What are the specific personality traits that come together to create a social entrepreneur? How can we empower future social entrepreneurs? What skills and potentials should be awakened and cultivated? Dees provides one of the classic definitions of social entrepreneurship. According to him, social entrepreneurs are change agents with a mission. They focus not only on personal value but also on social value. They recognise opportunities based on this mission, and they use continuous innovation, adaptation and learning in this recognition process. They also act courageously and are responsible at the same time. In addition to Dees' basic description, Tracey and Phillips define social entrepreneurship as creating a business with a social purpose.
Thus, it involves both the pursuit of the economic principle and social construction. There are three critical challenges for educating social entrepreneurs in achieving these dual goals. First, managing accountability to respond appropriately to all stakeholders; secondly, managing the double bottom line to balance commercial and social goals; and third, managing identity with a clear stance on social and economic goals. Looking at current world events, the need for the action described above seems almost obvious. Despite the enormous progress in the quality of life that humanity has made over the last two centuries, many problems remain, and new ones have arisen. Despite steady economic growth, much of the world lives in poverty. Access to education, as well as quality, varies widely around the world. Violence and conflict exist at all levels, from the personal to the global.
The earth is warming, the polar ice caps are melting, and biodiversity is declining at an unusually rapid rate, raising serious questions about the impact on future generations, whatever the cause. We may not all agree on our visions of an ideal world, but we can generally agree that the gap between reality and our excellent ideas is still enormous. Dees cites the concept of social entrepreneurship as a promising strategy to address this challenge. The world offers already examples of its success. Numerous renowned universities, including Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, and Oxford, already support social entrepreneurs implementing innovative business models. In addition, numerous foundations exist worldwide to provide financial support for these types of enterprises.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Problem definition
- Indispensability of social entrepreneurship
- Causes of socially entrepreneurial action
- Aim of the work
- Structure of the work
- Social entrepreneurship: theory and practice
- Background
- Conceptual overview
- Defining social entrepreneurship
- Reflection on definitions
- Dimensions of social entrepreneurship
- Social entrepreneurs - personality
- Creativity
- The entrepreneurial spirit
- Other personality traits
- The personality trait: mindfulness
- Background
- Definitions & conceptual overview
- Individuel mindfulness
- Collective mindfulness
- Empirical recording and measurement
- Measuring individual mindfulness
- Measuring collective mindfulness
- Developing mindfulness
- Antecedents of individual mindfulness
- Antecedents of collective mindfulness
- Applied mindfulness in business
- Individual and organisational impact
- Worker well-being
- Overall performance
- Task performance
- Social entrepreneurship and mindfulness
- The dual-task
- Identifying opportunities
- Continuous innovation
- Acting courageously and responsible
- Overview of characteristics and object of research
- Methodology
- Quantitative and qualitative research methods
- Definition of the object of research
- Description and explanation of the research method
- Critical review of the methodology
- Mindfulness in social entrepreneurship – an empirical study
- Selection of the sample
- Creation and structure of the interview guide
- Organisation and implementation of the interviews
- Category system and evaluation
- Derivation of categories and coding
- Evaluation of the data
- Main category 1 – personality traits of social entrepreneurs
- Main category 2 - Effects of mindfulness at work
- Main category 3 - Connections between mindfulness social entrepreneurs
- Main category 4 - Challenges through mindfulness
- Main category 5 – Companions of mindfulness
- Main category 6 – Work-induced impacts on social entrepreneurs
- Interpretation of the results
- Effects of mindfulness in social entrepreneurship
- Change agents in the social sector
- Act boldly
- Adopting a mission to create and sustain social and private value
- Continuous adaptation
- Continuous innovation
- Continuous learning
- High sense of accountability
- Recognizing and following new opportunities
- Further effects of mindfulness in social entrepreneurship
- Being collaborative
- Being curious
- Questioning the status quo
- Stress reduction
- Summary of the interpretation
- Critical review of the research
- The objectivity and transparency of the research project
- Significance of the results
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This master thesis explores the potential influence of applied mindfulness in social entrepreneurship. It aims to understand how mindfulness, a state of focused awareness, can impact the characteristics, actions, and outcomes of social entrepreneurs. The research delves into the interplay between individual and collective mindfulness, examining its impact on the effectiveness and sustainability of social ventures.
- The role of mindfulness in fostering social entrepreneurial action.
- The influence of mindfulness on social entrepreneurs’ personality traits and leadership styles.
- The impact of mindfulness on the performance and sustainability of social enterprises.
- The challenges and opportunities associated with integrating mindfulness into social entrepreneurship practices.
- Exploring the relationship between mindfulness and key social entrepreneurial values, such as innovation, social impact, and ethical decision-making.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter establishes the research problem by highlighting the significance of social entrepreneurship in addressing societal challenges. It outlines the purpose and structure of the thesis, focusing on the potential of mindfulness to enhance social entrepreneurial outcomes.
- Social entrepreneurship: theory and practice: This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of social entrepreneurship, exploring its theoretical foundations and practical applications. It examines the defining characteristics of social entrepreneurs, their motivations, and the impact of their ventures on society.
- The personality trait: mindfulness: This chapter delves into the concept of mindfulness, its theoretical framework, and its application in various contexts. It examines the different levels of mindfulness, from individual to collective, and discusses its potential benefits for personal and professional growth.
- Applied mindfulness in business: This chapter explores the implications of applying mindfulness in business settings, focusing on its impact on employee well-being, organizational performance, and task accomplishment. It specifically examines the role of mindfulness in fostering creativity, innovation, and ethical decision-making within organizations.
- Methodology: This chapter details the research methodology employed in the thesis, explaining the use of quantitative and qualitative research methods to gather and analyze data. It clarifies the research design, the selection of participants, and the data collection and analysis techniques.
- Mindfulness in social entrepreneurship – an empirical study: This chapter presents the empirical study conducted to investigate the influence of mindfulness in social entrepreneurship. It outlines the research process, including the development of interview guides, the selection of participants, and the implementation of interviews.
- Category system and evaluation: This chapter explains the categorization system used to analyze the data collected from the interviews. It outlines the coding framework and the evaluation of the data based on the identified categories. This chapter presents the findings of the empirical study, focusing on the observed effects of mindfulness in the context of social entrepreneurship. It analyzes the impact of mindfulness on social entrepreneurs’ behaviors, their leadership styles, and the outcomes of their ventures.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This study focuses on the intersection of mindfulness and social entrepreneurship. Key terms and concepts include: social entrepreneurship, mindfulness, individual mindfulness, collective mindfulness, social impact, innovation, ethical decision-making, leadership styles, organizational performance, and sustainable development.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Felix-Sebastian Ament (Autor:in), 2021, The potential Influence of applied Mindfulness in Social Entrepreneurship, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1168779
