PurposeSocial enterprises have proven to play a vital role in the transitions towards inclusive labour markets and sustainable economies. Yet, they often struggle to flourish within traditional economic systems due to the dual mission of pursuing social and commercial goals, leading to inherent tensions for social entrepreneurs. This study aims to explore tensions within Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs) arising from their dual mission and engagement withmultiple stakeholders.MethodologyInterviews with representatives from 10 Dutch WISEs were conducted to understand their day-to-day challenges. The typology by Smith and Lewis (2011), focusing on learning, belonging, organising, and performing tensions, was used for data analysis. FindingsThe study reveals tensions between social impact and commercial viability, withorganizational challenges being predominant. Also, there's an observed temporal pattern in tension prominence: early stages emphasize belonging, organising, and performing tensions, while learning tensions become more prominent as enterprises mature. OriginalityThis study offers insights into tensions within WISEs, highlighting the complexity of managing multiple identities in a multi-stakeholder context. By drawing on practical experiences, it contributes nuanced understanding to existing literature.
http://dx.doi.org/10.14261/postit/F6BBB081-6FD4-43B9-801915E45153D068Keynote speech. In 2015 and 2016, Saxion University of Applied Sciences organized the 2nd and 3rd edition of the Regional Innovation and Entrepreneurship Conference (RIEC).In our region, "De Stedendriehoek" (Cities in the Triangle – Apeldoorn – Deventer - Zutphen) there is a close cooperation between Cleantech organizations: industry, education institutes and local governments in the areas of Natural Resources, Energy Transition, Environment, Biobased Production and Agrofood. Started over 2 years ago it became a close collaboration between 12 educational institutes, 240 students, 115 companies and the local governments in this relative small triangle. "De Stedendriehoek" is an area full of innovation and also bottom-up initiatives from organizations and regional citizens who care about sustainability and take their responsibility. One of these local initiatives is the Deventer Energy Cooperative, driven by local citizens focusing on generating clean energy for their members and of course they participate and drive Cleantech projects as well.
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The vast literature on accountability in the public sector (usually called ‘public accountability’originating from political science and public administration tends to emphasize the positive dimension of holding authorities to account. As formulated by one prominent scholar in the field, ‘[a]ccountability has become an icon for good governance’: it is perceived as ‘a Good Thing, and, so it seems, we can’t have enough of it’ (Bovens, 2005: 182, 183). Accountability has, thus, become one of the central values of democratic rule – varying on a well-known American slogan one could phrase this as ‘no public responsi bility without accountability’.
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