Digitalization as a resource in social enterprise performance during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic substantially accelerated digitalization processes across organizations, yet the role of digital technologies in social enterprises remains theoretically underexplored. This article examines how digitalization functions as a strategic resource in social enterprises operating under conditions of resource scarcity and institutional hybridity. Drawing on resource dependence theory, institutional logics theory, and stakeholder theory, the study investigates whether digital resources are associated with social enterprises’ perceived usefulness of digital tools in pursuing social, economic, and organizational goals and whether they may be related to the management of tensions between competing social and economic logics. The empirical analysis is based on survey data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic from 152 Polish social enterprises operating as non-governmental organizations with economic activity. Structural equation modeling is applied to assess the perceived usefulness of digital tools at different levels of advancement. The results indicate that a higher level of advanced digitalization is the strongest and most consistent correlate of respondents’perceived usefulness of digital tools for pursuing social, economic, and organizational objectives, particularly those related to the acquisition of financial and human resources. Basic digitalization is primarily associated with perceived support for social goals and day-to-day management and service delivery, while collaboration-oriented tools exhibit limited or sometimes negative associations once other forms of digitalization are controlled for. The findings contribute to the literature by showing that higher levels of advanced digitalization are associated with stronger perceived support for goals relevant to resource acquisition and to the simultaneous pursuit of social and economic objectives. These patterns are consistent with an exploratory interpretation of digitalization as a resource associated with perceived support for resource acquisition and for the simultaneous pursuit of social and economic objectives. However, the study does not directly test dependency-reduction mechanisms or reductions in tensions between institutional logics. The study also offers practical implications for policymakers and support institutions designing digital capacity-building programs for social enterprises.