Helen Haugh

Associate Professor in Community Enterprise

Research Director at the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation

BSc (UMIST), MA (Brunel University), PhD (Aberdeen University)

My research interests include organisational theory and institutional theory, social and community entrepreneurship, corporate engagement with social issues and business ethics, and ethnography. My current research investigates strategies for sustainable community asset ownership, management and use, and necessity entrepreneurship theory, practice and policy.

I’m a member of the Organisational Theory & Information Systems subject group at Cambridge Judge Business School and am Research Director for the Centre for Social Innovation.

My details

Contact details

+44 (0)1223 766592

h.haugh@jbs.cam.ac.uk

Academic area

Organisational Theory and Information Systems

Professional experience

Dr Haugh researches social and community entrepreneurship, community development and corporate responsibility. Helen has directed the MSt in Community Enterprise (2001-2008), the Tata Social Internship Scheme (2008-2011), and coordinated the Arianne de Rothschild Social Entrepreneurship Cross-Cultural Fellowship (2010-2016). Helen is currently leading a research project into re-imagining churches as community assets for the common good, and an investigation into the historical and institutional influences on community enterprise.

Previous appointments

Dr Haugh was previously a lecturer at the Centre for Entrepreneurship, Department of Management Studies, University of Aberdeen, where she taught strategic marketing, business policy, and management.

Publications

Selected publications

Journal articles

Special issues of journals

  • Ryan, A., Geiger, S., Haugh, H., Branzei, O., Gray, B.L., Lawrence, T.B., Cresswell, T., Anderson, A., Jack, S. and McKeever, E. (eds.) (2023) “Special issue on putting partnerships in their place: moral and material processes of place-based respect, repair, and renewal.” Journal of Business Ethics
  • Peredo, A.M., Haugh, H., Hudon, M. and Meyer, C. (eds.) (2020) “Special issue on mapping concepts and issues in the ethics of the commons.” Journal of Business Ethics, 166(4) (DOI: 10.1007/s10551-020-04584-4)

Book chapters

  • Alrubaishi, D., Haugh, H.M., Robson, P.J.R., Doern, R. and Wales, W.J. (2021) “Socioemotional wealth, generational involvement, and the manifestation of entrepreneurial orientation within Saudi family firms.” In: Corbett, A.C., Kreiser, P., Marino, L. and Wales, W. (eds.) Advances in entrepreneurship firm emergence and growth: vol.22: entrepreneurial orientation: epistemological, theoretical and empirical perspectives. Bingley: Emerald Publishing, pp.175-200 (DOI: 10.1108/S1074-754020210000022007)
  • Doherty, B., Haugh, H. and Lyon, F. (2020) “Strategic management tensions in hybrid organisations.” In: Billis, D. and Rochester, C. (eds.) Handbook on hybrid organisations. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, pp.237-250
  • Haugh, H. (2020) “Community interest companies.” In: List, R.A., Anheier, H.K. and Toepler, S. (eds) Encyclopaedia of civil society. Online: Springer, living edition. (DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-99675-2_9522-1)
  • Haugh, H. and Brady, A. (2020) “Community perspectives on social entrepreneurship.” In: Teasdale, S. and de Bruin, M. (eds.) Research agenda for social entrepreneurship. London: Routledge, pp.67-81. (DOI: 10.4337/9781788972321.00011)
  • Huybrechts, B., Rijpens, J., Soetens, A. and Helen Haugh, H. (2020) “Building legitimacy for hybrid organisations.” In: Billis, D. and Rochester, C. (eds.) Handbook on hybrid organisations. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, pp.407-422
  • Haugh, H. and O’Carroll, M. (2019) “Empowerment, social innovation and social change.” In: George, G., Baker, T., Tracey, P. and Joshi, H. (eds.) Handbook of inclusive innovation: the role of organizations, markets and communities in social innovation. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, pp.486-502. (DOI: 10.4337/9781786436016.00039)
  • Haugh, H., Lyon, F. and Doherty, B. (2017) “Social entrepreneurship: entrepreneurship and social value creation.” In: Blackburn, R., de Clercq, D. and Heinonen, J. (eds.) The SAGE handbook of small business and entrepreneurship. London: Sage, pp.125-142
  • Bell, B. and Haugh, H. (2016) “The emergence and institutionalization of the field of social investment in the United Kingdom.” In: Lehner, O.M. (ed.) Routledge handbook of social and sustainable finance. Abingdon: Routledge, pp.50-67
  • Bell, B. and Haugh, H. (2014) “Working for a social enterprise: an exploration of employee rewards and motivations.” In: Denny, S. and Seddon, F. (eds.) Social enterprise: accountability and evaluation around the world. Abingdon: Routledge, pp.67-84
  • Brady, A. and Haugh, H. (2014) “Social entrepreneur networks: the role of context in social networks and resource acquisition.” In: Douglas, H. and Grant, S. (eds.) Social entrepreneurship and enterprise: concepts in context. Victoria: Tilde University Press, pp.259-283

Conference papers

  • O’Carroll, M.and Haugh, H. (2006) “Social enterprise performance verification: an assessment of three social audit tools.” In Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ed.): International entrepreneurship: from local to global enterprise creation and development: Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (IEBS), 29th Annual Conference, 31 October-2 November 2006, Cardiff-Caerdydd.
  • Robson, P., Haugh, H. and Obeng, B. (2006) “The adoption of innovation in Ghana.” In: Research in Entrepreneurship (RENT) Conference, XX, 22-24 November 2006, Brussels.
  • Haugh, H. (2004) “A research agenda for social enterpreneurship.” In British Academy of Management (eds.) Management futures: British Academy of Management Annual Conference, 30 August-1 September 2004, St Andrews University, Scotland. pp.1-13
  • Haugh, H. and Tracey, P. (2004) “Role of social enterprise in regional development.” In Cambridge-MIT Institute (eds.) Social Enterprise and Regional Development Conference, 16 September 2004, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England. Cambridge: Cambridge-MIT Institute.
  • Haugh, H. (2003) “A model of the process of rural community enterprise development.” In ICSB (eds.) Proceedings of the International Council for Small Business World Conference (48th), 15-18 June 2003, Belfast, Ireland. Harrogate: ICSB World Conference 2003 Secretariat, pp.[1-20]
  • Haugh, H.M. (2003) “Entrepreneurship in the non profit sector: opportunity recognition and resource acquisition in community enterprises.” In Durham Business School (eds.) Theory, process and practice: Proceedings of the International Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation Conference, 17-19 September 2003, Durham Business School, Durham, England. Durham: Durham Business School
  • Haugh, H.M. (2001) “Rural entrepreneurship: community enterprise in the rural economy.” In Paasio, A. (ed.) Proceedings of Rent XV: Research in Entrepreneurship and Small Business (15th), 22-23 November 2001, Turku, Finland. Belgium: EIASM.
  • Haugh, H.M. and McKee, L. (2000) “Survival, independence, control: uncovering the shared values in the SME.” In Institute for Small Business Affairs (ed.) (2000) Small firms – adding the spark: Proceedings of the ISBA National Policy and Research Conference (23rd), 15-17 November 2000, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland.
  • Haugh, H.M. and Pardy, W. (1999) “Exploring a learning community.” In International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research (ed.) (1999) Proceedings of the Enterprise and Learning Conference (3rd), 11-12 November 1999, University of Paisley, Paisley, Scotland. pp.71-78

Awards and honours

  • RRBM Honor Roll (for Kim, A., Bansal, P. and Haugh, H.M. (2019) “No time like the present: how a present time perspective can foster sustainable development”), Responsible Research in Business and Management, 2025
  • Presidential Responsible Research in Management Award, co-sponsored by the Community for Responsible Research in Business and Management and The International Association for Chinese Management Research, 2022
  • Top Downloaded Paper 2018-2019 (for Davies, I.A., Haugh, H. and Chambers, L. (2020) “Barriers to social enterprise growth”), Journal of Small Business Management, 2022
  • Best Paper published in 2020 (for de la Chaux, M. and Haugh, H. (2020) “When formal institutions impede entrepreneurship: how and why refugees establish new ventures in the Dadaab refugee camps”), Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 2021
  • Best Paper Award (for de la Chaux, M., Haugh, H. and Greenwood, R. (2018) “Organizing refugee camps: revisiting total institutions”, Academy of Management Discoveries), Academy of Management, 2019
  • Nominee, EGOS Track Award (for “That’s interesting”, for Suddaby, R., Haugh, H., Doherty, B. and Huybrechts, B. (2018) “Managing the authenticity-growth dilemma in an ethical product category: the rhetorical construction of Fair Trade, 1989-2015 (Sub theme: Values, Organizations and Institutions)”, EGOS, 2018
  • Best Social Entrepreneurship Paper (for Haugh, H. and Sugar, K. (2017) “Social entrepreneur strategizing: making sense of conflicting demands”), Academy of Management, 2017
  • Finalist, OMT Best Paper on Environmental and Social Practices Award (for De la Chaux, M., Haugh, H. and Greenwood, R. (2017) “Revisiting total institutions: organizing refugee camps”), Academy of Management, 2017
  • OMT Best Paper on Environmental and Social Practices Award (for Hyeung-Sung, A.-K., Bansal, P. and Haugh, H. (2015) “Tea time: temporal coordination for sustainable development”), Academy of Management, 2015
  • Best Paper Award (for Bell, B. and Haugh, H. (2015) “Exploring institutional field emergence: insights from social investment”), Social and Sustainable Finance and Impact Investing Conference, University of Oxford, 2015
  • Best Paper Award (for Hyeung-Sung, A.K. and Haugh, H. (2012) “Sensemaking in Fairtrade”), Richard Ivey Sustainability Academy, London, Ontario, 2012

News and insights

More articles from Helen
Cotswold sheep near Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire with a church in background at sunrise.

Insight

How to reimagine the future of churches

Churches are at risk unless they find new uses for their buildings, says a report by Cambridge Judge Business School and the Diocese of Ely, lead authored by Helen Haugh of Cambridge Judge.

Read more
Illustration of multiple alarm clocks on a bright orange background.

Social impact

The ‘present’ is not only a moment in time, finds award-winning sustainability paper

A study co-authored by Helen Haugh of Cambridge Judge that finds a ‘long present’ in the thinking of African tea producers wins a Responsible Research in Management Award from the Academy of Management.

Read more
Young woman reading one of the most downloaded papers from the Journal of Small Business Management.

 

Research studies honoured

Two papers on social enterprise co-authored by Helen Haugh of Cambridge Judge Business Schools are cited by academic journals.

Read more

Media coverage

Sky News | 1 January 2023

The future of churches is at risk

The future of rural churches depends on their value to the wider community as assets, says a recent study led by Helen Haugh, Associate Professor in Community Enterprise at Cambridge Judge Business School and Research Director at the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation at Cambridge Judge.

“Evaluating the success of the church in terms of the number of funds it raises and the size of its congregation undervalues the contribution that churches and church buildings make to a community,” Helen says.

Sky News | 15 November 2022

Future of UK churches at risk unless they reimagine their buildings, report finds

A study by Helen Haugh, Associate Professor in Community Enterprise and Research Director of the Centre for Social Innovation at Cambridge Judge Business School, is featured in this “latest news” article on Sky.

According to an audit of churches carried out in Cambridgeshire and West Norfolk, a third of the UK’s church buildings cost more money each year than they are able to raise, and only one in five is financially profitable, the article says.

“Evaluating the success of the church in terms of the amount of funds it raises and the size of its congregation undervalues the contribution that churches and church buildings make to a community. There are options for churches that struggle with financial sustainability, the least preferred of which is to close the church. Our research is about finding ways to keep churches open.” Helen says.

Cambridge Independent | 17 June 2020

Cambridge Judge study helps reimagine churches for today’s communities

Dr Timur Alexandrov, Research Associate, Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation, comments on churches and the impact on their communities during COVID-19 lockdown. “Texting, messaging, emailing, video conferencing and social media channels have become some of the ways to reconnect and share holy communion,” he says. “Advice on the Church of England’s website states that church is not defined by the building but by being together.” Dr Alexandrov is working on the project ‘Reimagining churches as community assets for the common good’ together with Dr Helen Haugh, Senior Lecturer in Community Enterprise who’s leading the three-year REACH Ely project.

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