What Barriers Prevent Social Enterprises from Implementing Innovation?

Abstract

Social entrepreneurship is characterised by a high degree of creativity and innovation, not only in technical terms but also in relation to management-social aspects. Social innovation is essential for the economic and social development of society. Social innovation is a relatively old phenomenon, but it has been brought to the forefront of attention and discussion only in recent years. In the Czech Republic, the implementation of social innovation is supported by projects from the European Social Fund, as well as the development of social enterprises. Social enterprises are nowadays regarded as some of the most typical representatives of social innovation. The aim of the paper is to answer the question about what prevents social enterprises from making changes that are innovative. If companies make changes, what are the main reasons for innovation and the benefits of these innovations for social enterprises? The survey was carried out on a sample of social enterprises in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The questionnaire survey showed that social enterprises are forced to innovate in order to maintain their competitiveness on the market while retaining the interest of their customers. It is obvious that in the Czech Republic the government conception of social entrepreneurship and legislative definition of the social business that would direct the formation and development of social businesses in the long-term are missing.