- 2015-03-09 (x)
- AIDS (Disease)--Prevention--South Africa (x)
- Sherman, David A. (x)
- Search results
Search results
Show moreSurvey data from 228 entrepreneurial social sector organizations was used to examine the factors that facilitate growth and organizational performance in the social sector. The study was designed to address the following core question: How are some entrepreneurial social sector organizations better able to grow and perform than others despite environmental challenges such as resource scarcity? Hypotheses were developed using resource-based theory, resource dependence theory, network theories, and goal theory. Structural equation modeling was used to test these hypotheses. The study adds to our understanding of the organization-level drivers of growth and organizational performance in the social sector. It introduces the construct of resourcing innovation which appears to be strongly relevant to the resource-scarce environment that characterizes the social sector. The findings are consistent with resource-based theory and highlight the importance of resources, capabilities and managerial services to achieving high levels of growth and organizational performance in the social sector. In addressing the core research question, the findings suggests that factors that enable some entrepreneurial social sector organizations to outgrow and outperform others include more aggressive goals, more innovative approaches to financial resourcing, and strong leadership that helps the organizations garner resources and successfully build important organization-level capabilities.
Doctorate of Management Programs
Show less
Show moreThis paper presents findings from an investigation of pattern-changing social entrepreneurs. We examined the efforts of fifteen entrepreneurs and sought to understand the factors that enable successful ones to scale their social impact. All the entrepreneurs were operating in capital constrained environments and scaling required overcoming funding constraints. The findings indicate that pattern-changing social entrepreneurs are more concerned with scaling their impact than with growing their enterprises. Hence, many were pursuing both direct scaling where they grew their own enterprises and indirect scaling where they pursued impact through influencing other organizations. Social entrepreneurship is not a linear process; rather it is one of discovery, evolution, growth, learning and reinforcement. Most of the entrepreneurs began with a unique and innovative idea and then “discovered” through trial and error how to build a successful enterprise. The findings indicate many similarities between social entrepreneurship and profit seeking entrepreneurship as characterized in the empirical literature. Key differences include implications of the social mission and resource acquisition for non-profit entrepreneurs. Successful entrepreneurs were able to build and access social and business networks in order to garner financial, human, and other resources. They then developed viable self-reinforcing resourcing and capability building approaches built on principles of value exchange with partners, funders, and customers. They delivered exceptional value to partners and key stakeholders providing satisfaction and building credibility and strong reputations. The most successful social entrepreneurs discovered innovative ways to improve the profitability and mission-focus of key activities and once they had refined their model, they focused their energies to exploit the opportunity and scale their impact. A critical success factor for scale was moving from individual-level skills to the building of core organizational-level competencies.
Doctorate of Management Programs
Show less
Show moreThis paper presents a conceptual model and research questions for qualitative research of pattern-changing social entrepreneurs who catalyze social transformations by introducing new paradigms at critical leverage points. The research will be conducted during the summer of 2005. The objective of the research is to understand the factors that enable successful pattern-changing social entrepreneurs in the nonprofit sector to scale their social impact. The results of the qualitative research will be used to inform the design of quantitative research to be conducted during 2006. The dependent variables or outputs of interest center around three concepts: changes in scale, social impact and financial sustainability. The qualitative research will be structured to clarify each of these concepts and identify specific and practical measures to be used in the quantitative research. Independent variables or initiating conditions serve as the starting point for the model. These include key attributes of the social entrepreneur (intense mission focus, ability to apply systematic management, and time management abilities) as well as strength of the entrepreneur’s social network. Mediating concepts represent the key areas of research interest and hypotheses regarding how entrepreneurs are able to use their key attributes and social networks to create large social impact. The mediating concepts are explored in this paper center around acquiring and deploying resources.
Doctorate of Management Programs
Show less