Over the weekend, our team of TUM SEED Center Scholars had the incredible opportunity to participate in the prestigious 20th Annual Social Entrepreneurship Conference hosted at IMD in Lausanne from April 18 to 20, 2024.
We showcased our research through three insightful paper presentations, highlighting our commitment to advancing knowledge in social and sustainable entrepreneurship, met old friends and SEED affiliates, such as Dr. Esther Salvi, and made new ones.
Among the presentations were:
➡ "Unpacking Impact Drift: A Conceptual Paper to Shift Our Attention to the Societal Level of Analysis" by Dr. Alessia Argiolas and Hans Rawhouser from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Building on her JBV paper, Alessia dives deeper into what impact drift is within this early-stage conceptual paper.
➡"Stay on Board We’ll Make It Work: How Social Enterprises Maintain Pragmatic Legitimacy Amidst Profitability Struggles" by Mohammed Bendaanane and Prof. Dr. Frank-Martin Belz.
This paper explores the temporal dynamics of entrepreneurial stories and how entrepreneurs manage legitimacy threats through revised stories and pragmatic accounts to remain legitimate in the eyes of their funders.
➡"Strategies of Social Enterprises in Institutional Change: The Case of E-Mobility in Kenya" by Katharina Eichinger and Prof. Dr. Frank-Martin Belz.
This very early-stage paper explores how new sustainable ventures shape and (co-)create the institutional environment for e-mobility to take over. Since the industry is still very young, this happens in a context of high uncertainty and inexistent or nascent institutional setting.
Moreover, Mohammed Bendaanane co-organized a Panel Symposium with Karla from the University of Massachusetts, unpacking the role of social entrepreneurship scholars conducting research in the Global South. The panel covered the general and peculiar challenges of doing research in the global south. The panelists debated on how scholars could seek impact without imposition and design research that involves practical benefits for researched communities. More importantly, how and why scholars should detach from pre-conceived ideas, theories, and stereotypes to engage with and learn from communities in the Global South.
“I truly enjoyed the conversation. Hopefully we can steer more meaningful and decolonial conversations and inclusive partnerships,” says Dr. Esther Salvi, one of the panelists .
Overall, interactions at the conference were incredibly enriching, providing valuable feedback to advance our research and fostering meaningful connections within the social entrepreneurship community. The inspiring environment of the conference sparked exciting ideas into the scholars' minds that they will translate into actionable future projects.