Paradigm of mission and values in the activities of social economy entities: the example of rural women circles

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to verify the mission paradigm using the activities of social economy entities: rural women's circles. An analysis of mission perceptions and values declared by women from rural housewives' circles in the study area was carried out. Then it was verified whether there are similarities in mission components in social entities compared to entities of the economic (classical) type. Design/methodology/approach: The main theme was respondents' perceptions of mission and values. This paper presents the results of the Author`s research, obtained through a questionnaire survey and the use of the field group interview method. All surveys were conducted among women active in rural women's circles. The hypothesis was developed and verified based on the deductive method. The results are presented in descriptive and tabular form. The thematic scope of the study includes issues of declaration and perception of the mission of the rural women's circles and declarations of values that guide women in their activities. Findings: The research confirmed the hypothesis adopted in the article, indicating the alternative nature of the mission paradigm in social economy entities, compared to the dominant paradigm of classical economics of heterodox economics (on the example of rural women's circles). This is primarily supported by the listed mission attributes and values, which differ significantly from classical economics. In social economy entities, the mission refers primarily to intangible values, rejects individualism in the mission, and does not aim exclusively (or at all) for economic profit. As a rule, social economy entities are based on collective action and social solidarity, which is in contrast to the market economic model, focused on individual success and competition. Research limitations/implications: Important limitations relate to the limited availability of data in the case of a survey of village circles. Another issue is the subjectivity of interpretation, occurring in qualitative or deductive research. The lack of standardization is also an important problem - in the case of the data presented in this article, it should be considered as case studies and not standardized data. Originality/value: The article verifies popular management theories and compares classical management concepts of capitalist economy entities with social economy entities - using the example of rural women's circles. The article brings a new perspective on selected aspects of heterodox economics, referring to management’s chosen tools (mission and values). Keywords: mission, rural women circles, paradigm. Category of the paper: Research paper.