<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>The lockdown regulations aiming at avoiding the spread of the new coronavirus COVID-19 have caused disruptions in organizations of all types or sizes. In order to survive and remain competitive, enterprises have moved online. In line with the dramatic changes around the globe triggered by the regulations as a part of preventive measures, social enterprises switched to working from home. As a result, entrepreneurs have to learn new digital skills to capture the potential of digitalization as it is considered to have an ability to accelerate economic recovery after the pandemic. Yet digitalization influences organizational processes and operations and requires changes in strategies. In light of these transformations, researching social enterprises from different angles is of particular importance when economies are facing the threat of recession, as social entrepreneurship addresses market failure and can tackle social problems. Social entrepreneurs can find innovative solutions to modern challenges and help society and economies to transform. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the feasibility of remote working and digitalization in social enterprises. The paper outlines remote working concerns in social enterprises in the Republic of Georgia and analyses flextime opportunities for enterprise employees. The empirical study is based on a qualitative research approach. In-depth interviews were conducted with the seventeen Georgian social entrepreneurs to explore the research questions. The paper contributes to understanding remote working in social enterprises and offers suggestions for future study directions in this under-researched area.</p>
</abstract>

The lockdown regulations aiming at avoiding the spread of the new coronavirus COVID-19 have caused disruptions in organizations of all types or sizes. In order to survive and remain competitive, enterprises have moved online. In line with the dramatic changes around the globe triggered by the regulations as a part of preventive measures, social enterprises switched to working from home. As a result, entrepreneurs have to learn new digital skills to capture the potential of digitalization as it is considered to have an ability to accelerate economic recovery after the pandemic. Yet digitalization influences organizational processes and operations and requires changes in strategies. In light of these transformations, researching social enterprises from different angles is of particular importance when economies are facing the threat of recession, as social entrepreneurship addresses market failure and can tackle social problems. Social entrepreneurs can find innovative solutions to modern challenges and help society and economies to transform. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the feasibility of remote working and digitalization in social enterprises. The paper outlines remote working concerns in social enterprises in the Republic of Georgia and analyses flextime opportunities for enterprise employees. The empirical study is based on a qualitative research approach. In-depth interviews were conducted with the seventeen Georgian social entrepreneurs to explore the research questions. The paper contributes to understanding remote working in social enterprises and offers suggestions for future study directions in this under-researched area.

Remote working challenges for Georgian social enterprises in the context of the current pandemic

HOLISTICA – Journal of Business and Public Administration

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The lockdown regulations aiming at avoiding the spread of the new coronavirus COVID-19 have caused disruptions in organizations of all types or sizes. In order...

Remote working challenges for Georgian social enterprises in the context of the current pandemic

Published Online: Dec 09, 2021

Page range: 39 - 53

Received: Nov 01, 2021

Accepted: Nov 01, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/hjbpa-2021-0021

Keywords
social enterprise, entrepreneurship, remote work, flextime, Georgia, digitalization

© 2021 Iza Gigauri et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Remote working challenges for Georgian social enterprises in the context of the current pandemic

Published Online: Dec 09, 2021

Page range: 39 - 53

Received: Nov 01, 2021

Accepted: Nov 01, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/hjbpa-2021-0021

Keywordssocial enterprise, entrepreneurship, remote work, flextime, Georgia, digitalization

© 2021 Iza Gigauri et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
social enterprise, entrepreneurship, remote work, flextime, Georgia, digitalization