Values in the time of a pandemic: a study of social entrepreneurial values against the backdrop of COVID-19

ABSTRACT

This paper attempts to identify the set of values that social entrepreneurs deem most vital for their leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and captures their experience in mitigating various adversities regarding their financial and social mission obligations. It incorporates in-depth semi structured interviews and values Q sort analysis of 21 Indian social entrepreneurs. The findings underscore a set of espoused values that social entrepreneurs share and its interaction with the complex challenges they encounter. It also brings out the tension renascent in social entrepreneurship conceptualisation and reflects in the values' hierarchy, where social entrepreneurs strive to balance performance-oriented values with pro-social values in order to survive and maintain their social mission. The authors have also integrated the concept of Apad Dharma espoused in the Mahabharata to understand how the social entrepreneurs respond to various challenges.