Organizing for Hybridity: The Role of Self-Interest Motivations in Social Venture Creation

Abstract

Prior research has emphasized entrepreneurs’ prosocial motivation as a trigger for social entrepreneurial action. However, social entrepreneurs also possess self-interest motivations which can impact new social venture creation and the organizing for hybridity with regard to social and economic logics. We report on the findings of an inductive study drawing on interviews with 52 nascent social entrepreneurs and secondary data to explore their motivation and organizing for hybridity. First, we identify specific types of self-interest motivations. Second, we develop a process model of how these self-interest motivations manifest in distinct venture missions that lead to dynamic hybrid organizing. We provide a novel understanding of (1) the role of self-interest motivations in social venture creation, (2) the interplay of individual motivations and venture-level outcomes, and (3) the dynamic development of social ventures’ hybrid organizing.