Managing social enterprises during COVID 19 crisis. A dynamic capabilities approach
Author
Cano Serrano, Pilar
Publication date
2021-05-10Abstract
The purpose of this study is to provide deeper insights on the specific capabilities that enable Social Enterprises (SEs) to manage external threats. SEs face inherent tensions in their daily activities, when social and financial institutional demands of their business model
collide. In this sense, the management of these tensions can serve the company’s ability to generate novel, creative ideas, enable long-term organizational resilience and even foster some unique capabilities. To achieve the aim of this study dynamic capabilities framework was applied. Given the fact that this paper aims at understanding the inherent tensions, and the specific capabilities SE’s have to tackle them, a cross-case analysis was done of 5
Spanish Work Inclusion Social Enterprises (WISEs) that provide support, training, employment and social inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities and mental disorder. The exploratory research was conducted during the pandemic of COVID-19, that strongly
affected general Spanish healthcare system and economy, as well as the psychological health of Spanish general population. The chosen settings prompted to reveal unique insights because the survival mechanisms of WISEs in the COVID-19 crisis represent a great interest for both research and practitioners’ community. The results reveal that SE’s inherent hybrid tensions allow these entities to develop dynamic capabilities when dealing with the external threats. In this sense, to sustain the hybrid mission, they often employ organizational reconfiguration, through highly flexible structure, minimization of agency issues and continuous learning. They also widely use co-specialization, as they can benefit from strong inter-organizational links within the eco-system of social enterprises. This study contributes to the academic literature by detecting dynamic capabilities that are found in SEs, and how different they are from conventional enterprises. Finally, the study draws important managerial implications for both SEs and conventional firms.
Document Type
Project / Final year job or degree
Document version
Published version
Language
English
Subject (CDU)
331 - Labour. Employment. Work. Labour economics. Organization of labour.
Keywords
Inclusió laboral
Empresa social
Capacitats dinàmiques
Investigació qualitativa
Inclusión laboral
Empresa social
Capacidades dinámicas
Investigación cualitativa
Work inclusion
Social enterprise
Dynamic capabilities
Qualitative research
Pages
72
Publisher
Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- Grau en ADE [6]
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