If entrepreneurship is a mindset then social entrepreneurship is also just a mindset or anything more? To answer this question I felt one more dimension to this problem is the personality trait, then further I introspected then felt no more than personality a social entrepreneur should be a person with skills, but cannot be just being emotional.
Dear Sudha Mavuri , social entrepreneurs have the same personality traits of commercial entrepreneurs, plus they are distinguished by some social traits such as moral obligation, empathy, compassion, sympathy, and so on. This means that social entrepreneurs use the same strategies and methods that used by commercial entrepreneurs beside the prosocial orientation as a primary trait.
A mindset. It is an attitude. For your research, you may take a look at Ben & Jerry's, the ice cream company from Vermont, USA, who has successfully combined the two - social and economic objectives of business.
A social entrepreneurship means service to the public and i think we dont have to concern about the "skill" they produce but emotion and enthusiasm they put in service. compassion actually comes from mindsets i think.
I believe being compassionate is a mindset. When someone have compassion, she or he is putting herself in someone else's shoes and really feeling for him. Compassion mindset can enhance learning outcomes.
It is a skill linked to emotional intelligence. It can and should be improved throughout life.
This may help you. I am an active early stage venture capital investor and work with entrepreneurs very closely often for several years during the beginning phases of their company's development. I also work with closely with the managers of NPOs on large charitable projects. These people are what I view as socially focused entrepreneurs. The drive, personality and motivation of these two groups is remarkably similar. I have invested significant capital in both fields and find a VC approach is very effective. The traits this group of leaders share the most is optimism, and excellent problem solving skills and a passion for what they are doing. All of these people greatly expand their skill set over time as they mature with their projects. This is what make an experienced entrepreneur such a valuable asset to any venture be it for profit or non-profit.
I am of the opinion that compassion starts from an area of passion which stems from an emotion or strong desire. Therefore, a social entrepreneur must have a highly developed degree of emotional intelligence to stay balance. This is a skill that can be developed and cultivated but the extent is based on one's personality. So, both social and commercial entrepreneurs operate from an area or mindset of skill and emotions/passion.
Compassion is defined interchangeably throughout the literature. It is, therefore, a highly subjective concept. Moreover, our understanding of compassion has changed over time - influenced by history, culture, and the effect of these on the individual and collective constructions of meaning, language, thought and expression.
I think we should be asking what discourses are available in society at any given time and considering ‘how do we relate to ourselves as a certain kind/type of person? Also, who benefits from what knowledge, what are its power effects and what types of subjects does it constitute?
I realise I am from a different field/discipline to you, however, I think it is good to look outside of your area to gain insight from other perspectives. Just throwing this out there for you to consider thinking about in the future.
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