TY - CHAP A1 - Seelos, Christian A1 - Mair, Johanna T1 - Organizational closure competencies and scaling: A realist approach to theorizing social enterprise T2 - Social entrepreneurship and research methods N2 - Purpose Social entrepreneurs create novel approaches to social problems such as poverty. But scaling these approaches to the dimension of the problem can be a difficult task. In the social enterprise sector, the subject of scaling has become a key dimension of organizational performance. This chapter advances the scholarly literature on the scaling of social enterprises, a literature which is currently in an embryonic stage and characterized by conceptual ambiguity and fragmented perspectives. Methodology/Approach We engage realist philosophy of science to develop mechanism-based causal explanations of the scaling performance of social enterprises. We also develop a coding scheme to guide systematic empirical analysis and highlight the explanatory power of counterfactuals. Counterfactuals have been largely neglected in empirical research as they represent mechanisms that are enabled but remain unobservable – in a state of suppression or neutralization of their effects. Findings We question the ability of organizations to “socially engineer” desired outcomes and introduce a new construct – organizational closure competence. Anchored in realism, this construct provides a basis for productive approaches to social engineering. We elaborate on the importance of organizational closure competencies for scaling, derive a series of propositions, and develop ideas for future research and for practice. Research, Practical and Social Implications Applying a realist lens allows us to add empirical rigor to research on social enterprises and scaling. Our approach constitutes a move from rich narratives to causal models and informs the way we design and evaluate efforts to address important societal challenges. Originality/Value of Chapter This chapter demonstrates how to operationalize realist philosophy of science for causal explanations of complex social phenomena and better utilize its theoretical and practical value. KW - Social entrepreneurship KW - scaling KW - realism KW - causal model KW - mechanism-based research Y1 - 2014 SN - 978-1-78441-142-8 SP - 147 EP - 188 PB - Emerald Group Publishing Limited CY - Bingley ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Seelos, Christian A1 - Mair, Johanna T1 - Mastering System Change JF - Stanford Social Innovation Review Y1 - 2018 UR - https://ssir.org/articles/entry/mastering_system_change IS - Fall 2018 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Mair, Johanna A1 - Seelos, Christian T1 - La Iniciativa Sekem BT - algunos de los mejores casos de IESE T2 - Mejorar la gestion de empresas KW - Emprendedores de carácter social Y1 - 2005 SN - 9788448146382 N1 - Sekem: liberando una visión. Un enfoque artístico de la iniciativa emprendedora / IESE Business School: DG-1466 PB - McGrawHill CY - Madrid ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Seelos, Christian A1 - Mair, Johanna T1 - Innovation Is Not the Holy Grail JF - Stanford Social Innovation Review KW - Social Innovation KW - Organizational Innovation Y1 - 2012 VL - Fall 2012 SP - 45 EP - 49 ER - TY - BOOK A1 - Mair, Johanna A1 - Seelos, Christian T1 - Innovation and Scaling for Impact BT - How effective Social Enterprises do it N2 - Innovation and Scaling for Impact forces us to reassess how social sector organizations create value. Drawing on a decade of research, Christian Seelos and Johanna Mair transcend widely held misconceptions, getting to the core of what a sound impact strategy entails in the nonprofit world. They reveal an overlooked nexus between investments that might not pan out (innovation) and expansion based on existing strengths (scaling). In the process, it becomes clear that managing this tension is a difficult balancing act that fundamentally defines an organization and its impact. The authors examine innovation pathologies that can derail organizations by thwarting their efforts to juggle these imperatives. Then, through four rich case studies, they detail innovation archetypes that effectively sidestep these pathologies and blend innovation with scaling. Readers will come away with conceptual models to drive progress in the social sector and tools for defining the future of their organizations. KW - Social entrepreneurship KW - Social responsibility of business KW - Nonprofit-Organization KW - Management KW - Case studies KW - India KW - Bangladesh Y1 - 2017 SN - 9780804797344 PB - Stanford University Press CY - Stanford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Seelos, Christian A1 - Mair, Johanna T1 - Innovation and Scale: A Tough Balancing Act JF - Stanford Social Innovation Review KW - Social Innovation KW - Scaling KW - Organizational Innovation Y1 - 2013 VL - Spring 2013 IS - Special Supplement: Innovation for a Complex World SP - 12 EP - 14 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Mair, Johanna A1 - Seelos, Christian ED - Rangan, V. Kashturi ED - Quelch, John A. ED - Herrero, Gustavo ED - Barton, Brooke T1 - How social entrepreneurs enable human, social, and economic development T2 - Business Solutions for the Global Poor: Creating Social and Economic Value Y1 - 2007 SN - 978-0-7879-8216-4 SP - 271 EP - 294 PB - Jossey-Bass CY - San Francisco ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Mair, Johanna A1 - Seelos, Christian ED - Ziegler, Rafeal T1 - Hope for Sustainable Development: How Social Entrepreneurs Make It Happen T2 - An Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship: Voices, Preconditions and Contexts KW - Gemeinwirtschaft KW - Nachhaltige Entwicklung Y1 - 2009 SN - 9781848443068 U6 - https://doi.org/10.4337/9781848446229.00021 SP - 228 EP - 246 PB - Edward Elgar CY - Cheltenham ER - TY - GEN A1 - Mair, Johanna A1 - Seelos, Christian T1 - Entropy International: Enabling businesses to make a contribution to sustainable development N2 - This case documents the circumstances of managing the growth phase of a start-up company. Entropy International faces the unique challenges and opportunities of social entrepreneurship but also entrepreneurship in general. Founded by a visionary environmental activist in 1996 as an environmental consulting boutique in the United Kingdom, Entropy grew with the emerging needs of large multinational corporations to publicly report on and minimise the environmental and social impacts of their operations. Entropy started out as a two-person consultancy to become the market leader in Europe, selling an integrated environmental, health and safety, quality control and reporting suite. At the time of the case (March 2003), Entropy employed 30 people and expected revenues of 1.6 million pounds for fiscal year 2003. KW - Entrepreneurs KW - Environment KW - Social responsibility KW - Sustainable development KW - United Kingdom Y1 - 2004 PB - IESE Business School ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mair, Johanna A1 - Seelos, Christian A1 - Borwankar, Anjaney T1 - Emprendedores sociales y desarrollo sostenible JF - Iniciativa Emprendedora Y1 - 2004 VL - 43 SP - 7 EP - 13 ER -