Emergence of dual missions in early-stage social ventures: a model for social and economic sustainability

Abstract

The emergence of dual missions, social and economic, in early-stage social ventures (SVs) is critical for their sustainability, yet it remains underexplored in the literature. This conceptual paper applies the model of dual mission management, originally developed for growth-stage SVs, to examine how dual missions emerge in nascent SVs. Drawing on longitudinal ethnographic data from an SV incubator in the United Kingdom, we present two illustrative vignettes to demonstrate the challenges and processes involved in achieving social and economic sustainability. Our findings highlight the importance of external support networks and learning in enabling nascent social entrepreneurs to identify and connect their economic mission with their social mission. We propose that the emergence of an economic mission is a prerequisite for mission spillover effects (MSEs) and sustainable outcomes. This chapter contributes to the literature by offering a model for understanding dual mission emergence in early-stage SVs and suggests avenues for future empirical research.