Sustainability of social economy organizations (SEOs): An analysis of the conditions for surviving and thriving

Social economy organizations (SEOs), designed to do good for society, have been attracting significant attention as an alternative to purely profit-driven businesses. However, the sustainability of these hybrid organizations has been questioned due to the challenges in meeting the dual bottom-lines...

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Published inThe Social science journal (Fort Collins) Vol. ahead-of-print; no. ahead-of-print; pp. 1 - 17
Main Authors Kim, Daewook, Cho, Wonhyuk, Allen, Barbara
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Routledge 02.01.2024
Subjects
Social economy organization
social enterprises
sustainability
third sector
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Summary:Social economy organizations (SEOs), designed to do good for society, have been attracting significant attention as an alternative to purely profit-driven businesses. However, the sustainability of these hybrid organizations has been questioned due to the challenges in meeting the dual bottom-lines of financial performance and social purpose. This article takes a causal-process tracing (CPT) case study approach and analyzes eight SEOs to investigate the common characteristics of sustainable SEOs. The results of the analysis show that effective leadership is a sufficient (but not necessary) condition for the survival of SEOs, while leadership is a necessary (but not sufficient) condition for SEOs' thriving. Business competitiveness is found to be necessary for SEOs' long-term success and performance over time. Collaborative networking is a contributory condition for SEOs thriving but not a necessary condition for their survival.
ISSN:0362-3319
1873-5355
DOI:10.1080/03623319.2020.1799174