Creating social value through orchestration processes in innovation networks: The case of “Garbage Ladies” as a social entrepreneurial venture

Purpose: Social entrepreneurs innovatively exploit opportunities and create, in this way, social change and value by bringing together different resources to meet social needs and solve social problems. To achieve this, given their limited size and financial resources, the personal ties and social networks that social entrepreneurs build in this process play a crucial role in developing relationships and enabling their ventures to succeed. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of network processes in innovative activities carried out by social entrepreneurs and to stress the importance of network processes rather than network structure/design for social innovation. Design/methodology/approach: “Çöp(m)adam” (Garbage Ladies), a social development project and business in Ayvalik, Turkey (which aims to provide opportunities for women who have never had the chance to work and earn regular salaries in the course of their lifetimes), was explored qualitatively as a case study within the framework of the network orchestration theory. In-depth, semi-structured interviews and observations were conducted. Relevant documents about Çöp(m)adam were also collected at the time of the interview to provide the triangulation of reference material for thematic analysis and post-research inquiry. Findings: It has been found that Çöp(m)adam dynamically manages the network process in the course of realizing social innovation and builds a win-win environment that creates value both for the future of the social enterprise and for all the actors in the network by integrating the relationships among the actors it is in a relationship with. Originality/value: In contrast to traditional studies dealing with the network theory, this research focuses on network processes rather than network structure. Also, since the literature provides evidence for profit-based organizations, the study differentiates into two main reasons. First, the authors adopt a case study approach in social entrepreneurship for social value creation, and second, based on the case study, the authors provide a conceptual enrichment through proposing the sub-categories of knowledge mobility, innovation appropriability and network stability in orchestration processes. This paper seeks to broaden the existing understanding of how social entrepreneurial processes and innovative outcomes are shaped by social networks and orchestration processes in a network-centric innovation from the viewpoint of a hub/focal firm by undertaking research on a less examined type of enterprise and context – namely, a social entrepreneurial venture in Turkey. © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited