Ashoka Fellows Research Articles

Disentangling tech-enabled system change in social enterprises: an empirical exploration of Ashoka fellows

Disentangling tech-enabled system change in social enterprises: an empirical exploration of Ashoka fellows

Effect of team coaching on collaborative value within ashoka fellows' organizations in Africa

The striking of the Covid-19 pandemic, defined by an economic slump, has created an emergency asthe capacity of government and nonprofit services to support communities have been stretched close tobreaking point. Team coaching enables teams to collaboratively co-create structures and processesthat support the needs of organizations. Team coaching has accentuated team productivity, improvedengagement levels, and helped reach commonly accepted team goals as a collective strategic practice.Explanatory sequential mixed-method research design consisting of two distinct phases, namelyquantitative and qualitative approaches, was adopted. The target population constituted 154 AshokaFellows organizations working in 19 countries in Africa. Quantitative data was collected usingstructured questionnaires via an online survey, while qualitative data was collected using interviewguides via Zoom. The collected data were analyzed using SmartPLS software for Structural EquationModeling (SEM) as well as Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The study findingsindicated a significant P-value of 0.012. It was further observed that team coaching accounted for29.2% of the variation in collaborative value. Coaching teams should be encouraged to unleash teams'potential to solve problems and form alignment between how they work, deliver, and their continueddevelopment over time as it creates new insights and awareness and translates the latest insights intomeaningful actions.

The Mediating Effect of Intra-Organizational Social Capital on the Relationship between Team Leadership and Collaborative Value among Ashoka Fellows’ Organizations in Africa

Purpose: The study sought to determine the mediating effect of intra-organizational social capital on the relationship between team leadership and collaborative value among Ashoka fellows’ organizations in Africa
 Methodology: The study applied pragmatism philosophy to offer several ways to bridge dichotomies in mixed methods approaches to social science. Explanatory sequential mixed-method research design consisting of two distinct phases, namely quantitative and qualitative, was adopted. Both qualitative and quantitative study methods were adopted. In the quantitative study, the target population constituted all the 154 Ashoka Fellows' Organizations working in 19 countries in Africa. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire administered online to the founders (Ashoka Fellows) or the Ashoka Fellows' Organizations' CEOs. One hundred responded by filling out the questionnaire, which translated to a 64.9% response rate. Additionally, qualitative data applied purposive sampling and selected six Ashoka regional team leaders in Africa for in-depth interviews. They all were available for the interviews translating to a 100% response rate. Data analysis techniques combined descriptive and inferential statistics. Statistical Package for Social Sciences and SmartPLS 3 software were used to analyze the collected data.
 Findings: Results revealed that Intra-organizational Social Capital (IOSC) mediates the relationship between team leadership and collaborative value. Before IOSC mediation, team leadership accounted for 34.1% of collaborative value, with an R2 = 0.341, chi-square X2 (10, N=100) = 99.274, p<.05, SRMR=0.096, Rms-theta = 0.227, and NFI=0.745. After IOSC mediation team leadership accounted for 37.1% of collaborative value, with an R2 = 0.371, chi-square X2 (10, N=100) = 152.934, p<.05, SRMR=0.100. Rms-theta = 0.207 and NFI= 0.707. The null hypothesis was rejected.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Based on this finding, further research could be a study investigating how teams build their social capital and how intra-organizational social capital can be enhanced to improve teams’ performance. Another recommended study should empirically examine the link between team leadership and collaborative value in other sectors such as private sector organizations and public organizations as well as other regions like Europe or Asia.

Influence of Team Information Sharing on Collaborative Value Within Ashoka Fellows' Organizations in Africa

Purpose: The study sought to determine the influence of team information sharing on collaborative value within Ashoka Fellows' Organizations in Africa
 Methodology: The study applied pragmatism philosophy to offer several ways to bridge dichotomies in mixed methods approaches to social science. Explanatory sequential mixed-method research design consisting of two distinct phases, namely quantitative and qualitative, was adopted. Both qualitative and quantitative study methods were adopted. In the quantitative study, the target population constituted all the 154 Ashoka Fellows' Organizations working in 19 countries in Africa. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire administered online to the founders (Ashoka Fellows) or the Ashoka Fellows' Organizations' CEOs. One hundred responded by filling out the questionnaire, which translated to a 64.9% response rate. Additionally, qualitative data applied purposive sampling and selected six Ashoka regional team leaders in Africa for in-depth interviews. They all were available for the interviews translating to a 100% response rate. Data analysis techniques combined descriptive and inferential statistics. Statistical Package for Social Sciences and SmartPLS 3 software were used to analyze the collected data.
 Findings: Results revealed that the results confirm that team information sharing significantly influences collaborative value within Ashoka Fellows’ Organizations in Africa. Team Information Sharing has a significant influence on collaborative value witn an R2 = 0.300, chi-square X2 (10, N=100) = 63.010, p<.05, SRMR=0.088, Rms-theta=0.224 and NFI=0.805. The null hypothesis was rejected.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study recommends that Team members should ensure the team's information exchange is of good quality as the quality of information sharing that develops collaboration must go beyond necessary factual information to a point where team members can transfer their unique understanding. Also, team members should be willing to share information and engage in sequences of interpretation sharing to build on each other's interpretations and collectively make sense. Teams should embrace timely information sharing, which is critical for collaborative value and the use of technology. To ensure quality and timeliness of information shared, teams should consider both investments in information systems as sharing appropriate information allows the linkage of internal and external knowledge sources by facilitating information flow and providing effective data retrieval mechanisms

Influence of Team Negotiations on Collaborative Value within Ashoka Fellows' Organizations in Africa

Purpose: The study sought to determine the influence of team negotiations on collaborative value within Ashoka Fellows' Organizations in Africa
 Methodology: The study applied pragmatism philosophy to offer several ways to bridge dichotomies in mixed methods approaches to social science. Explanatory sequential mixed-method research design consisting of two distinct phases, namely quantitative and qualitative, was adopted. Both qualitative and quantitative study methods were adopted. In the quantitative study, the target population constituted all the 154 Ashoka Fellows' Organizations working in 19 countries in Africa. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire administered online to the founders (Ashoka Fellows) or the Ashoka Fellows' Organizations' CEOs. One hundred responded by filling out the questionnaire, which translated to a 64.9% response rate. Additionally, qualitative data applied purposive sampling and selected six Ashoka regional team leaders in Africa for in-depth interviews. They all were available for the interviews translating to a 100% response rate. Data analysis techniques combined descriptive and inferential statistics. Statistical Package for Social Sciences and SmartPLS 3 software were used to analyze the collected data.
 Findings: The study results revealed that team negotiation significantly influences collaborative value within Ashoka Fellows’ Organizations in Africa. Team Negotiations have a significant influence on collaborative value with an R2 = 0.214, chi-square X2 (10, N=100) = 72.319, p<.05, SRMR=0.090, Rms-theta=0.234, and NFI=0.773. The null hypothesis was rejected.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study recommends that negotiating teams should ensure that they know as much as possible about the other side of the negotiation. The teams' perception is vital in the negotiating team's preparedness as they should be aware of what is necessary at every stage of the negotiating process. When negotiating, the focus should be on looking for alternative ways of dealing with the problem before finding a solution that satisfies all members. The evaluation of options during team negotiations should be objective. At large, the negotiating teams should ensure that all members feel comfortable with the solution to the problem raised before making the steps to implement the solution.
 

Team goal-setting and collaborative value within Ashoka fellows' organizations in Africa: The mediating role of intra-organizational social capita

Since the Ashoka mission is Everyone a Changemaker, the assumption is that Ashoka Fellows’organizations in Africa are setting goals that contribute to transformative solutions for Africa.Therefore, a study of 154 Ashoka Fellows organizations working in 19 countries in Africa was carriedout to investigate the effect of team goal-setting on collaborative value. Data was collected using astructured questionnaire and in-depth interviews and analysed through a combined descriptive andinferential statistics. The study's specific elements addressed on team goal setting were clarity,commitment, and capacity of team members. The path analysis confirmed a positive relationship witha P-value of 8.6% between Team Goal Setting and Collaborative Value. Further, intra-organizationalsocial capital significantly mediates the relationship between team goal-setting and collaborative valuewith a P-value of 24.5%. Teams need to adapt social capital to support the team members in their abilityto interact, experiment, and achieve common goals, strengthening the team members’ shared sense ofpurpose and understanding of who they are as a collective.

Influence of Team Conflicts on Collaborative Value within Ashoka Fellows' Organizations in Africa

Team conflicts result from an incompatible interaction among team members due to real or perceived differences, and its effect varies with fundamental aspects of the group setting. This study investigated how both relationship and task conflicts impacted how the Ashoka team members interacted within and with other teams as collaboration is crucial in today's interconnected world, where many new organizational forms, such as strategic alliances, public-private partnerships, and networks, are necessary The study also confirmed that team conflicts have a significant effect on collaborative value. Also confirmed is that Intra-organizational social capital is a significant mediator between team conflicts and collaborative value. A unit change in Team Conflicts significantly changes Collaborative Value within Ashoka Fellow Organizations in Africa by 33.6 % after mediation, an increase of 9.8%. Since conflicts are common in teams, the study recommends that team leadership incorporates intra-organization social capital to increase their collaborative value

Exploring the motivation of social entrepreneurs in creating successful social enterprises in East Africa

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the motivations of social entrepreneurs in East Africa to create a social enterprise and their identified links to successful social entrepreneurship in East Africa.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employed a qualitative method by performing thematic analysis on a set of interviews on social entrepreneurs from East Africa who are Ashoka fellows.FindingsThe findings suggest that intense personal experiences linked to past-life events as well as a high achievement orientation towards improving livelihoods and creating impact serve as key triggers for social entrepreneurship. Successful entrepreneurship focusses on system change at national and local levels. Their success is also seen when the social entrepreneurs have achieved their mission and are no longer needed; thus, they become irrelevant. The paper discusses the implications of these findings on the model used for sustainable social entrepreneurship in East Africa.Practical implicationsBased on an exploratory research on Ashoka fellows, the study adds insight to their motivations and success which can be used in a wider scale study of the same.Originality/valueThe authors advance the scarce empirical research on East African social entrepreneurs, link success factors of social entrepreneurship to a recent framework on motivation to engage in social entrepreneurship and stimulate further research in the area. The study contributes to the literature on social entrepreneurship by linking success factors of social entrepreneurship to a recent framework on motivation to engage in social entrepreneurship.

How do social entrepreneurs develop technological innovation?

PurposeThe present study attempts to analyze how social entrepreneurs (SEs) develop technological innovation in the face of diverse institutional logics, which are embedded in the National Systems of Innovation (NSI).Design/methodology/approachBased on the content analysis of Ashoka Fellows, the study compares SEs in developed and developing countries, which represent strong versus weak NSIs.FindingsSEs selectively couple the elements of diverse institutional logics to ensure the resource inflow and legitimacy of their operations. However, SEs particularly at weak NSIs are also decoupling their profit and non-for-profit branches to address conflict among diverse logics. Moreover, the study finds that 12 out of 20 entrepreneurs who identify themselves as technologically innovative did not develop any new technological innovation.Practical implicationsThe study shows that being technologically innovative depends on the acquisition of resources and the management of legitimacy challenges, SEs can diversify their innovations by creating more incremental, architectural and modular innovations to address competing demands among logics.Social implicationsThe study reveals that SEs in weak NSIs interact with multiple institutional logics more frequently than their counterparts in strong NSIs. Although this context leads them to diversify their technological innovation, there is a need for improving the NSIs of SEs in developing countries to facilitate the continuity of resource inflow and ensure the legitimacy of their operations.Originality/valueIntegrating two complementary theoretical lenses, the study contributes to the literature by exploring the impact of the interaction between logics nested within a supra system and SEs’ ability to develop technological innovation.

Social Entrepreneurship as Mechanisms for Social Transformation and Social Impact in East Africa An Exploratory Case Study Perspective

This study provides an analysis of 10 cases of social entrepreneurs who are also current Ashoka fellows and operate within the East African region. The article suggests characteristics associated with social enterprises, particularly those that lead to significant changes in the social, economic and political contexts for poor and marginalised groups. It generates propositions about fundamental innovations, leadership and operation, and scaling up in social enterprises that produces sustainable impact. The article concludes with a discussion on the implications for social entrepreneurial practice, research, and continuous development.

Integrating social enterprise and social marketing with shadow framework

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to argue for an integrative model of social enterprises (SE) and social marketing (SM) to usher in desirable change, instead of the currently adopted either/or approach. We offer the shadow framework to integrate these two paradigms in the context of peace-building organizations.Design/methodology/approachUsing purposive sampling strategy, 19 cases of peacebuilding initiatives were identified and reviewed from secondary sources. Ashoka Fellows working in the domain of peacebuilding, along with a few other exemplary cases across the globe were considered.FindingsWe found an emerging typology of three forms in the organizational responses to peacebuilding initiatives: (a) pure charity-driven work, (b) dual structure of charity plus business enterprises, and (c) social enterprises with distinct revenue model.Research limitations/implicationsBuilding upon previous theoretical research, we find a lot of merit in SEs adopting the SM toolkit. We contribute to theory building by showing the interaction between paradox theory and stakeholder marketing in the context of SEs dealing with wicked problems such as peacebuilding. Consequently, we propose a shadow social marketing (SSM) model that would camouflage the real offering of peace through an apparent offering that would be non-controversial in nature and result in moderate-importance small wins for the multiple stakeholders involved with conflicting interests.Practical implicationsFrom a managerial perspective, chances of success of the desired social change increases by complementing the efforts of SEs through the SM toolkit. Organizationally, although all the three forms of peacebuilding initiatives can benefit from systematic usage of the SSM, they need to reframe their efforts toward those that are not pro-peace, rather than preach to the converted. Consequently, the answer may lie in efforts at building cultural sensitivity to promote entrepreneurship amongst such target groups amongst such target groups in conflicting communities, with an organizational form that successfully marries SEs and SM.Originality/valueThough previous scholarship mentions the need for finding complementarities between social marketing objectives and social enterprise missions, no paper yet has suggested a roadmap for achieving it. This paper highlights an integrative plan that, in this specific case of peacebuilding initiatives, or social enterprises in general, can leverage to evolve better organizational practices, improve financial sustainability and measurable impact to effect the desired social change.

Chandra Shekhar Ghosh: founding Bandhan

Learning outcomes To understand social entrepreneurship and a social entrepreneur; to identify a social problem and develop a business idea; to understand the theory of entrepreneurial opportunity recognition; and to understand microfinance and its impact in the lives of the poor. Case overview/synopsis The case traces the journey of its founder Chandra Shekhar Ghosh from being a small time entrepreneur in microfinance to being the owner of a universal bank named Bandhan. Bandhan bank started its operations on August 23, 2015 with 501 branches, 2022 service center and 50 ATMs across 24 states. It had 14.3 million accounts, around 105 billion loan book and 19,500 employees. The founder of Bandhan bank, Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, an Ashoka fellow had won numerous awards such as Entrepreneur with Social Impact Award by Forbes (2014), Entrepreneur of the Year by Economic Times (2014), Skoch Financial Inclusion Award (2011), Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2014) by AIMA to name a few. In 2014, Bandhan was also recognized as Global Growth Company by World Economic Forum. Complexity academic level The case is suitable for analysis in a MBA level course on social entrepreneurship. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Understanding the emergence of social entrepreneurial action in healthcare

In the context of increasing public demand on high-quality and accessible care, and predictions of unmanageable costs in healthcare provision, social entrepreneurship holds the promise of making a cost-effective, social impact in healthcare. Although research in the field is rapidly increasing, the process of social entrepreneurial action is poorly understood. This paper hopes to contribute to our understanding of the emergence of social entrepreneurial action in healthcare by conducting an exploratory study of the antecedents of social entrepreneurial action by Ashoka Fellows. Build upon a qualitative paradigm, we used Gioia’s two-step methodology to analyze the online available profiles of 57 Ashoka Fellows active in healthcare. We were able to reveal fourteen antecedents grouped into four interlinked aggregate dimensions. Our study suggests the dimensions of multi-disciplinarity, exposure, connectedness and pro-social orientation synergize antecedents into a social entrepreneurial pathway, composed out of combinations of antecedents accumulated into a portfolio of tangible and intangible resources available to individuals. Although our study has focused only on the profiles of highly successful social entrepreneurs, we argue our research holds enough robust evidence to warrant further exploration of our suggested model in order to gain a deeper understanding on the emergence of social entrepreneurial action.

Social entrepreneurship and the institutional environment

This study examines the effects of a country's institutional environment on economic social entrepreneurship. The measures of a country's institutional environment include Porter's social progress index (SPI) and the World Economic Forum's global competitiveness index (GCI). The GCI measures the economic environmental munificence of a country which supports entrepreneurial ventures. I used the SPI to measure social munificence or social welfare of a country. The dependent variable is the number of Ashoka social entrepreneurs working to address the economic needs in a nation. The study includes 82 countries with Ashoka fellows. Of the 82 countries, 58 countries had Ashoka economic social entrepreneur fellows. The control variables include the log of GNI per capita and the log of population. I hypothesised that the less the SPI, the greater the number of social entrepreneurs focusing on the economy. That is, the less the social munificence, the greater the need for social entrepreneurs.

Social Entrepreneurship for SME Development: Insights from Three Decades of Third Sector Research

In contemporary schools of business an increasing number of programs have launched courses in Social Entrepreneurship. In addition, numerous non-academic actors like the Skoll Foundation and the Ashoka fellows program have actively promoted social entrepreneurship as an idea made for its time. The courses and supporting initiatives share in common a belief that a new organizational form and associated social ethic is required to resolve social challenges at the undeveloped interspace between private interest and social good. A surprising feature of the business school interest in social entrepreneurship it the apparent disinterest in lessons learned from earlier efforts to inhabit this indeterminate and undefined place between private and public. Most of these lessons reside in a large and diverse body of literature best captured by the term “third sector” research. It is the purpose of this paper to address two questions. First, how does the literature on the broad array of “third sector” organizational forms contribute to the framing of entrepreneurial opportunity? And second, should social entrepreneurship efforts evolve into a significant economic sector, what HR System designs will be required to support this new organizational form?

Social Entrepreneurship in Turkey: A Content Analysis Assessing Ashoka Fellows

Social Entrepreneurship in Turkey: A Content Analysis Assessing Ashoka Fellows

Doing more with less, systematically? Bricolage and ingenieuring in successful social ventures

This study investigates whether and how bricolage- and ingenieuring-type of approaches are used in successful social ventures in the learning/education sector across three different contexts (Brazil, South Africa and the US). We employ a partially grounded theory approach to examine the profiles of Ashoka fellows and find that despite the vast differences in their local environments, successful social entrepreneurs engage in similar bricolage processes in three domains of value creation: they tend to refuse limitations imposed by the environment, utilize resources in new and innovative ways, and engage a wide range of stakeholders as partners. Additionally, successful social entrepreneurs avoid just “making do”; instead, they rely on ingenieur-type of approach in their operational process to create and establish replicable systems to fulfil their social vision. We discuss the remarkable consistency in the approaches utilized by successful social entrepreneurs across the three countries from the perspective of theory and practice.

Inclusive development through innovative model: a case of KnidsGreen Pvt Ltd. (India)

This paper explores the innovative business model of KnidsGreen Private Limited founded by Kaushalendra Kumar, an Ashoka fellow. It is engaged in solving problems of poor and disadvantaged people dependent on the informal vegetable sector (resource poor vegetable growers, vendors, farm labourers, among others), and contributing to inclusive development in the Indian state of Bihar. Using grounded theory approach, this case-study identifies how an innovative business model benefits stakeholders resulting in their inclusive development. The profit-making market-driving approach challenges the perception that this is not a dignified and remunerative activity, sensitising and organising beneficiaries, enhancing productivity and marketability by building formal supply chain network through innovations, partnerships and alliances, backward and forward linkages, benefitting farmers, vendors and consumers, generating employment at grassroots level, eventually making profits. Though based on single case study, the findings are significant for adaptation and replication of this model in all countries encountering similar problem.

Franchising as a Strategy for Combining Small and Large Group Advantages (Logics) in Social Entrepreneurship

This article develops a Hayekian perspective on social franchising that distinguishes between the end-connected logic of the small group and the rule-connected logic of the big group. Our key claim is that mission-driven social entrepreneurs often draw on the small-group logic when starting their social ventures and then face difficulties when the process of scaling shifts their operations toward a big-group logic. In this situation, social franchising offers a strategy to replicate the small group despite systemwide scaling, to mobilize decentrally accessible social capital, and to reduce agency costs through mechanisms of self-selection and self-monitoring. By employing a Hayekian perspective, we are thus able to offer an explanation as to why social franchising is a suitable scaling strategy for some social entrepreneurship organizations and not for others. We illustrate our work using the Ashoka Fellow Wellcome.

ICT and social entrepreneurship

Social entrepreneurs are impassioned leaders who strive to find systemic solutions for matters affecting human welfare such as poverty, unemployment, and poor access to quality healthcare. Their social-value creating work is defined as social entrepreneurship. The purpose of this paper is to lay the groundwork for a larger discussion on (1) the role of ICT as vehicles for change and reform in the social sector, with emphasis on social entrepreneurship; and (2), the opportunities that social entrepreneurship paves for the future ICT workforce. This paper, through a qualitative methodology, reports on the findings from semi-structured interviews of Ashoka Fellows across the United States. Findings on five critical insights on the role of technology in implementation of social solutions are reported, and their implications for the development of next generations entering the ICT professions are discussed.