The “Consistent Chameleon”: Values-Driven Leadership among Social and Business Leaders Doing Social Entrepreneurship

Changing norms in the organizational world drive new hybrid organizational phenomena that reflect an expectation that businesses will be more values-driven and values-driven social organizations will be more businesslike. However, mixing moral values and hard-nosed business creates contradictions. Indeed, research on social/business hybrids has revealed tensions and challenges. Yet, not enough is known about how social entrepreneurs address these inherent contradictions. We explore this question qualitatively through 25 interviews with two types of social/business hybrid organization leaders and their seconds in command: social entrepreneurs who work solely in the social sector ('exclusive') and businesspeople who start social ventures ('dual').