Disclosing Everyday Practices of Social Entrepreneurs:Resource Based Perspective

This study explores how social entrepreneurs get access to resource, in an everyday basis, depending on the development phase of their organisation. The literature considers that the social entrepreneur mainly acquire resources through bricolage. To better understand this topic, we conducted a qualitative analysis of two contrasting social entrepreneurship contexts – a European context, where resources are relatively easy to access, and a North African context, where resources are relatively scarce. For each of these contexts, individual interviews on the history of the social enterprise, with a focus on the modes of resource acquisition, are conducted. The interviews show that the resource acquisition process is not only based on bricolage, but it is also based on practices of causation and effectuation. In addition, we find that the modes of resource acquisition mainly differ according to the stage of development of the social enterprise. During the emergence phase, the social entrepreneurs are more effectuation-oriented. During the growth and sustainability phases, they are more bricolage oriented. They also use causation practices, but a very low degree. Our study contributes to the literature of social entrepreneurship by providing insights in setting strategies for resource mobilisation depending on the development phase of the social enterprise.