Corporate governance practices and outcomes in social enterprises in the UK: a case study of South Yorkshire

Purpose – This paper explores the growth of social enterprise in the UK in the context of the renewed interest in the creative use of organisations with a social mission to complement public service delivery. Given the impact of globalisation and increased demands for effective social welfare interventions, this paper specifically focuses on the nature and type of social enterprise governance models and how they influence their outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach- The study utilises an in-depth multiple case study approach. The data was collected from interviews of key informants and was recorded, transcribed and manually analysed inductively.
Findings – The paper finds that the way in which the social enterprise governance structure is designed ultimately influences its outcomes. In particulate those with stewardship governance models tend to perform better than those with democratic models of governance. This leads to a conclusion that in the social context of the UK, social enterprise should aim for a paradigm shift in the design and selection of governance models.
Research limitations/implications – Comparative regional experiences in other regions or social contexts could enrich our understanding of whether these results are applicable across the board.
Practical implications – This article is of potential benefit to researchers and particularly those designing policies for the governance of social enterprise.
Originality/value –The study employs innovative analytical theoretical lenses not normally associated with the social economy to increase our understanding of the growth and evolution of social enterprise governance.