and could new spices be recognized as heralds of new organizational forms evolving in this type of organizations. We explored organizational characteristics, forms of diffusion and identity-based specificities that contribute to shaping the “galaxy” of New Generation Social Enterprises (NGSEs) in Europe. We implemented a complex research design built both on qualitative and quantitative methodologies. As a result, more than 1,500 social entrepreneurs and stakeholders have been involved in the research activities during these three years. We have evaluated 10 potential factors that could reasonable influence growth of social enterprise. Lack of funds, Bureaucracy, Lack of knowledge on how to get resources and Poor marketing skills - grew out as the most important factors that constrain development and growth of social enterprises. Social enterprises face numerous challenges, but their relative importance changes through their life cycle. As from our research, initial phase of the development (0-6 months) is mostly weighted by the bureaucracy, lack of government funding, limited public awareness of your organization, difficulties recruiting employees and low skills and experience of employees. Thinking about the future, SEs across 11 European countries anticipate lack of government funding, bureaucracy, competition with for-profit business, difficulties participating in public tenders and difficulties getting funds from private sources as the most important factors influencing their business. On the basis of the transversal analysis of the 55 case studies carried out in the various target countries – Italy, Sweden, England, Poland, Scotland, Serbia, Albania, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Austria – we cannot unequivocally claim that a “new generation” of social enterprise, different and independent from the previous ones, actually exists. Instead, our empirical evidence allows us to state that there exists a broad new-generation sphere for social enterprise. It is a hybrid space, a space that hosts many heterogeneous entities and brings together new and old actors who adopt approaches, languages, work styles and tools which (considered all together) attest to a significant renewal in ways of doing social enterprise. This space is not “young” in and of itself, nor it is a stage only reserved for “emerging” groups from the world of so- called socially-oriented start-ups.

How It Looks Like If You Dare To Care: Exploration Of Trends In Organization And Functioning Of Social Enterprises Across 11 European Countries / Ana Aleksić Mirić, Marco Bellucci, Mara Bernadusi, Marina Petrović, Rosario Sapienza,. - ELETTRONICO. - (2018), pp. 1-20. (Intervento presentato al convegno Journal Of Organization Design Conference: New Trends In Organization Design tenutosi a Sønderborg, Denmark nel 29-31 May 2018).

How It Looks Like If You Dare To Care: Exploration Of Trends In Organization And Functioning Of Social Enterprises Across 11 European Countries

Marco Bellucci;SAPIENZA, ROSARIO
2018

Abstract

The goal of the present work is to explore characteristics of social enterprises that are developing across 11 European countries. We explore factors that influence their development and identify the characteristics of enabling eco-system, with particular focus to see if there is a ‘’new type’’ of social enterprises sprouting and could new spices be recognized as heralds of new organizational forms evolving in this type of organizations. We explored organizational characteristics, forms of diffusion and identity-based specificities that contribute to shaping the “galaxy” of New Generation Social Enterprises (NGSEs) in Europe. We implemented a complex research design built both on qualitative and quantitative methodologies. As a result, more than 1,500 social entrepreneurs and stakeholders have been involved in the research activities during these three years. We have evaluated 10 potential factors that could reasonable influence growth of social enterprise. Lack of funds, Bureaucracy, Lack of knowledge on how to get resources and Poor marketing skills - grew out as the most important factors that constrain development and growth of social enterprises. Social enterprises face numerous challenges, but their relative importance changes through their life cycle. As from our research, initial phase of the development (0-6 months) is mostly weighted by the bureaucracy, lack of government funding, limited public awareness of your organization, difficulties recruiting employees and low skills and experience of employees. Thinking about the future, SEs across 11 European countries anticipate lack of government funding, bureaucracy, competition with for-profit business, difficulties participating in public tenders and difficulties getting funds from private sources as the most important factors influencing their business. On the basis of the transversal analysis of the 55 case studies carried out in the various target countries – Italy, Sweden, England, Poland, Scotland, Serbia, Albania, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Austria – we cannot unequivocally claim that a “new generation” of social enterprise, different and independent from the previous ones, actually exists. Instead, our empirical evidence allows us to state that there exists a broad new-generation sphere for social enterprise. It is a hybrid space, a space that hosts many heterogeneous entities and brings together new and old actors who adopt approaches, languages, work styles and tools which (considered all together) attest to a significant renewal in ways of doing social enterprise. This space is not “young” in and of itself, nor it is a stage only reserved for “emerging” groups from the world of so- called socially-oriented start-ups.
2018
Journal Of Organization Design Conference
Journal Of Organization Design Conference: New Trends In Organization Design
Sønderborg, Denmark
29-31 May 2018
Ana Aleksić Mirić, Marco Bellucci, Mara Bernadusi, Marina Petrović, Rosario Sapienza,
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Utilizza questo identificatore per citare o creare un link a questa risorsa: https://hdl.handle.net/2158/1129271
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