Social Enterprises and the Timing of Conception: Organizational Identity Tension, Management, and Marketing

Abstract

Abstract Nonprofit organizations that engage in social enterprises can have difficulty reconciling the social service and business identities of their organization. In this exploratory qualitative interview study, we examine how social enterprises affect this organizational identity tension and how executive directors of nonprofits manage these multiple identities. Findings suggest that identity tension varied dependent upon the timing of conception of the social enterprise. Nonprofit leaders used different approaches to identity management and identity marketing for social enterprises: after conception and social enterprises: at conception. Initial guidance is provided about how nonprofits engaged in social enterprises can manage identity tension issues. Keywords: social entrepreneurshipsocial enterpriseorganizational identityorganizational impression managementnonprofit marketing We would like to thank the Center for Social Entrepreneurship and the Farmer School of Business at Miami University for providing funding to make this research possible. Notes 1. In order to maintain confidentiality of interviews and yet convey information about the interviewees, we use a numbering system. For each quote, we provide the interviewee number, gender and type of social enterprise.