New doctoral thesis - what makes social entrepreneurial organisations successful?
Facilitate knowledge sharing, promote open communication and value meaningful creation! A new thesis at Stockholm University has examined what it takes for social entrepreneurial organisations to be successful.
In his thesis, Morteza Eslahchi focuses on collective learning in social entrepreneurial organisations. He has investigated how members of different organisations jointly learn, share their knowledge and experience to promote the success of the organisation. His overarching message for those who want to succeed with their social entrepreneurship is clear.
–Crafting a culture that facilitate knowledge sharing, promotes transparent communication, and values meaningful participation is nonnegotiable. Such a culture does not just respond to change, it anticipates it, fostering a fertile ground for innovation and sustained learning, says Morteza Eslahchi.
About the study
His research has been published in the form of three scientific articles:
- One of the articles deals with how the founders of five social entrepreneurial organisations developed their ideas and created organisations.
- Another article looks at how the members of an organisation collectively learned to adapt to prevailing situations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The third article focuses on the role of leadership in collective learning.
Specific implications can be derived from his research. Some examples:
Evolutionary Growth - For potential social entrepreneurs, understanding that establishing a social entrepreneurial organisation is not an instantaneous event, but rather a continuous learning process is crucial.
Utilising Collective Learning - organisations thrive when they foster an environment of collective learning. Embracing collective learning can significantly bolster adaptability, resilience, and innovation, especially in challenging times, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inclusive Approach to Change - Traditional top-down models of organisational change often face resistance. For a smoother transition, practitioners should adopt a bottom-up approach, incorporating insights and feedback from all team members. This approach often leads to more effective and efficient solutions, tapping into the collective intelligence of the team.
Incorporate Feedback Loops - Incorporating regular feedback mechanisms allows for real-time adjustments, ensuring that the organisation remains agile and responsive to both internal and external shifts.
Usefulness of the research
Morteza emphasises that the study covers an existing knowledge gap by specifically focusing on the Swedish context and that it offers insights for researchers, practitioners and policy makers in the field of social entrepreneurship.
-My hope is that people who are active in social entrepreneurial organisations can draw inspiration from this study on how to create organisational conditions that promote collective learning, he concludes.
Social entrepreneurship
Social entrepreneurship is about finding innovative solutions to societal problems.
It is characterised by intention - success is not measured in terms of financial gain, but in terms of benefit to society. Or how much the idea has contributed to solving the problem.
Link to the thesis in full text
Link to the project´s webpage
Learning Together, Leading Change: Collective Learning in Social Entrepreneurial Organisations
Last updated: December 19, 2023
Source: IPD