Det ohållbara i ett hållbarhetsprojekt - En nyinstitutionell analys av ett socialt företags konkurrerande logiker och legitimitetsstrategier

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this dissertation was to examine and analyse previous employees' and volunteers’ views of the problems that may arise within a social enterprise as a result of its competing institutional logics. The studied social enterprise was chosen mainly due to personal contacts but proved to be an interesting example of an organisation with contradictory aims and operations. Qualitative interviews were carried out with the participants, who were asked questions about their perception of organisational goals, how these were targeted and reached, and the combination of social and commercial aspects. In the analysis of the interviewees’ views and perceptions, three core aspects became clear. The first was an organisational tendency to drift towards commercial goals, at the expense of social mission. This resulted in the employees and volunteers lacking trust in the organisation’s economic affairs and its competence regarding social work. The second core aspect, which connects to the drift of social mission, was an unsustainable work environment. For the organisation to be able to function financially, the staff suffered a heavy workload. The third key aspect consisted of a complex strive for legitimacy. In conveying their external image, the organisation preferably emphasised the social mission as a driving force. However, in their actual prioritisation between social and commercial goals, most efforts seemed to circulate around ensuring funding. Hence, the organisation used the highlighting of social goals as a strategy to achieve economic ones. The organisation’s sustainability profile proved to be superficial, as the actual social (work) environment was highly unsustainable.