Building digitalization projects in social enterprise: Case studies in action research to support the social mission

Under the influence of favorable political discourses, social enterprises are seeking to digitalize, in order to reconcile their hybrid objectives, but bringing out specific challenges linked to their particular context. Through a multiple case study carried out as part of an action-research project, we analyze three social enterprise digitalization projects, examining the factors influencing the construction of the digitalization project. Using actor-network theory, the results provide valuable insights for practitioners, researcher-intervenors and decision-makers involved in the digitalization of social enterprises. Our results show that the specific characteristics of social enterprises influence the construction process of digitalization projects. The researcher-intervenor, as project coach, plays a key role in adapting the process of interest and enrolment, making adjustments, resolving internal resistance and responding to the strategies of the actors involved.