Abstract
On top of the well-known dilemma of social enterprises as hybrid organizations, the form in which they struggle to balance business viability and the fulfillment of social missions, faith-based social enterprises have an added dimension: their spirituality manifested as organizational culture and practices based on their spiritual values and mission to spread their faith. By employing critical realist institutional logics and an identity-based and biographical approach to social entrepreneurship, this study identifies a typology of different hybrid forms of Christian social enterprises in Cambodia and the tensions associated with them. Moreover, this study explores how and why their social entrepreneurs have created and sustained such forms. I analyzed the qualitative data of 12 Christian social enterprises mainly from interviews with their entrepreneurs. Broadly speaking, the analysis revealed that the hybrid forms of these enterprises depend on the entrepreneurs’ agency, which is influenced by their biographies and contexts. Particularly, in addition to the entrepreneurs’ possession and enactment of multiple identities, boards of directors (as part of the context) and their accountability pressures are crucial for Christian social enterprises to achieve the triple bottom line of business viability, social missions, and spiritual outcomes.
Highlights
Possession and enactment of multiple identities, boards of directors and their accountability pressures are crucial for Christian social enterprises to achieve the triple bottom line of business viability, social missions, and spiritual outcomes
Business as Mission (BAM) is an emerging concept and practice in the evangelical Protestant Christian circle that resonates with this endeavor. ? (?) defined BAM as “a for-profit business venture that is Christian led, intentionally devoted to being used as an instrument of God’s mission to the world, and is operated in a cross-cultural environment, either domestic or international” (p. 297)
“social enterprise,” the mixed commercial entrepreneurs were in congruence with “socially responsible business,” and the single-minded social welfare and spiritual entrepreneurs were in harmony with “nonprofit with income-generating activities.”8
Summary
Some faith-based social enterprises from various faith backgrounds have tried reconciling their business viability, social missions, and spirituality one way or another. (?) highlighted that BAM tries fulfilling the triple bottom line: financial (i.e., business viability), social (i.e., social missions), and spiritual outcomes (i.e., Christian spirituality). The specific tenet of Christianity that drives social missions is holistic missions that reconcile individuals and societies intentionally and holistically back to God by meeting the multidimensional needs (e.g., emotional and physical) of people and transforming societies (e.g., government institutions and private companies) for the better (?; ?; ?). The explicit ones may include Bible study, corporate prayer meetings, needs (e.g., emotional and physical) of people and transforming societies (e.g., government institutions and private companies) for the better (Albright et al 2014; Gort and Tunehag 2018; Rundle 2012).
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