Social entrepreneurship organisations and collaboration: taking stock and looking forward
International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research
ISSN: 1355-2554
Article publication date: 31 December 2021
Issue publication date: 1 March 2022
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this systematic literature review (SLR) is to map out the current state of the research on collaboration in the context of social entrepreneurship organisations (SEOs), synthesise this line of research and advance a research agenda.
Design/methodology/approach
A SLR of 40 scientific articles found in the Scopus and Web of Science databases built the foundation for an analysis of the state-of-the-art of the research addressing the interplay of SEOs and collaboration. This area of research has been very recent since the selected articles have been published since 2005 and more than half of which have appeared since 2017.
Findings
The findings suggest that collaboration is increasingly perceived as a crucial entrepreneurial activity and process for SEOs. The results indicate that collaboration is a vibrant and rapidly growing line of research which spans different fields of study, contexts, varied theoretical perspectives and multiple units of analysis. Furthermore, a total of five key research themes are identified pertaining to collaboration in the context of SEOs, such as motivations and strategies of collaboration, its antecedents, the interplay of institutional logics and tensions arising in collaboration, the impact of collaboration on the mission of SEOs and collaborative processes and practices.
Originality/value
To lend structure to this fragmented field of inquiry, this study systematically reviews and synthesises research on collaboration in the context of SEOs. In doing so, the study reveals that this line of research is under-researched, offering a significant scope for further scrutiny.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank the three anonymous reviewers and editor Jonathan M. Scott for their encouraging comments and thoughtful guidance throughout the review process. The author also appreciates the helpful comments provided by Berit I. Vannebo, Elisabet C. Ljunggren, Gry A. Alsos, Karin Berglund and Sarah L. Jack as well as participants of the 2019 RENT Conference and the NORSI 2020 Conference. They of course bear no responsibility for any remaining limitations.
Citation
Kosmynin, M. (2022), "Social entrepreneurship organisations and collaboration: taking stock and looking forward", International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, Vol. 28 No. 2, pp. 441-470. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-02-2021-0144
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited