Dialectical tensions and regenerative capability formation in social enterprises: cases from Egypt

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Introduction Despite growing theoretical interest in regenerative organizations, the shift toward regeneration on the ground remains understudied. This is especially true in non-Western contexts. There is also a gap in understanding how the intangible organizational capabilities such as culture, intellectual capital, and strategic foresight relate to regeneration or are developed in practice within organizations that must navigate competing social, ecological, and financial demands. This study addresses this gap by investigating whether and how founders of Egyptian social enterprises adopt regenerative principles, and the role that intangible organizational capabilities play in this process. Methods Based on in-depth qualitative interviews with nine Egypt-based founders of leading social enterprises selected for their information power as pioneering figures in a major emerging economy, the study employed a two-stage analytical design to understand alignment with an established regenerative business model framework and use dialectical analysis to explore the tensions that emerged from founders' narratives. Results The analysis identified six dialectical tensions: heroism vs. humility, hierarchy vs. Self-organization, Exclusion vs. Participation, Uniformity vs. Diversity, Passion vs. Pacing, and Stability vs. Emergence. Each tension constitutes a site where intangible organizational capabilities such as leadership, governance, knowledge breadth, temporal regulation, and adaptive foresight are either strengthened or eroded. Discussion The study's core contribution is a conceptual framework proposing that regenerative capability formation is cumulative and interdependent. Within this framework, humility enables participation, participation enriches diversity, diversity and participation strengthen foresight, and pacing sustains the stability needed for long-term emergence. The Egyptian context provides a critical case of how these capabilities are cultivated under the realities of an emerging economy, and offers insights that are relevant to other entrepreneurship ecosystems operating under similar socio-economic and institutional conditions.

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