| dc.description.abstract | This paper focuses on identifying the resource gaps within human capital, social capital, and financial capital to better understand the dilemmas that social entrepreneurs face in implementing change. In this conventional content analysis, I interviewed 24 social entrepreneurs who met the following criteria: (a) must be leading a social enterprise; (b) must have a global social impact component; and (c) must have been in their leadership position (founder or CEO) for at least two years. To maximize the learning opportunities for other social entrepreneurs, these interviews were made available as a podcast. This study identified 15 constraints in resource gaps presented across human, social, and financial capital. The themes that emerged within human capital included communication, cultural differences, training/development, business modeling, and sustainability. The themes that emerged within social capital included community (i.e., feeling isolated), inconsistent supply chain, market access, partnerships/networks, and scaling/growth. The themes that emerged within financial capital included finances to pay staff/expand operations, finances to pay for marketing, funding for growth, financial struggle, and overall strategy to profitability. The 15 themes that emerged among the resource gaps of human, social, and financial helped inform where the biggest gaps, lack of resources, and dilemmas lay within Kotter’s (1996) 8-step change model. These dilemmas include (a) cross-cultural communication, (b) culture misalignment, (c) financial sustainability, (d) inconsistent strategy, and (e) lack of training/development. The information that was obtained through this research will help the social impact sector understand the resource gaps that cause dilemmas in change implementation. This knowledge aids in strategy, leadership development, and sustainability for social entrepreneurs. | |
