Mission drift through (social) entrepreneurship : methodological and conceptual issues

Mission drift has been identified as a key challenge in social enterprises (Ebrahim et al 2014) and non-profit organizations (Jones 2007). This is especially important for organizations that surf on the blurred frontiers... [ view full abstract ]

Mission drift has been identified as a key challenge in social enterprises (Ebrahim et al 2014) and non-profit organizations (Jones 2007). This is especially important for organizations that surf on the blurred frontiers between the not-for-profit and the for-profit areas. Under the pretext of income generation or survival, a new agenda might modify the initial objectives of a project, sometimes causing the disappearance of its original mission. However, observing mission drift presents many challenges, both conceptually and methodologically. For instance, does the observation of mission drift imply the identification of one unique referent point? Is mission drift always negative? In this paper, we propose a conceptual and methodological discussion on the scientific examination of mission drift. While the literature has been discussing the multiple sources of mission drift, we focus on the symptoms that it might induce inside the social enterprise, along with their relevant levels of observation. Using the conceptual prism of the entrepreneurial process, we suggest that opportunity elaborations are privileged moments to observe mission drift, from the identification of "good" business opportunities to their operational exploitation. Similarly, we discuss the potential stakes in terms of performance evaluation, and in particular in terms of social performance all along the entrepreneurial process.  

 Ebrahim A, Battilana J, Mair J. 2014. The governance of social enterprises: Mission drift and accountability challenges in hybrid organizations. Research in Organizational Behavior 34: 81-100

Jones MB. 2007. The multiple sources of mission drift. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 36: 299-307