In the Centre of Attention: How Social Entrepreneurs Influence Organisational Reputation

Abstract

To enhance organisational reputation, entrepreneurs are frequently put in the centre of attention. Particularly social entrepreneurs, who combine pro-social and entrepreneurial identities, often represent their organisations. Yet, we know little about how the presentation of a leader influences organisational reputation. Results of a 2 × 2 × 2 pre-registered experiment indicate that a leader-centred communication barely influences the stakeholders’ perceptions. However, stakeholders have a significantly better perception of a social enterprise that presents a leader with salient society-oriented character traits (versus business-oriented character traits). This study contributes to social entrepreneurship and reputation research and reveals new insights for practice.