Conceptualizing the Role of Social Entrepreneurial Orientation in the Triple Bottom Line in the Social Enterprise Context: Developing Country Perspective

Abstract

Social entrepreneurship is becoming widely recognized as essential to developing economies and societies. However, we find that the lack of a clear and cohesive conceptualization for understanding the distinctive context and reliable role of social entrepreneurship is a challenging aspect. Furthermore, the research is lacking in developing country perspectives. Accordingly, this study argues that a social entrepreneurship conceptual model needs to be developed from a developing country perspective to advance the literature on the social entrepreneurship notion. Specifically, this study followed a qualitative research approach and conducted in-person semi-structured interviews with 24 Sri Lankan social enterprises by adopting the maximum variation sampling technique. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Consequently, our model explicates how social entrepreneurial orientation leads to the triple bottom line through dynamic capability and social innovation. The proposed model anticipates that social entrepreneurial orientation alone cannot achieve the triple bottom line in social entrepreneurship. Thus, based on existing research evidence, we believe that the following constructs—social entrepreneurial orientation, dynamic capabilities, social innovations, and the triple bottom line—can be integrated to provide a solid conceptual model for social entrepreneurial ventures in developing countries.