An introduction to hybrid organizing

Abstract

Chapter 1 introduces hybridity as a central concept for understanding social impact organizing in today’s complex and dynamic environment. Drawing on Eastern and Western philosophies, hybridity is presented as both a descriptive reality and strategic approach, highlighting how organizations navigate multiple, and often conflicting, logics, identities, forms, and processes. Hybrid organizing challenges conventional assumptions regarding organizational boundaries, stakeholder roles, and models of action, encouraging a more flexible and integrative view of organizing. Diverse perspectives on hybridity are explored, alongside common misunderstandings and misidentifications that can obscure its practical and theoretical value. Three arguments for the book’s view of hybridity are discussed, followed by a discussion of what hybridity is not. The authors suggest the relevance of hybrid organizing for different types of stakeholders and suggest three categories of readers. Everyday practices and organizational cases are provided as prompts for readers to reflect on their own experience with hybridity.