Research

We study organizations creating social or environmental impact in an entrepreneurial way.

In particular, we are conducting the following research projects:

Negotiating Organizational Identity in Pluralistic Organizations

Pluralistic - or hybrid - organizations such as nonprofits or social businesses are characterized by a set of competing organizational identity claims. We analyze, how do organizations discursively negotiate organizational identity? In a longitudinal interpretive case study, we investigate the discursive practices of identity negotiations in a large international children's rights organization.

Social Business Models

We study social business models in the German-speaking countries and analyze how social businesses adapt their business models to changing environments.

Dissertations

Concept of Social Enterprise in Germany (Henning Engelke)

In his dissertation, Henning Engelke focuses on the development of social enterprise in Germany. Thereby, he concentrates on societal, political and economical conditions influencing the concept. For his research, he uses the Delphi technique as well as qualitative research methods.

Entrepreneurial Orientation in the Context of Social Venture Creation (Kathrin Lurtz)

Social ventures have gained importance in the third sector, due to public budget cuts and the subsequent "marketization" of charitable organizations. So far, entrepreneurial activities of third sector organizations have mainly been studied on the individual level, focusing on the individual social entrepreneur and his start-up. This dissertation project is focusing on entrepreneurship on the organizational level in nonprofit organizations and investigates the role of entrepreneurial orientation in the founding process of a social venture.

Legitimation in Cross-Sector Social Partnerships (Dominik Rüede)

Partnerships between businesses and nonprofits have received increased attention in academia and practice during the last twenty years. This research analyzes the legitimation process of such a cross-sector social partnership (CSSP). The main research question is: "How do cross-sector social partnerships legitimize themselves over time?"

The motivation to do so results from growing demands of CSSP to justify themselves and the lack of research on this topic. The methodological approach is a qualitative case study design. Findings are expected to show the dynamics over time and the interplay of internal and external aspects.