A process-based view of social entrepreneurship: From opportunity identification to scaling-up social change in the case of San Patrignano

Abstract

The assumption of a strong connection between entrepreneurship and economic growth has led to the neglect of entrepreneurial processes in the social sectors. Based on the findings of an in-depth longitudinal case study, our article focuses on social entrepreneurship (SE) processes designed to exploit innovation that explicitly addresses complex social problems. We elaborate on the characteristics of the process and on the dimensions intervening on how social entrepreneurial opportunities are identified, evaluated, exploited and scaled up. We provide a process-based view of SE, suggesting the need for consistency between individual, organizational and contextual elements.

Keywords:

• social entrepreneurship
• entrepreneurial process
• social innovation
• intervening dimensions

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the San Patrignano Community for the support to the data collection. The participants at the 2008 Academy of Management Annual Meeting, held in Anaheim, California, 8–13 August, are gratefully acknowledged for their comments. The authors also thank Tina Dacin and the participants at the first workshop on social entrepreneurship held in April 2008 at the Queen's School of Business for their advice and comments. Finally, the authors thank the editors and the anonymous reviewers for their insightful suggestions.

Notes

Note

1. Mission statement: www.sanpatrignano.org