Understanding Social Impact and Value Creation in Hybrid Organizations: The Case of Italian Civil Service

Abstract

The aim of this paper is twofold: first, it aims to analyze what kind of value is generated by hybrid organizations and how; second, it aims to understand the role of social impact assessment (SIA) in the measurement of added value, especially in terms of social and economic change generated by hybrids. Hybrid organizations are a debated topic in literature and have different strengths in responding to needs, mainly in the public interest. Nevertheless, there are not many studies that identify the impact and change generated by these organizations. After highlighting the gap in the literature, the study proposes an innovative approach that combines SIA, interview, interventionist approach and documental analysis. The breakdown of SIA through the five elements of the value chain (inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, and impact) guarantees a linear definition of the value generated through change with procedural objectivity capable of grasping hybrid organizations’ complexity. The value generated or absorbed is the change generated by the impact measured based on the incidence of public resources allocated. Through the SIA and counterfactual approach, the civil service case study analysis highlights how the value generated by public resources can be measured or more clearly displayed in the measurement process itself.

Performance Evaluation in the Inter-Institutional Collaboration Context of Hybrid Smart Cities

“…With the inten�on of a be�er alloca�on of resources and op�m-iza�on of strategies (Epstein & Yuthas, 2017) men�oned in the chapter performance management, to perpetually improve public value, the approach men�oned by Esposito et al (2021) of smart ci�es aimed at mul�faceted, interconnected and dynamic evalu-a�on of governance is effec�ve. Savoldelli et al (2013) show that these steps have a posi�ve influence in stakeholder engagement phase as a service is offered that can generate public value in full transparency and decision-making accountability by suppor�ng the defini�on of Garcia Alonso and Lippez-De Castro (2016) that governance is an interac�on and collabor-a�on between different stakeholders in decision-making processes.…”

Mapping Social Impact Assessment Models: A Literature Overview for a Future Research Agenda

“…According to Dart [31], SIA promotes improved accounting practices, increasing the legitimacy of the organisation with its stakeholders and enhancing the relationship of trust with the organisation's funders. In a context of scarcity and competition for funds, the use of standard procedures for assessing and reporting social outcomes might encourage investment in an SE that adopts them [22,32,33].…”

The Influence of Dual Missions on Employees’ Meaning of Work and Turnover Intention in Social Enterprises

“…Scholars call organizations with plural business forms and missions "hybrid organizations" [29]. The mechanism of social enterprises, which consists of combining nonprofit and commercial organizations, places them in the category of a hybrid organization [2,50]. This mechanism provides social enterprises with multiple missions: social change and commercial success [6].…”