Abstract:
International non-governmental organizations are an under-researched context in entrepreneurship studies given the level of resources they mobilize for social value creation and the strategic threats they are currently facing. Shepherd and Patzelt’s (2011) sustainable entrepreneurship framework outlines the entrepreneurship opportunities that these organizations have available as a response to shifting aid policies, evolving donor expectations, the rise of the social enterprise and impact investment, and the changing humanitarian development landscape. However, the established institutional logic of such organizations can inhibit their ability to pursue innovative social entrepreneurship initiatives. This chapter explores, via a long-term qualtitative investigation, the hybridization of a large INGO as it attempts such initiatives. The key findings are that the points of tension in effectively blending institutional logics – hybridizing – lay in the organization’s financial and institutional compliance, risk appetite, business model, value proposition, and governance. Contributions are made through the empirical application of Shepherd and Patzelt’s (2011) framework and its combination with the theory of institutional logics.
