Abstract
Environmental social enterprises often face the challenge of aligning diverse goals impacting their environmental, social, and economic outcomes. This research challenges the common belief that conflicts arising from these goals are inherently harmful, suggesting instead that such tensions can drive creativity and innovation, benefiting these organizations. The study reviews existing literature on the organizational impacts of environmental and social enterprises, considering both positive and negative consequences of goal-related conflicts. Drawing insights from corporate sustainability and social entrepreneurship, the research acknowledges the limited empirical evidence in environmental social entrepreneurship. Using qualitative methods, particularly in-depth interviews with key individuals in these enterprises, the research aimed to uncover the outcomes of goal-related tensions. The findings highlight the need to strike a delicate balance among competing objectives for sustainability and effectiveness in mission-driven ventures. Additionally, the research reveals the untapped potential of goal-related conflicts to drive creativity and innovation, positively influencing the social enterprise landscape. These insights have practical implications for practitioners, policymakers, and scholars in social entrepreneurship, emphasizing the constructive role of inherent tensions within these organizations.
Presenters
Matshediso MohapeloaAcademic, Business School, Rhodes University Faculty of Commerce, Eastern Cape, South Africa
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Tensions, Environmental, Social
