Analyzing the effect of team exploratory and exploitative learning on Social entrepreneurship orientation

A comprehensive review of the social entrepreneurship literature on social entrepreneurship's success in solving social challenges despite significant resource and capacity deficits raises questions, particularly regarding how capacities should be built to ensure long-term social and economic impact. Using the theory of organizational learning, this study analyzes the link between team exploratory and exploitative learning on social entrepreneurship orientation. The cross-sectional examination of 473 social enterprises in Ghana verifies our predictions regarding positive connections between the variables. The findings demonstrate that team exploratory learning has a stronger positive impact on social entrepreneurship orientation than team exploitative learning. From a managerial standpoint, Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of social enterprises can demonstrate greater use of team exploratory and exploitative learning by devising exercises that push their teams outside of their comfort zones to actively engage in internal and external interactive discourse on team learning to substantially impact their social entrepreneurship orientation. From the ambidextrous perspective of social enterprises, circumventing the notable "failure" and "success" traps that occur with excessive exploration and exploitation respectively, demands a balance between the two for long-term impact on social entrepreneurship orientation. This study delves into the differentially positive function of team exploratory and exploitative learning on social entrepreneurship orientation, with the goal of overcoming the resource/capability bottleneck and boosting social market performance.