Reviewing Effectuation and Bricolage in the Context of Social Entrepreneurship Multisector Collaborations

Abstract

Purpose: Traditional perspectives are insufficient for understanding/framing Social Entrepreneurship Triple Helix arrangements. This paper explores the extent to which specific alternative theoretical perspectives of entrepreneurship might be evident in the context of social entrepreneurship 'ventures' through multisector collaboration amongst university, government and private sector partners. Design/methodology/approach: Within the past twenty years, more established economics-based views of entrepreneurial behavior have been complemented with several alternative theoretical perspectives for entrepreneurship research; including effectuation and entrepreneurial bricolage. This conceptual paper reviews these literatures against the context of multisector collaboration within the triple helix. Findings: Specifically, the paper discusses and illustrates the interplay of effectuation and social entrepreneurship given the fact that resource-constrained environments push social entrepreneurs to employ alternative strategies to compensate the more complex external conditions. Collaborative efforts deemed to be more social entrepreneurship in orientation appear to draw on effectuation and bricolage. Originality/value: With an emphasis on affordable loss rather than expected returns; strategic alliances and collaboration rather than competitive analysis; exploitation of contingencies rather than exploitation of pre-existing knowledge; and controlling an unpredictable future rather than predicting an uncertain one, effectuation and bricolage in the context of social entrepreneurship requires quite different guiding policies. Not necessarily being as resource-constrained, but certainly attempting to address complex societal or social issues, multisector collaboration through social entrepreneurship appears to be a fruitful arena for the application of effectuation and bricolage.