In this article, we explain the mechanisms that allow social enterprises to balance their missions, and the risk of mission drift as organizations grow. We empirically explore Incubator-BUS (I-BUS), a student organization within a private Brazilian university, which sought to incubate cooperatives for vulnerable groups. Although initially successful in balancing its missions, I-BUS then failed. We show how scaling-up can complicate the balancing of different missions within the same organization. We propose that, to balance their missions, social enterprises—especially recently formed and democratically managed enterprises—need not only “spaces of negotiation,” as suggested in the literature, but also “herding spaces” that connect an organization to its institutional context. We indicate why herding spaces are critical, but then show how scaling-up can result in organizational “compartmentalization” that undermines them.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -This research aims to describe sustainability practices adopted by companies and the influence they have with the involvement of stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach -Qualitative investigation, using case study methodology, was undertaken in 17 companies that use strategic sustainability practices in some way. The companies were observed under the theoretical perspective of social responsibility and sustainability, and with the approach of strategic practices. Findings -Interpreting the data produces an alternative framework of analysis for strategic organizational activities oriented toward the understanding of practices of sustainability, especially in processes aimed at catering to and/or involving stakeholders. The research further supports the idea that sustainability practices, regardless of their level of implementation, have a strong relationship, in these companies, with stakeholder interests. Originality/value -The intent is that the proposed analytical framework will allow further debate toward better understanding of actions focused on environmental determinism and internal company conditions.

A importância do indivíduo na construção, manutenção e mudança das instituições caracteriza as teorias das práticas sociais. O objetivo deste estudo é analisar o perfil e o envolvimento dos estrategistas nas práticas de responsabilidade social. Parte-se da identificação do papel, agência, experiência e características dos praticantes que atuam na certificação ambiental de empresas brasileiras. A discussão dos resultados tem como base os conceitos de responsabilidade social corporativa e da teoria da estratégia como prática. A pesquisa foi feita em duas etapas. Na primeira, de caráter qualitativo e exploratório, um estudo de caso foi realizado na empresa Suzano Papel e Celulose. Na etapa seguinte, desenvolveu-se um levantamento quantitativo em 23 empresas, que representam 41% da população de empresas certificadas. O trabalho contribui ao destacar as diferentes dimensões do perfil dos praticantes e sua relação com a coletividade de práticas e seu envolvimento com o processo de certificação. Palavras-chave:Responsabilidade Social. Práticas Estratégicas. Sustentabilidade. Praticante. Estrategista. AbstractT he importance of the individual in the construction, maintenance, and change of institutions characterizes Social Practice Theory. The purpose of this study is to analyze the profile and involvement of strategists in social responsibility. This begins with the identification of the role, agency, experience, and characteristics of the practitioners who operate in the environmental certification of Brazilian companies. The discussion of the results is based on the concepts of corporate social responsibility and the theory of Strategy as Practice. The study was conducted in two phases. In the first stage, consisting of a qualitative and exploratory nature, a case study was implemented at the Suzano Paper and Cellulose Company. In the second stage, a quantitative survey of 23 companies was conducted.

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