Att måla läppstift på en gris: En kvalitativ studie av svenska sociala entreprenörers organisationsidentitet i förhållande till CSR
(2016) SKOK01 20161Department of Strategic Communication
- Abstract
- The purpose of this study is to examine how social entrepreneurs in Sweden construct an organizational identity and how they position themselves against similar organizations. Further on, we aim to examine how their identity differs from, or is similar to, the idea of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Our study thereby intends to provide new knowledge of how organizations working with social issues can use their identity strategically, as a way to differentiate themselves from organizations with a similar purpose. To achieve the purpose of the study we conducted qualitative interviews with social entrepreneurship organizations (SE-organizations). The empirical material was contextualized through relevant theories in the field of... (More)
- The purpose of this study is to examine how social entrepreneurs in Sweden construct an organizational identity and how they position themselves against similar organizations. Further on, we aim to examine how their identity differs from, or is similar to, the idea of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Our study thereby intends to provide new knowledge of how organizations working with social issues can use their identity strategically, as a way to differentiate themselves from organizations with a similar purpose. To achieve the purpose of the study we conducted qualitative interviews with social entrepreneurship organizations (SE-organizations). The empirical material was contextualized through relevant theories in the field of strategic communication and social sciences, including organizational identity, social entrepreneurship and CSR. Our analysis indicates that SE-organizations construct an identity as benefactor entrepreneurs, social innovators and heroes. The Swedish context is experienced as problematic by the SE-organizations, as social entrepreneurs often intend to solve societal issues managed by non profit associations and the Swedish state. SE-organizations therefore risk being referred to as welfare profiteers. When the identity of the SE-organizations was analysed in relation to CSR, we found that SE-organizations consider their social purpose to be a core value, while they believe the social pur-pose of CSR to be an added value. Further on, the SE-organizations seem to believe that their core value communicates itself in their organizational identity. The findings of this study do however indicate that this distinction is insufficient to serve as a distinctive feature alone. SE-organizations should therefore strive to actively fill their organizational identity with clear messages and meaning, to differentiate themselves from traditional organizations working with CSR, and thereby justify their existence. Not having a distinct organizational identity as a social entrepreneur could further on lead to “anyone" engaged in social issues in Sweden calling themselves social entrepreneurs. The field of social entrepreneurship in Sweden would thus be undermined and irrelevant. (Less)
- Abstract (Swedish)
- Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur sociala entreprenörer i Sverige konstruerar sin organisationsidentitet samt hur de positionerar sig gentemot närliggande aktörer. Vidare vill vi undersöka hur deras identitet skiljer sig från, eller liknar, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Vår studie avser därmed bidra med ny kunskap om hur organisationer som arbetar med samhällsfrågor kan använda sin organisationsidentitet strategiskt som ett sätt att kommunikativt särskilja sig från organisationer med liknande ändamål. För att uppnå studiens syfte har vi genomfört kvalitativa intervjuer med sociala entreprenörskapsorganisationer (SE-organisationer). Det empiriska materialet kontextualiserades därefter genom relevanta teorier inom strategisk... (More)
- Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur sociala entreprenörer i Sverige konstruerar sin organisationsidentitet samt hur de positionerar sig gentemot närliggande aktörer. Vidare vill vi undersöka hur deras identitet skiljer sig från, eller liknar, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Vår studie avser därmed bidra med ny kunskap om hur organisationer som arbetar med samhällsfrågor kan använda sin organisationsidentitet strategiskt som ett sätt att kommunikativt särskilja sig från organisationer med liknande ändamål. För att uppnå studiens syfte har vi genomfört kvalitativa intervjuer med sociala entreprenörskapsorganisationer (SE-organisationer). Det empiriska materialet kontextualiserades därefter genom relevanta teorier inom strategisk kommunikation och samhällsvetenskap, däribland organisationsidentitet, socialt entreprenörskap och CSR. Vår analys visar att sociala entreprenörer konstruerar en identitet som välgörarentreprenörer, samhällsinnovatörer och hjältar. SE-organisationerna positionerar sig vidare med hjälp av den klassiska entreprenören. Den svenska kontexten upplevs som problematisk av SE-organisationerna, då sociala entreprenörer ofta vill lösa samhällsproblem som tidigare skötts av ideella föreningar eller av den svenska staten. SE-organisationer riskerar därför benämnas som välfärdsprofitörer. När SE-organisationernas identitet jämfördes med CSR, fann vi att SE-organisationerna anser att de arbetar med sitt sociala ändamål som ett kärnvärde, medan de menar att det sociala syftet med CSR är ett adderat värde. Vår studie indikerar dock att denna skillnad är otillräcklig för att fungera som en differentierande faktor i sig självt. SE-organisationer bör därför sträva efter att fylla sin organisationsidentitet tydliga riktlinjer och mening, för att särskilja sig från traditionella verksamheter som arbetar med CSR, och på så sätt motivera sin existens. Att inte ha en tydlig organisations-identitet som social entreprenör skulle kunna leda till att "vem som helst" som är engagerad i samhällsfrågor kan kalla sig social entreprenör. Fältet för socialt entreprenörskap i Sverige skulle därmed undermineras och komma att bli irrelevant. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/8877709
- author
- Fogelström, Nora LU and Palmqvist, Mikaela LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SKOK01 20161
- year
- 2016
- type
- M2 - Bachelor Degree
- subject
- keywords
- organizational identity, social entrepreneurs, corporate social responsibility, strategic communication, Sweden, core value, added value, social innovation
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 8877709
- date added to LUP
- 2016-06-09 16:31:40
- date last changed
- 2016-06-09 16:31:40
@misc{8877709,
abstract = {{The purpose of this study is to examine how social entrepreneurs in Sweden construct an organizational identity and how they position themselves against similar organizations. Further on, we aim to examine how their identity differs from, or is similar to, the idea of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Our study thereby intends to provide new knowledge of how organizations working with social issues can use their identity strategically, as a way to differentiate themselves from organizations with a similar purpose. To achieve the purpose of the study we conducted qualitative interviews with social entrepreneurship organizations (SE-organizations). The empirical material was contextualized through relevant theories in the field of strategic communication and social sciences, including organizational identity, social entrepreneurship and CSR. Our analysis indicates that SE-organizations construct an identity as benefactor entrepreneurs, social innovators and heroes. The Swedish context is experienced as problematic by the SE-organizations, as social entrepreneurs often intend to solve societal issues managed by non profit associations and the Swedish state. SE-organizations therefore risk being referred to as welfare profiteers. When the identity of the SE-organizations was analysed in relation to CSR, we found that SE-organizations consider their social purpose to be a core value, while they believe the social pur-pose of CSR to be an added value. Further on, the SE-organizations seem to believe that their core value communicates itself in their organizational identity. The findings of this study do however indicate that this distinction is insufficient to serve as a distinctive feature alone. SE-organizations should therefore strive to actively fill their organizational identity with clear messages and meaning, to differentiate themselves from traditional organizations working with CSR, and thereby justify their existence. Not having a distinct organizational identity as a social entrepreneur could further on lead to “anyone" engaged in social issues in Sweden calling themselves social entrepreneurs. The field of social entrepreneurship in Sweden would thus be undermined and irrelevant.}},
author = {{Fogelström, Nora and Palmqvist, Mikaela}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Att måla läppstift på en gris: En kvalitativ studie av svenska sociala entreprenörers organisationsidentitet i förhållande till CSR}},
year = {{2016}},
}