How Social Entrepreneurs’ Inner Realities Shape Value Creation

Abstract

This paper empirically examines how social entrepreneurs’ inner realities – thoughts, feelings, self-awareness – shape the entrepreneurial value creation process. A qualitative research design was used to induce theory. Evidence shows social entrepreneurs engaged in practices that increased awareness of both positive and negative aspects of their inner realities. Positive aspects tended to enable generative value creation mechanisms and lead to positive social/environmental outcomes; negative aspects tended to interfere and lead to unintended negative outcomes. Key contributions include a fuller picture of the value creation process from multiple levels – individual, enterprise, wider environment – while considering social entrepreneurs’ exterior and interior dimensions.

Keywords:

• Social entrepreneurship
• social/environmental value creation process
• inner reality
• metacognition
• self-awareness
• self-regulation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability

The data supporting the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, Katrin Schaefer. The data are not publicly available due to restrictions. The data contain information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.

Additional information

Funding

The primary author received support for this work from Auckland University of Technology.

Notes on contributors

Katrin Schaefer

Katrin Schaefer gained her PhD from Auckland University of Technology in Auckland, New Zealand. She has previous degrees from her native Germany and her new home country, New Zealand, along with work experience promoting sustainability in business. Her current interest lies in the potential for coaching to enhance metacognition and to contribute to personal and societal transformational change.

Kate Kearins

Kate Kearins is Deputy Dean and Professor of Management at Auckland University of Technology in Auckland, New Zealand. Kate’s PhD is from the University of Waikato in New Zealand. She has published on a wide range of accounting and management topics. Her research is currently focussed on what it takes to advance sustainability in business and organisational contexts.

Patricia Doyle Corner

Patricia (Trish) Doyle Corner is a Full Professor at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan. She earned her PhD from Arizona State University in the USA and has published in top journals including Journal of Business Venturing, Entrepreneurship, Theory, and Practice, Organization Science, Journal of Business Ethics, International Small Business Journal, and Entrepreneurship Research Journal. Her current research interests include social and commercial entrepreneurship and advancing human knowledge.