Take a few minutes to reflect upon the following questions:

• Has your understanding of social entrepreneurship changed, and if so, how?
• Why do you think that social entrepreneurs and social enterprises are important?

You are encouraged to comment on our Learning Pathway Discussion Board.

After reviewing the content and learning activities for this Learning Pathway, you should:

• Understand the hybrid nature of social entrepreneurship and social enterprise
• Understand some challenges associated with managing hybrid objectives
• Identify the key environmental trends and drivers which have supported the rise of social entrepreneurship

In this Learning Pathway, we will be further drilling into one aspect of social entrepreneurship and social enterprise identified in the last Learning Pathway – the hybrid nature which falls at the core of their goals and activities. There is a growing focus within academia upon what it truly means to be a hybrid organisation, and what this may look like at an organisational level. It is recognised that the combination of two, often very conflicting value systems, can create many challenges for individuals and organisations. Some even consider the combination of two different institutional logics (or value systems that guide action) is in itself innovative.

Social enterprises have been referred to as the ideal type of hybrid organisation. In order to be sustainable, social enterprises must incorporate and balance contradictory organisational structures, cultures, practices, processes, goals and objectives associated with a traditional non-profit and for-profit organisational forms. As you can imagine, this at times can be very challenging. We cover these issues in greater depth in Lecture 3.

Lecture 3 – Slides: Managing multiple missions and hybridity

Readings:

• • Battilana et al. 2012 – In Search of the Hybrid Ideal

The below video will outline and explain what a hybrid organisation is, and how it relates to social entrepreneurship and social enterprise. While watching the video you should think about how hybrid organisation might impact on typical business practices in the future and how changing political view might impact on a social enterprise.

The video below considers the above questions and provides some insight into how an Australian social enterprise, Food Justice Truck experiences tensions relating to operating a hybrid organisation, and how they manage these tensions.