Fitting Social Enterprise for Sustainable Development in Vietnam

The analysis is presented in two sections. The first focuses on the cultural background, values and inclusive strategic leadership style that participating entrepreneurs draw upon in creating their enterprises in a manner that fits Vietnam today. The second explores how the strategic leadership and cultural values of participating village-styled enterprises reinforce their pro-social performance.

3.1. Fit between Social Entrepreneurs and the Cultural Ecosystem

Participants repeatedly proposed that the primary rationale on which they founded their social enterprises related to fate and destiny. Vietnamese people are socialized to believe that they do not fully control their destinies or lives [ 51 ]. This does not mean that they cannot exercise agency over their actions. It does mean that they are attuned to external influences beyond their control and the need to harmonise their efforts in relation to external factors [ 30 ]. This cultural mindset is logical when we consider the country’s long history of war, invasion and subjugation [ 34 ].

Correspondingly, participants emphasized the need to work towards realising one’s fate or intended contributions in life, but to not blame oneself if one’s aspirations are not fully realized. Participants positioned themselves as part of a larger cosmic flow (life course or karma) that is more harmonious when one is moving with the flow, rather than trying to swim against it. For example, Nhan is a social entrepreneur devoted to traditional handicraft production and promoting disability wellness through job creation, and proposed that she was born for this work:

Since I finished my high school, I didn’t do any other jobs. I followed this job since 18 years old… Many people quit, but I don’t want to. I like the handicraft work. I think this is my karma, my destiny. Now, it has been 38 years that I am doing this job (Nhân).

Such accounts are central to the assertion of a necessary fit between the person and their assigned character or fate as a social entrepreneur. Participants expressed a profound sense of belonging when realising their fate, which helps maintain their efforts to persist in assisting others. Several participants extended such statements to propose that central to their destinies is service to others through pro-social missions. They invoked a cause-and-effect logic in that the condition of fate sets the stage that results in their social entrepreneurship. Several introduced fate as a force that sets the conditions (

duyên

) for success or failure:

We can’t reach our expected goals because we don’t have enough condition (đủ duyên). Everything depends on fate, we haven’t had the conditions to achieve our goal (Cao).

Mưu sự tại Nhân, Hành sự tại Thiên’

(Humans make plans, Heaven makes them fail or succeed) [

These extracts reflect aspects of how participants invoke a Viet worldview that centralizes the role of fate in setting their orientations in life [ 51 ], and the conditions for the performance of their enterprises. These dynamics of fate and personal agency are well known through the Viet proverb ‘(Humans make plans, Heaven makes them fail or succeed) [ 52 ].

Such thinking can be liberating for participants in that it harmonises an external and an internal locus of control. This worldview offers a source of purpose and strength in pursuing social missions. Participants are able to go with the flow and accept their roles and responsibilities towards others that come with their fate. Here, fate is not simply an abstract concept. Fate exercises agency in guiding entrepreneurs to the resources and support that they need to achieve their missions. As Thao states:

I strongly believe that when we really need help, help will come to us. You don’t even have to call for help, it will come, surely. I am sure about this. If the help does not come, it meant you don’t really need it now. Don’t wait, don’t expect any help! Concentrate on what you are doing, do things that you are good at.

Here, the belief in fate does not necessarily equate to a passive approach to achieving one’s goals or seeking help. Rather, there is a combination of ideas in that one needs to concentrate on what one is doing and to get good at it, and if one does these things, one is more likely to be successful. If things do not work out, then perhaps this is as fate intended [ 53 ]. This way of thinking about social enterprises enables participants to share or diffuse responsibility between the force of fate and their own proactive actions within an uncertain societal setting. It enables entrepreneurs to focus on trying to overcome challenges as these arise and to work through problems themselves.

One’s own agency does not only shape one’s own fate. In acting generously towards others, one is also likely to have such efforts reciprocated [ 54 ]. For example, Thuy’s mission is to build a happy and effective community of teachers who will then support the education and economic inclusion of students. By following her passion for helping others, Thuy not only contributes to a better world, but will also cultivate a successful life:

The person who receives enough love, they won’t hurt others. If people are all respected, we don’t need to work on human rights. You totally can use your passion to help others and earn money. The more you help others, the more money will come to you.

Such extracts reflect the common belief that doing good things returns good fortune [ 54 ]. The key cultural assumption here is that if one shares with, and devotes themselves to helping, others to the best of their ability then positive outcomes will come back to oneself. The understanding expressed around the role of fate and pro-social cause-and-effect in life seem to motivate social entrepreneurs. Central to participants’ accounts regarding core values is the need to have and exercise a warm-hearted or benevolent form of leadership that in the Confucian system is associated with the character Ren [ 55 56 ]. Whilst fate sets the conductions, human beings still need to exercise agency through a studious spirit and benevolent kind-heartedness by dispersing good deeds/seeds to grow or ensure that positive destinies are realized for the self and others [ 19 51 ].

Many participants also talked about how difficult life experiences and witnessing hardship offered particular motivations for their social missions. These difficult experiences were often associated with their families:

Before, my parents fought a lot. I was a special student. I wanted to kill myself many times. Or leave my family. Luckily, there was a good teacher. I love her so much. Because of her, I turned into a good student (Thuy).

Taking inspiration from adversity and in accord with the cultural logic of fate, Thuy works to cultivate a happy teaching community as a way to not only practice her karma, but to contribute to the karma of others. Likewise, Tu also talked about experiencing difficult life events with a mother living with a disability and how this shaped his path towards a related social mission:

In fact, my mother has a disability. Since I was a child till now, I do have a huge sympathy with disadvantaged communities as a result. My father was a soldier, we are not rich. When I was 18 -years-old, I got a government scholarship to study overseas. I really appreciated it. It changed my life. Since then, I realized the value of education. If I didn’t have that scholarship, my life might be floating somewhere with no reputation. That is why I started my social enterprise in education (Tu).

From his formative experiences, Tu developed social enterprises in education that provide free tuition and job opportunities for disadvantaged young people. Further reflecting the studious spirit, such participants presented adversity as opening up opportunities for growth and actions, rather than being challenges that lead to inaction [ 30 ]. Evident in such accounts is how efforts to help others are presented as a logical continuation of a life-course and central to their very sense of self and purpose [ 54 ]. Whilst participants emphasized the experiential and social aspects of their efforts, they also acknowledge the importance of commercial considerations in achieving their destinies.

It is crucial to note that hardships are not simply presented as motivating factors from the past. For example, several participants worked fulltime in other jobs and used this income to cover financial shortfalls in the social enterprises they were leading. They talked about the resulting pressures they faced in developing sustainable social enterprises:

I have to cover the cost of the social enterprises by my fulltime salary. I have my social enterprise team meeting at lunch. In the evening, after work, I follow up correspondence, work for my social enterprises (Uu).

Such extracts speak to the depth of commitment these participants embrace in terms of creating opportunities and livelihoods for others. These also reflect the pressures that often come with leadership in this sector, which are met by the studious Vietnamese spirit. The importance of persistence or studiousness of spirit was repeatedly raised throughout the interviewees. These leaders do not regret making considerable sacrifices to support others:

“I don’t think I have anything to regret!”

(Cao).

Interviewees reported making a range of sacrifices to support the development of their social enterprises. For example, the Lunar new year is an important occasion for Vietnamese people where the bonus of the 13th month’s salary is paid to workers to support their new year celebrations [ 57 ]. Social entrepreneurs often sacrifice their own new year celebrations to support employees:

We never have any money lelf at lunar new year… All of our money is to pay for the workers, so we don’t have any money at lunar new year. I am encouraged by the workers’ recognition (Nhan).

Through such actions, respondents revealed resilience as a key quality of social entrepreneurs who are seeking to realize their destinies in meeting their cultural obligations as benevolent leaders who support others [ 58 ].

These entrepreneurs have developed organizations that fit with their cultural heritages and the contemporary socio-economic needs in society. The focus and function of their organizations reflect the collectivist values they espouse [ 18 ]. These values are transformed into the organization’s philosophy and pro-social missions [ 15 23 ]. Devotion to their communities was the first philosophical tenet of participating social enterprises. The corresponding cultural value foundation for these enterprises reflects the entrepreneur’s commitment toward a social mission as well as their inherent understandings of their community’s needs. These understandings come from participants’ standing as leaders within the communities they serve:

First of all, you have to understand your community. Frankly speaking, many people do start-ups that follow a trend, rather than truly understanding about the pain points of the community. I always advise them to study about the pain points of the community, deep in the pain of the community (Tú).

Participating entrepreneurs repeatedly reported targeting their enterprises to share the pain of the community and benefits of the enterprise: “

Your enterprise won’t exist long if you don’t care about farmers’ benefit”

(Hoa). This is an important consideration in a country that professes to become a ‘Start-up Nation”. However, it is also recognized by our participants that start-ups should not simply follow international trends. Enterprises should address actual community needs or ‘pain points’ so as to help as many people as possible.

village

culture that developed as a collective pillar of support across the upheavals of the nation’s history [

This orientation towards community needs reflects core aspects of the traditionalculture that developed as a collective pillar of support across the upheavals of the nation’s history [ 39 ]. In many respects, social enterprises are set up as village-styled and -led organizations. Central to village culture is the valuing of partnerships as a means of bringing people into harmony and the pursuit of shared endeavours. Partnerships not only support workers inside their enterprises, but also make broader contributions to the local region and sector:

…We don’t think that we are helping them. We are fair partners. They need to have their share in this partnership. The disabled people enterprise workers are treated as a regular partner as everybody (Thanh).

Participants were aware of the mutual benefits of partnerships and how foundational these are to the viability and success of social enterprises, and for amplifying any pro-social impacts:

We prefer partners, rather than donors. Partners can contribute more to the development of our enterprise, bring more orders, create more jobs (Nhu).

Such statements reflect a spirit of self-reliance that is also associated with the village tradition [ 40 ] in that these entrepreneurs are not seeking charitable donations. They are seeking to weave their enterprises within various mutually supportive or harmonious partnerships. This openness extended to sharing experiences of success with other entrepreneurs as well as agencies trying to support social enterprise development in Vietnam.

We need to build relationships that are long-term

” (Nhu). Such thinking has long been valued within traditional Vietnamese village culture [

Whilst being open to partnering with others, social entrepreneurs also emphasized the need for long-term cooperation: “” (Nhu). Such thinking has long been valued within traditional Vietnamese village culture [ 30 54 ] and participants emphasized the importance of finding, establishing and maintaining equitable partnerships:

We need to have equality in partnership… We have to know how to listen… So that when we run our project, they will guide and help us out…. We need to be transparent with information. We need to dialogue with our people to reach common agreement… (Dia).

Dia emphasizes the need for openness, transparency and consultation when forging fruitful partnerships. This extract also reflects how a market-oriented economy has only existed in Vietnam for 30 years. Many enterprises are still forming and developing through consultations with Commune/village structures and government departments as part of a centrally planned economy [ 35 ].

In this section, we have considered the Viet worldview that emphasizes a collectivist response to addressing social problems through the development of social enterprises, which reflect the tradition of the village in Viet culture. Evident from participant accounts are important fits between village culture, the leadership of entrepreneurs, including their understandings of how fate brought them to social entrepreneurship, and the importance of cooperation, inclusion and partnerships both within and beyond the enterprises. Below, we further consider the organizational–societal fit through a focus on strategic leadership, village values and the pro-social performance missions for participating social enterprises.