Beyond formality: a bricolage model to navigate between the conflicting considerations in social impact assessments
Abstract
Purpose
Social enterprises (SEs) are increasingly expected to rely on formal methodologies to assess their social impact. These structured methodologies, which produce objective and evidence-based measures of impact, are sometimes opposed to bricolage approaches that “make do” with what is at hand. This paper aims to question this distinction by identifying the conflicting considerations that arise in the process of implementing a formal methodology, which might lead SEs to rely on bricolage mechanisms. The authors propose a model of “formally-driven” bricolage with core principles to navigate between those considerations.
Design/methodology/approach
Adopting an inductive approach, the authors draw on the in-depth case study of a work integration SE engaged in a formal social impact assessment (SIA) through collaborative research.
Findings
First, the authors identify five types of considerations (feasibility, efficiency, ethics, legitimacy and aim) that come into tension with the primary considerations of formality in formal methodologies, leading SEs to still rely on bricolage mechanisms. Second, the authors identify five principles (multidimensional, participative, cultural, mixed-method and adaptive) that permit navigation between those conflicting considerations. Based on the findings, the authors develop a model of “formally-driven” bricolage.
Originality/value
The contribution is methodological, theoretical and practical. The authors bridge the gap between theory and practice through long-term immersion in an SE. The authors contribute to the understanding of the use of bricolage in SIA by investigating why and how bricolage is still at play in formal assessments. The proposed model of “formally-driven” bricolage can help researchers and practitioners to better grasp the ins and outs of the SIA process.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank their editor, Prof. Marek Ćwiklicki, and the anonymous reviewers for their constructive feedback. They also thank Prof. Marthe Nyssens and their colleagues at CIRTES, as well as participants of the EMES conference for their helpful suggestions and reviews. Coralie Helleputte was funded by Innoviris through an “Applied PhD” grant (2019–2022). The funder had no role in the study design or analysis and had no part in writing this article or in the decision to publish it. They also would like to warmly thank the shelter stakeholders who actively participated in the assessment.
Citation
Helleputte, C. and Périlleux, A. (2024), "Beyond formality: a bricolage model to navigate between the conflicting considerations in social impact assessments", Social Enterprise Journal, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/SEJ-03-2024-0054
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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