Understanding Social Impact and Value Creation in Hybrid Organizations: The Case of Italian Civil Service

Paolo Esposito,Chiara Fantauzzi,Valerio Brescia,Rocco Frondizi

doi:10.3390/su13074058

Paolo Esposito, Chiara Fantauzzi + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su13074058

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Abstract

The aim of this paper is twofold: first, it aims to analyze what kind of value is generated by hybrid organizations and how; second, it aims to understand the role of social impact assessment (SIA) in the measurement of added value, especially in terms of social and economic change generated by hybrids. Hybrid organizations are a debated topic in literature and have different strengths in responding to needs, mainly in the public interest. Nevertheless, there are not many studies that identify the impact and change generated by these organizations. After highlighting the gap in the literature, the study proposes an innovative approach that combines SIA, interview, interventionist approach and documental analysis. The breakdown of SIA through the five elements of the value chain (inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, and impact) guarantees a linear definition of the value generated through change with procedural objectivity capable of grasping hybrid organizations’ complexity. The value generated or absorbed is the change generated by the impact measured based on the incidence of public resources allocated. Through the SIA and counterfactual approach, the civil service case study analysis highlights how the value generated by public resources can be measured or more clearly displayed in the measurement process itself.

Highlights

Academics have been debating the definition and outcome of hybrid organizations [1].In the literature, there are three classic forms of hybrid organizations: hybrid public companies formed by subsidiaries and investee companies, social cooperatives to which the public provides a mandate for achieving specific objectives and social enterprises [2,3].the classical forms of hybrid organization are added to other more complex forms and have not yet been studied in the literature
The evidence provided by this case study analysis highlights how the social impact assessment and the breakdown into five phases of the analysis guarantees a real ability to determine and map the change up to the evaluation of the value generated through the quantification and qualification of social impact [25,26]
Through theory and case study, the study highlights that hybrid organizations generate social and economic value thanks to the change generated by the activities carried out

Summary

Introduction

Academics have been debating the definition and outcome of hybrid organizations [1].In the literature, there are three classic forms of hybrid organizations: hybrid public companies formed by subsidiaries and investee companies, social cooperatives to which the public provides a mandate for achieving specific objectives and social enterprises [2,3].the classical forms of hybrid organization are added to other more complex forms and have not yet been studied in the literature. There are three classic forms of hybrid organizations: hybrid public companies formed by subsidiaries and investee companies, social cooperatives to which the public provides a mandate for achieving specific objectives and social enterprises [2,3]. An example is given by those third sector organizations that receive public funds, where the public sector is a partner in specific activities and in some cases involves the private sector to achieve shared social objectives. In these cases, the interest in the project’s impact and the value created become recurring themes of interest for the new organizational forms created.

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