The doings of social entrepreneuring : Processes and practices of social venturing with public collaboration

Abstract

Collaboration plays a vital role in social venturing in terms of resourcing, social venture development and increased social impact. Hence, what do social entrepreneurs do when they enact collaboration? Taking social venture-public collaboration as an empirical context, the thesis draws attention to the “doing” of social entrepreneuring by scrutinising the processes and practices through which social entrepreneurs enact public collaboration when resourcing social ventures and enabling public services to change. To address this, the study draws on two longitudinal case studies of social ventures in Norway and explores the processes and practices as they unfold and are experienced in real-time. The thesis consists of an extended cover essay (“kappe”) and four independent research papers that address a number of issues related to entrepreneurial “doing” for collaboration in ambiguous environments. ​The thesis challenges the individualised discourses of entrepreneurship by emphasising the importance of others in social entrepreneuring. As the resourcing and changing of public services is a collective endeavour, the findings underline the collective dimensions of social entrepreneuring. Approaching entrepreneurial “doing” from the practice ontology draws attention to the relational dynamics of entrepreneurial activities and practices, thereby stressing the importance of the mutual interpersonal relationships and surroundings within an entrepreneur's immediate practice. The thesis furthers our understanding of how social entrepreneurs weave new relations into collaboration by engaging in the specific practices and processes. It also extends our understanding of alternative investing by theorising it as brokering. In particular, the thesis points to the important role of social investors in enacting public collaboration, and thereby facilitating social venturing. Lastly, the thesis theorises on the powerful role of emotions as part of the entrepreneurial resourcing repertoire.​​

The doings of social entrepreneuring: Processes and practices of social venturing with public collaboration