Social Business Journal

Social Business Journal

Analyzing the Personal Dimensions of Managers and Their Relationship With Entrepreneurial Orientation in Iranian Non-Profit Organizations: a Qualitative Approach

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Department of Entrepreneurship Development, Faculty of Entrepreneurship, College of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
2 Department of Corporate Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Entrepreneurship, College of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Objective: Iranian nonprofit organizations operate in a turbulent and competitive environment, with financial constraints, complex bureaucracy, and weak donor recruitment; conditions that highlight the need for innovation and an entrepreneurial approach. Although international studies have mainly focused on independent social enterprises, few studies have examined entrepreneurial tendencies in existing nonprofit organizations. In the face of competitive requirements, environmental fluctuations, and the dynamics of the third sector, managers must possess, in addition to financial management skills, the ability to efficiently utilize human resources and network capital; a capability that is crucial for achieving organizational goals and maintaining its legitimacy.
Method: This study was conducted with a qualitative approach and inductive logic, in the form of a multiple case study, and using the Gioia analysis method. The population consisted of Iranian charities, and data were collected through purposive and theoretical sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved. In total, 13 in-depth interviews with experienced managers with entrepreneurial orientation were conducted and analyzed using the three-step approach of Gioia and MAXQDA software. The validity of the results was confirmed based on the guidelines of Lincoln and Guba and through participant review and consistency check of the analyses.
Results: The findings showed that the individual dimensions of managers are classified into three main axes: cognitive, value and behavioral.
Conclusions: Our inductive framework provides valuable guidelines for managers of non-profit organizations, development consultants, support institutions, funders and policymakers to find practical solutions to promote innovation, financial sustainability and social mission fulfillment by understanding the process of entrepreneurial orientation formation in a deeper way.
Keywords

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