Research Seminar - To seek or not to seek: Feedback seeking in early-stage social venturing

Presenter: Dr Andreana Drencheva. University of Sheffield

Date: Wed 14th July 2021

Time: 14:00-15:00

Location: Zoom   Meeting ID: 848 6854 0118     Passcode: Cees-14

Abstract:

Social entrepreneurship is often described as a ‘social process’ whereby opportunities are shaped and ventures created by social entrepreneurs who integrate the input of a range of stakeholders. Yet, how they go about involving others and seeking input, or when they do not, as a process is poorly understood. Presenting an inductive study of 82 interviews with 36 social entrepreneurs, this seminar will focus on one specific type of input – feedback and how it is sought in the early stages, including sensemaking and identity processes, through three distinct trajectories. We present feedback seeking is an identity-driven process whereby how and why social entrepreneurs seek feedback depends on their psychological closeness to the targeted social issue

Bio:

Dr Andreana Drencheva is a Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at the University of Sheffield. Her research explores the micro-foundations of (social) entrepreneurship and social change in challenging, and often under-researched, contexts. Her work has received funding from Arts and Humanities Research Council, Big Lottery, and British Council and has been published in leading journals, such as Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice and Journal of Business Venturing. She collaborates with support organisations to co-create services, programmes, and tools that help (aspiring) social entrepreneurs to develop their ventures, while maintaining their wellbeing.