Is Mission Agility A Catalyst for Sustainability Through Exogenous Shocks in Social Entrepreneurship?

This study examines how mission agility enables social enterprises to sustain their operations and social missions in the face of exogenous shocks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. By incorporating exogenous shock theory, the paper develops a conceptual framework that explains how social enterprises generate novel responses while maintaining operational continuity during crises. Exogenous shock theory describes how sudden, large-scale disruptions compel organisations to reconfigure strategies to preserve core objectives and respond effectively to external uncertainty. The methodological contribution of this study lies in the innovative integration of grounded theory with artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 social enterprises from Malaysia and the United States. The data were analysed using a custom-built AI-assisted procedure designed to computationally confirm patterns identified through qualitative analysis rather than to generate new themes. This hybrid approach strengthens analytical rigour and transparency while preserving the interpretive depth of grounded theory research. The findings reveal that mission agility plays a central role in sustaining social enterprises during crises, supported by social and technical innovation and the formation of smart partnerships. This study offers unique theoretical insights into social entrepreneurial sustainability and human-AI collaboration in analysing complex social phenomena.