Chalmers (2013) approaches the concept of social innovation from the perspective of entrepreneurial and management theories, emphasizing the proactivity, risk-taking and creative thinking of individual and organizational actors.
According to the study, social innovation is not merely a collective process, but an entrepreneurial behavior that creates social value by combining resources and knowledge in new ways.

In the social entrepreneurial perspective, the innovator does not maximize profit, but social impact. However, economic rationality is essential, since the key to sustainability is the balance between market and community logic.
Chalmers describes the innovator as a “social entrepreneur” who is able to discover new market and institutional niches and utilize them for community goals.

The approach provides a theoretical background to the “social entrepreneurship” and “hybrid organization” trends, which today constitute one of the defining research areas of social innovation.
This paradigm is particularly important for institutions that seek creative solutions with limited resources while striving to create community value.