Innovation at the Crossroads: Managing Competing Institutional Logics in Indonesia’s Impact Investing Ecosystem

Impact investing is experiencing rapid growth in Southeast Asia, with Indonesia emerging as its largest market.However, research on Indonesia and the dynamics of impact investor-investee relationships, particularly considering dual social and commercial logics, remains limited.Using multiple case studies and in-depth interviews with nine impact-investing firms and ten social enterprises, this paper explores challenges specific to Indonesia, including lack of standardization, information asymmetry, and limited localized investment.Our findings identify adaptive strategies to overcome these barriers such as adopting a constructive sensemaking process, developing a specific investment focus, conducting due and reverse due diligence, communicating and engaging effectively, and measuring social impact.This study thus advances the understanding of how institutional complexity in emerging markets can catalyze institutional innovation and provides important insights into managing dual logics within the impact investing ecosystem.