Company Case Study 12: Employee Perceptions in Innovation-Driven SMEs—D-Orbit

In recent years, boundaries between profit and non-profit company forms and assessments are increasingly blurred, converging towards new types of hybrid organizations that mix elements, value systems and action logics of various sectors of society. On the one hand, we find organizations employed in the social industry that behave in a more business-like way and, on the other, business organizations that progress a social agenda in addition to their for-profit objective. Benefit Corporations and B Corps, with their reinforced commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices and a mission to generate a public benefit, are a clear example of the convergence of for-profit companies toward a strong CSR focus. For sustainable outputs to be valid, it is essential to have not only the right practices in place but the correct employee understanding of those practices. Companies need to become aware of the power of knowledge, learn what circumstances are likely to cause wrong opinions and learn how to manage their employee perceptions. The study aims to evaluate employee perceptions in an innovation-driven small and medium-sized enterprise through an empirical case study on D-Orbit, a high-tech certified Benefit Corporation. To achieve this goal, D-Orbit’s Benefit Reports and Annual Impact Report were analyzed and an in-depth interview with D-Orbit’s Quality and Impact Manager was carried out. Future research utilizes this case as a pilot to refine data content and procedure.