Dear Colleagues,
I invite you to submit a paper to a special issue of Administrative Sciences (ISSN 2076-3387), on the topic: " Fostering Social Entrepreneurs in Organizations: Nurturing of Social Intrapreneurial Behaviors While Addressing Employees' Concerns
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2024
The emergence of social entrepreneurship as a transformative force in the corporate landscape has prompted organizations to explore ways to integrate social impact initiatives into their core business strategies (Peredo and McLean 2006; Vázquez-Parra et al. 2023). One way is to encourage employees to suggest social entrepreneurial ideas within the organization, which could be a pivotal step toward achieving this objective. Encoring employees to suggest new and innovative products and services has been well recognized in former studies, known as intrapreneurship or corporate entrepreneurship (Antoncic and Hisrich 2003; Klein and Zwilling 2022). Intrapreneurial activities are usually aimed at gaining revenue or saving on costs for the firms (Blanka 2019). But it can also contribute to enhancing employee motivation and performance (Ben-Hador and Klein 2020).
As such, less attention has been given to the role of intrapreneurial activities that aim to benefit society and whether organizations are willing to support or inhibit innovations that may not contribute directly to the firm. Fostering social entrepreneurship within the organization can yield numerous advantages. These intrapreneurial activities often offer fresh perspectives and innovative solutions to complex social and environmental challenges. By aligning business objectives with social impact, organizations can enhance their reputation, engage stakeholders, and enhance new market opportunities. Moreover, social entrepreneurship initiatives can encourage employee ethical concerns, attract talented employees, and enhance overall corporate culture, resulting in a more motivated and engaged workforce.
Conversely, employees suggesting social entrepreneurial ideas to their firms may encounter notable difficulties. Among these challenges are organizational resistance, resource allocation, and alignment with existing business strategies. One of the primary hurdles is the potential resistance from traditional corporate structures that prioritize profit maximization. Another challenge lies in ensuring that social entrepreneurial efforts align with the firm's values (Cheliatsidou et al. 2023). Conflicts may arise if proposed initiatives clash with existing business strategies, causing tension and confusion among employees. Moreover, tracking and measuring the social impact of these initiatives can be challenging, making it difficult to assess their effectiveness accurately.
Nurturing social entrepreneurship within organizations presents a promising path toward aligning business interests with social impact. While the benefits are substantial, the challenges cannot be underestimated. Addressing these difficulties requires a delicate balance between encouraging innovation and ensuring alignment with corporate objectives. Therefore, we will discuss the challenges employees may face when promoting social intrapreneurial activities in the current Special Issue.
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website. Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Administrative Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open-access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Best regards,
Galit Klein, Guest Editor