Social relationships in performing arts entrepreneurship

PurposeThe paper aims to present the importance of social relationships in cooperation among theaters in the creation of three types of values that characterize arts entrepreneurship (i.e. artistic, economic and social).Design/methodology/approachThe findings are based on qualitative research with the use of 50 semi-structured interviews conducted with 57 representatives of public and private theaters in the performing arts sector in Poland.FindingsThe research shows how social relationships among cooperating representatives of theaters are used to create three types of values that characterize performing arts entrepreneurship (i.e. artistic, economic and social). The findings reveal that theater representatives take advantage of social relationships and engage in inter-organizational cooperation in introducing various changes in their institutions. Thus, by fostering innovation, risk-taking and searching for new opportunities they adapt to the dynamic environment. The paper shows how the three groups of values of performing arts entrepreneurship are interrelated but also sometimes conflicted with one another.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is not representative as it presents the context of the analyzed theaters in Poland.Originality/valueEntrepreneurship, although a popular subject of research, has been much less frequently analyzed with regard to the creative industries, such as the performing arts. In the field of management, researchers have focused primarily on business organization entrepreneurship, excluding cultural and arts institutions such as theaters. In this context, so-called arts entrepreneurship has not yet been widely recognized. In particular, there is a lack of research showing how social relationships between cooperating partners are used in the creation of three types of values in performing arts entrepreneurship, i.e. artistic, economic and social. The article fills this gap and presents both a scientific as well as an applicative contribution.