TY - JOUR
T1 - Serving Multiple Masters
T2 - The Role of Micro-foundations of Dynamic Capabilities in Addressing Tensions in For-profit Hybrid Organizations
AU - Vallaster, Christine
AU - Maon, François
AU - Lindgreen, Adam
AU - Vanhamme, Joëlle
N1 - Published online: 24. June 2019
PY - 2021/6
Y1 - 2021/6
N2 - Regular for-profit companies might claim social and environmental goals, beyond their primary economic objectives, but sustainability-driven for-profit hybrids explicitly design and implement their organizational activities to pursue social, environmental and economic goals equivalently, which typically generates tensions, inherent to their hybrid nature. The ability to address these tensions is key to these organizations’ success, yet the manner in which they do so remains poorly understood. In this case-based qualitative study, the authors explicate how specific individual and collective practices contribute continuously to alleviating hybridity-related tensions among for-profit hybrids and allow them to achieve success. With a micro-foundational perspective on for-profit hybrids’ dynamic capabilities, this study’s findings identify four central, dynamic capabilities of for-profit hybrids, supported by respective sets of micro-foundations. Nine of these micro-foundations contribute specifically to addressing central tensions, to different extents. This study thus highlights how for-profit hybrids embrace hybridity-related tensions to foster the creation of sustainable value.
AB - Regular for-profit companies might claim social and environmental goals, beyond their primary economic objectives, but sustainability-driven for-profit hybrids explicitly design and implement their organizational activities to pursue social, environmental and economic goals equivalently, which typically generates tensions, inherent to their hybrid nature. The ability to address these tensions is key to these organizations’ success, yet the manner in which they do so remains poorly understood. In this case-based qualitative study, the authors explicate how specific individual and collective practices contribute continuously to alleviating hybridity-related tensions among for-profit hybrids and allow them to achieve success. With a micro-foundational perspective on for-profit hybrids’ dynamic capabilities, this study’s findings identify four central, dynamic capabilities of for-profit hybrids, supported by respective sets of micro-foundations. Nine of these micro-foundations contribute specifically to addressing central tensions, to different extents. This study thus highlights how for-profit hybrids embrace hybridity-related tensions to foster the creation of sustainable value.
KW - Dynamic capabilities
KW - Hybrid organizations
KW - Micro-foundations
KW - Sustainability
KW - Tensions
KW - Dynamic capabilities
KW - Hybrid organizations
KW - Micro-foundations
KW - Sustainability
KW - Tensions
U2 - 10.1177/0170840619856034
DO - 10.1177/0170840619856034
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0170-8406
VL - 42
SP - 911
EP - 947
JO - Organization Studies
JF - Organization Studies
IS - 6
ER -