From ‘Dirty Boots’ to ‘Distant Friends’: How A Colombian Social Intermediary Integrates Communities through Entrepreneurship

Andrea Caldwell Marquez, Emily Block, Kelly Rubey, Viva Ona Bartkus

Journal of Management Studies · 2026 · Volume 63 · Issue 1

Abstract

Through an abductive qualitative case study of a Colombian peacebuilding NGO, we explore how social intermediaries facilitate the integration of fragmented ex-combatant and campesino communities. Our analysis reveals a three-stage process by which the social intermediary simultaneously engages in enterprise-focused and community-focused activities to transform loosely connected ‘communities of circumstance’ into tightly integrated ‘communities of choice’. First, the intermediary uses ‘dirty boots’ to establish itself as a trusted,shared relationshipbetween communities. It then employs an ‘accompaniment’ approach to cultivateshared spaces,shared practices, andshared interestsamong community members engaging in collective entrepreneurial activities. Finally, it shifts to ‘distant friends’ as it encourages communities to embrace ashared futuretogether. By clarifying how intermediaries can use entrepreneurship as a force for community integration, particularly within necessity contexts of conflict and poverty, we contribute to research on social intermediaries, communities, and entrepreneurship as a tool to address grand challenges.

Keywords

communities, entrepreneurship, grand challenges, social intermediaries

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