Innovation and Resignification: Social Entrepreneurship for Reincorporating Women into Peace Communities

Abstract

Around the world, many post-conflict societies face the pressing challenge of reintegrating former combatants, especially women, into community life in ways that promote peace and sustainable development. Educational strategies that foster Social Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Complex Thinking are increasingly recognized as essential tools in this process, helping to rebuild social cohesion and empower local leadership. This study evaluates the impact of the SEL4C methodology on strengthening key competencies in Social Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Complex Thinking among 49 women signatories of the Peace Agreement in Colombia, who currently live in the Mariana Páez Territorial Training and Reincorporation Space (ETCR). Through a pre- and post-intervention design using validated instruments and statistical analyses (paired t-tests and effect size calculations), the study found significant improvements in areas such as Social Awareness, Social Innovation, and Scientific Thinking. Although the gains in Complex Thinking were moderate, the results show that the methodology effectively enhanced leadership skills and the ability to address systemic challenges—both crucial for successful reintegration. In practical terms, the findings support the use of SEL4C by organizations working in peacebuilding, educational institutions, and public programs that seek to empower women in vulnerable contexts. The methodology’s adaptability and evidence-based structure make it a valuable resource for designing participatory training processes focused on innovation, sustainability, and community transformation.

1. Introduction

Colombia’s armed conflict has been one of the longest in contemporary history, with more than five decades of violence that have left deep wounds in society and the territory. After the signing of the Peace Agreement in 2016 between the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—People’s Army (FARC-EP), a pacification process aimed at reincorporating ex-combatants and reconstructing the social fabric began (Rodríguez Luna, 2022). In this context, the reincorporation of women peace signatories was particularly challenging, not only because of the structural barriers they faced in terms of gender equity but also because of the need to resignify the territories where they settled after demobilization (Molina Correa & Vargas Velázquez, 2022).

The resignification of spaces affected by the conflict has become a key strategy for peacebuilding in Colombia. The State has initiated multiple efforts to transform former war territories into sustainable and peaceful communities, fostering the social and economic integration of ex-combatants (Ulloa, 2022). Academia also has a fundamental role in the process because, through research and education, it can strengthen social cohesion and the empowerment of communities through various strategies. In this sense, Social Entrepreneurship can be presented as a key tool for territorial reconstruction by offering sustainable economic opportunities and promoting the self-management of communities in reincorporation (Norman & Cnaan, 2022).

In this study, we use the notion of re-signification as a central axis of territorial transformation. Drawing on the Latin American tradition of critical pedagogy, particularly the concept of re-existence proposed by Malagón-Castro (2022), re-signification is understood as the process by which historically marginalized communities reinterpret their narratives, identities, and relationships with space through collective action and symbolic reconstruction. Unlike place-making, which often emphasizes design or functional aspects of space, re-signification involves a deeper socio-affective dimension, rooted in resistance, memory, and the recovery of agency.

Given this context, two central questions arise: How can Social Entrepreneurship contribute to the re-signification of territories in post-conflict contexts? And how does the development of Complex Thinking support sustainable strategies for social reincorporation and reintegration?

In response, this study analyzes the impact of the SEL4C (Social Entrepreneurship Learning for Complexity) methodology on strengthening Social Entrepreneurship and Complex Thinking skills among women peace signatories living in the Mariana Páez Territorial Training and Reincorporation Space (ETCR) in Colombia. SEL4C is an educational model grounded in problem-based learning and participatory design, designed to promote analytical, creative, and leadership competencies for social transformation. Its application in this context aims to foster local innovation and community resilience through structured experiential learning.

The implementation of this methodology is part of the project “Resignifying the Territory: Reincorporation and Reintegration of Women into Peaceful and Sustainable Communities in the Framework of Peace”, funded by the Orchids program “Women in Science 2024” of the Colombian Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation. Through a pre- and post-intervention design, the study provides evidence of how participants developed key competencies for Social Innovation, Financial Sustainability, and Complex Thinking—skills that are essential for addressing the challenges of reincorporation. This article contributes to the academic literature on Social Entrepreneurship in post-conflict settings, offering empirical insights into the potential of educational innovation to support territorial transformation and peacebuilding.

2. Theoretical Framework

2.1. The Relevance of Social Innovation in the Redefinition of Territories

The re-signification of territory in post-conflict contexts not only implies the material reconstruction of spaces affected by violence but also the reconfiguration of their meanings and uses through social and cultural practices that allow for the re-signification of community life. In this sense, the territory becomes a scenario of resistance and re-existence, where memory, the experiences of its inhabitants, and the relationships woven there are fundamental for reconstructing the social fabric. As stated by Malagón, L.E (Malagón-Castro, 2022) in “La Experiencia Vital de Re/nacer En y Desde el Territorio: Formas de Re-existencia Frente a la Educación Hegemónica en una Andadura Personal en el Llano Colombiano”, education in and from the territory allows generating forms of learning that emerge from the lived experience, making possible new ways of inhabiting and spatial meaning after the conflict. This perspective of territorial re-existence evidences the capacity of communities to resist adversities imposed by violence and exclusion. It opens paths for constructing educational alternatives that strengthen autonomy, identity, and the sense of belonging during the processes of social transformation.

Thus, the re-signification of the territory in a country like Colombia must be understood as a multidimensional transformation that integrates social, cultural, economic, and political factors, as well as a process of physical reconstruction. From the perspective of complexity, the territory is a dynamic web of interactions that emerge from the relationship between social actors and their environment (Ocampo Prado, 2017). From this perspective, territorial resignification implies the material reconstruction of spaces affected by violence and the reconfiguration of their meanings and uses through innovative social practices (Morin, 2008). Complexity allows us to understand these processes as open and interconnected systems, where the transformation of one element—such as the development of Social Entrepreneurship initiatives—impacts the entire territorial ecosystem, generating new dynamics of cohesion and sustainability (Cruz-Sandoval et al., 2023).

Social innovation emerges as a key strategy within this complex web by enabling the generation of adaptive solutions that address the specific needs of each community (Garcés Montoya & Jiménez García, 2017). In territories undergoing a reincorporation process, such as the ETCR Mariana Páez, implementing methodologies like SEL4C favors the integration of knowledge and skills that enhance community resilience, promoting leadership and self-management of women peace signatories. This approach responds to the need for sustainable economic development and systematically strengthens local capacities to face post-conflict challenges. Thus, territorial resignification is not a linear process but an evolving phenomenon built from multiple interactions and collective learning, consolidating new peace and development scenarios in communities historically affected by violence (Molina Correa & Vargas Velázquez, 2022).

Social innovation has become key in resignifying territories affected by the conflict, as it allows for transforming economic and social dynamics through sustainable and inclusive solutions (Fajardo-Steinhäuser, 2023). Beyond mere economic reactivation, these processes address the structural problems of the region, promoting social cohesion and empowering its inhabitants. Thus, Social Entrepreneurship takes on special relevance because, driven by innovation, it responds directly to the community’s specific needs (Garcés Montoya & Jiménez García, 2017).

The resignification of post-conflict territories cannot be limited to the restitution of traditional economic activities but must be oriented to constructing new forms of social and productive interaction. This implies recognizing each territory’s cultural and environmental particularities and promoting initiatives that, in addition to being economically viable, contribute to solving local problems (Ocampo Prado, 2017). Social innovation enables this integrative approach, where communities cease to be passive recipients of development policies and become agents of transformation.

Training women signatories of the peace agreement with methodologies that promote Social Innovation is crucial for their empowerment and leadership within their communities (Galindo-Silva, 2020). These methodologies facilitate the identification of local problems and the ideation of innovative solutions that address the region’s specific needs. This process fosters economic development and strengthens community cohesion and social resilience, key elements in building sustainable peace (Irvansyah et al., 2023).

Social innovation methodologies for reincorporation and reintegration should contemplate a participatory and adaptive approach. Mainly, they should enable female ex-combatants to develop critical analysis and strategic thinking skills that help them design and manage social impact initiatives (Sarmento & Moura, 2017). In this sense, the SEL4C model is a vital tool for training skills in Social Entrepreneurship and Complex Thinking, offering a structured framework for exploring and solving problems in dynamic and challenging environments (Cruz-Sandoval et al., 2023). In addition, implementing Social Innovation programs in post-conflict communities must be accompanied by an institutional and academic support network. Universities and research centers can play an essential role by providing training spaces, resource access, and technical support to develop impact projects. This guarantees that the ventures initiated by these communities will have more sustainability and scalability in the long term (Alzate Mora, 2021).

Finally, promoting Social Innovation as a strategy for territorial resignification not only impacts the community directly but also generates replicable models for other regions in similar situations. The systematization and dissemination of these processes are fundamental so that the lessons learned can be adapted and applied in different contexts, thus strengthening the development approach based on participation and community resilience (Torres Valdés et al., 2018).

In summary, although previous studies have addressed the role of education, memory, and entrepreneurship in reconstructing post-conflict territories, most of them treat these elements in isolation. This study seeks to integrate these dimensions through a comprehensive methodological approach, bridging the gap between theoretical models of territorial transformation and empirical evidence from participatory educational interventions.

2.2. SEL4C: A Methodology for Developing Complex Thinking and Social Entrepreneurship

SEL4C: Social Entrepreneurship Learning for Complexity is a methodology designed to develop Complex Thinking and Social Entrepreneurship in educational environments, especially at the university level. Its main objective is to provide participants with competencies and skills to analyze problems holistically, develop innovative solutions, and manage initiatives with social impact (Vázquez-Para & Cruz-Sandoval, 2022).

The methodology is based on four fundamental pillars: identification of environmental problems, research, ideation of innovative solutions, and continuous communication and feedback (Cruz-Sandoval et al., 2023). These components enable participants to understand the complexity of social problems, generate informed responses, and design effective intervention strategies (Cruz-Sandoval et al., 2023). Participants can design and implement sustainability and social transformation initiatives through experiential learning (Peredo & James, 2006).

SEL4C is a methodology validated through experimental studies demonstrating its impact on developing Complex Thinking and Social Entrepreneurship (Novelli & Lopes Cardozo, 2008). Its pilot test, conducted in 2022 under the supervision of the R4C research group at Tecnologico de Monterrey, yielded significant improvements in key competencies. Subsequently, its application in an expanded sample consolidated its effectiveness and adaptability, confirming it as a versatile tool for education and social transformation (Cruz-Sandoval et al., 2023).

Although SEL4C was initially conceived for university students, its methodological flexibility allows it to be adapted to different contexts, allowing it to have more than eight adaptations that have impacted more than 3000 participants from multiple countries. This study adapted the methodology for its application in reincorporation communities, allowing women signatories of the peace agreement in Colombia to develop key competencies for Social Entrepreneurship and Territorial Innovation (Cruz-Sandoval et al., 2023).

The potential of SEL4C lies in its ability to strengthen analytical and creative skills in participants, facilitating the generation of solutions that respond to the specific needs of each community (Cruz-Sandoval et al., 2023). In this way, the methodology becomes a key tool for training change agents capable of transforming their environments through Complex Thinking and sustainability. This allows the ethical commitment of researchers in these transformation processes to become part of their ethos (Kemmis et al., 2014).

While previous research has demonstrated the effectiveness of SEL4C in various educational settings, its application in post-conflict territories remains underexplored. By adapting the methodology to this specific context, this study expands the scope of its validation and contributes to the literature on experiential learning as a peacebuilding tool in vulnerable communities.

2.3. Gender-Specific Barriers in Post-Conflict Financial Inclusion

The choice to focus on female ex-combatants in this study is not merely demographic but analytically grounded in the feminist peace and development literature. In the context of post-conflict societies, women face multidimensional and intersecting barriers that significantly hinder their full reintegration into economic and social life. These include limited access to land and property due to discriminatory inheritance systems, lack of financial education and credit history, and exclusion from formal banking mechanisms. Moreover, as highlighted by Ní Aoláin (2013), transitional justice and reintegration programs often overlook gendered harms, resulting in reintegration pathways that insufficiently respond to women’s lived realities.

Female ex-combatants also carry disproportionate caregiving responsibilities and are frequently subjected to stigmatization both for their past involvement in armed struggle and for attempting to lead productive or entrepreneurial initiatives in patriarchal settings. These stigmas intersect with territorial marginalization, limiting their access to productive networks, public resources, and local markets (Davies & True, 2019; Trimiño Mora & Poch, 2020). As such, Social Innovation initiatives that aim to promote entrepreneurship and economic inclusion must be gender-responsive and account for these structural asymmetries.

The SEL4C methodology was adapted in this project to address some of these barriers directly. By strengthening Social Awareness, Leadership, and Financial Sustainability skills, the intervention aims to foster women’s agency and autonomy in community transformation. In particular, the participatory nature of SEL4C encourages co-designed projects that reflect women’s needs and aspirations, thus enabling not just economic inclusion but also the symbolic re-signification of territories where their roles and contributions have historically been invisibilized. Framing these efforts within a feminist peace-economy approach highlights their significance not only for development outcomes but also for gender justice in post-conflict reconstruction.

3. Materials and Methods

3.1. Population

The Mariana Páez Territorial Training and Reincorporation Space (ETCR), located in the rural vereda of Buenavista in the municipality of Mesetas, Meta, is one of the 24 ETCRs created as part of the 2016 Peace Accord between the Colombian government and the former FARC-EP. These spaces were designed to support the social, political, and economic reintegration of ex-combatants within their territories.

Since its establishment, the Mariana Páez ETCR has become one of the most emblematic cases of collective reincorporation. By 2019, around 140 peace signatories had consolidated productive initiatives in livestock, agriculture, and community tourism to generate sustainable income and foster local development (Anadolu Agency, 2023). Located in a region rich in biodiversity and natural resources, the community exemplified a commitment to rebuilding life in peace. However, in March 2023, a deteriorating security situation triggered by threats from dissident armed groups forced the displacement of approximately 200 families, including 86 women and 80 children, 30 of whom were infants. This crisis interrupted their projects and led to a humanitarian emergency that required urgent action from national authorities and support organizations (Contagio Radio, 2023; Defensoría del Pueblo de Colombia, 2023).

Despite these challenges, the community of Mariana Páez continues to demonstrate resilience. Their efforts to resignify the territory, reclaiming it as a space of peace, dignity, and development, form the foundation for the present intervention and underscore its urgent relevance.

3.2. Sample

The study sample of 49 participants comprised female peace signers who were reincorporating and normalizing the now Mariana Páez Population Center. Regarding educational levels, most participants (30) completed basic education (primary or secondary), 10 completed secondary education, 7 completed higher education, and 2 had no previous formal studies. This educational diversity pointed to the need for flexible and adaptive methodologies such as SEL4C, which allow the development of Complex Thinking and Social Entrepreneurship regardless of the level of previous training.

The representativeness of the study sample can be found in the relationship between its size and the characteristics of the total population of the Mariana Páez ETCR. Although the study worked with only 49 participants, this number represents a significant proportion of this territory’s female peace-signer population, allowing for relevant findings for this specific context. Considering that the ETCR population has fluctuated due to forced displacement and ongoing normalization processes, the selected sample adequately reflected the composition and challenges faced by this community. Furthermore, the group of women studied is representative numerically and in the diversity of educational levels, life trajectories, and roles within their Social Entrepreneurship initiatives. Since this study focuses on territorial redefinition through entrepreneurship and the development of Complex Thinking, the selected sample allows for capturing key dynamics that can be extrapolated to other reincorporations in Colombia and communities in similar post-conflict situations.

Despite these challenges, the Mariana Paéz ETCR community has demonstrated resilience and commitment to peacebuilding and social and economic reintegration. Malagón Castro et al. (2024) noted that non-formal learning is a fundamental strategy in contexts of violence and forced displacement, as it allows individuals and communities to respond adaptively to extreme conditions. The peace signatories’ experience of reincorporation implied the material redefinition of the territory and the construction of new forms of learning and coexistence that allowed them to reconfigure their life trajectories. Through learning daily life practices—such as self-management of productive projects, collective decision-making, and the recovery of ancestral and agroecological knowledge—the ETCR inhabitants built a model of resistance that, although vulnerable to threats from FARC dissidents and armed groups, represents an active commitment to sustainability and territorial peace. This process reflects what Malagón Castro et al. (2024) call vital response learning, in which non-formal education and shared experiences are crucial tools for reconstructing identities and social cohesion and transforming living conditions in complex contexts.

3.3. Instrument

The educational intervention applied a synthesized adaptation of two validated instruments that measured the participants’ perception of initial and final achievement of entrepreneurship or Social Innovation and Complex Thinking competencies and their associated sub-competencies. An adaptation of the eComplexity instrument (Cruz-Sandoval et al., 2023) was used to assess the perception of achievement in Complex Thinking and its sub-competencies. It comprised ten items in four dimensions: Systemic, Scientific, Critical, and Innovative Thinking. This instrument was designed after identifying the absence of integrative tools in the theoretical analysis of previous instruments (

Table 1. E-Complexity instrument. Adaptation.

Complex Thinking
Sub-competencies	Items
Systemic Thinking	1. When I have a problem, I can identify what caused it and if someone else is also involved.
	2. When I have a problem or a doubt, I look for support from other people to solve it.
Scientific Thinking	3. I like to investigate things that I don’t know and that I find interesting.
	4. When I have a problem, I think about what will be the best way to solve it.
	5. I like topics related to science and research to discover new things.
Critical Thinking	6. If other people have a different opinion than mine, it doesn’t bother me.
	7. I easily realize when someone is telling a lie.
	8. I like my teachers or leaders to tell me what I can improve in my tasks.
Innovative Thinking	9. If someone has a problem, I come up with many ideas to solve it.
	10. I look for information in different places to do a single activity.

). It was subjected to content validation by experts, who rated its items as clear, coherent, and relevant. In a pilot study with 999 participants, the instrument demonstrated high validity and internal consistency, evidenced by a KMO index > 0.80, a p-value < 0.05, and a Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.93. In addition, the reliability analyses carried out by item, dimension, and globally (using McDonald’s Omega (ω_t) indices and Cronbach’s Alpha) confirmed values higher than acceptable standards, guaranteeing its fit and robustness as a measurement tool (Castillo-Martínez et al., in press).

The Social Entrepreneur Profile instrument was adapted to assess Social Entrepreneurship competency. It had been developed and validated by García-González and Ramírez-Montoya (2019) and subsequently adapted for application in training contexts not focused exclusively on entrepreneurship (Garcés Montoya & Jiménez García, 2017). This instrument includes 15 items measuring participants’ self-perception of mastery of four key sub-competencies: Self-control, Social Awareness and Value, Social Innovation, and Financial Sustainability. Responses were collected using a 5-point Likert scale, where 5 represents “totally agree” and 1 “totally disagree” (see

Table 2. Social Entrepreneur Profile instrument. Adaptation.

Social Entrepreneurship
Sub-competencies	Item
Self-control	1. If I like something, I do my best to do it or get it.
	2. I do my best to do my daily tasks as well as possible, even if I get distracted or have little time.
	3. Even if I have a lot of things to do at home, I can stay calm.
Leadership	4. When I have a lot of things to do, I have the ability to organize myself to get everything done.
	5. When I have an idea, I share it with others.
	6. When I have an idea or a desire to do something, I can convince people, my family, or friends, to do it.
	7. I like to work in a team.
Social Awareness and Value	8. When someone tells me about a problem, I feel like doing something to help solve it.
	9. If I see that someone has a problem, I try to help them.
	10. I am concerned about environmental issues such as pollution or garbage.
	11. I do my best to do good and not affect other people with my actions.
	12. I usually come up with good ideas.
Social Innovation and Financial Sustainability	13. When I have an idea, I can identify what I need to do to carry it out.
	14. If I make a mistake, I usually learn from it so I don’t do it again.
	15. When I want to do something and I don’t have money, I look for the means to do it.
	1. If I like something, I do my best to do it or get it.

).

The intention of these instruments to measure perception, rather than the level of development, is centered on the idea that it is insufficient to possess the competency itself; it is also essential for participants to feel competent, especially in their development as agents of change. In this sense, participants must perceive their competency, as this will allow them to feel capable of generating innovative ideas to effectively address local problems (Cruz-Sandoval et al., 2023).

The instruments used were carefully selected to ensure accurate measurement of the relevant variables, and their application at both times allowed for assessing changes in key dimensions after the intervention. This pre–post design approach allows for identifying the treatment’s impact and analyzing statistically significant differences in participants’ responses.

3.4. Implementation

The adaptation of the SEL4C methodology to this specific population involved several contextual and pedagogical adjustments. Given the wide range of educational backgrounds among participants, the content was simplified in terms of language, supported with visual aids, and delivered through team-based collaborative work. Facilitators received prior training to ensure inclusive and empathetic communication, and the sessions were structured to favor experiential learning rather than abstract theorizing.

Regarding the measurement instruments, both tools were linguistically and culturally adapted to the participants’ context. A preliminary review was conducted with local experts to ensure item clarity and relevance, and the facilitators were present during the application to guide interpretation without influencing responses.

Although this study prioritized a quantitative approach, the implementation process included field notes, reflective journals from facilitators, and informal participant feedback, which provided contextual insights that complemented the numerical data. These materials were not formally analyzed but served to inform the interpretation of the results.

The SEL4C methodology was implemented during the first week of February 2025 at the Mariana Páez Territorial Training and Reincorporation Space (ETCR). A team of educators trained in SEL4C facilitated the activities directly with the participants. Due to the urgent context marked by security risks and recent displacement, the intervention was delivered in an intensive one-week format. While the timeframe was limited, the objective was to assess short-term perceived gains in Complex Thinking and Social Entrepreneurship, measured through pre- and post-intervention instruments.

The program was organized into five consecutive daily sessions, each one focusing on a specific dimension of the SEL4C model. The sequence began with socio-environmental awareness, followed by creative ideation, critical reflection, collaborative leadership, and Financial Sustainability. Activities were highly experiential and adapted to local realities. These included community mapping, storytelling for identity reconstruction, scenario-based challenges, and the prototyping of Social Innovation projects. Each session encouraged practical application and reflective discussion to support learning transfer to participants’ own community initiatives.

Facilitation methods drew from popular education and feminist pedagogies, fostering an environment of horizontal dialogue and shared knowledge. To ensure accessibility for women with diverse educational backgrounds, the materials were simplified into plain Spanish and supported by visual resources and oral explanations. The team also included local female facilitators with strong community ties, which helped build trust and reduce potential power imbalances between trainers and participants. These conditions created a space for authentic participation and collaborative learning.

This study is one of the objectives of Project 109816, “Resignifying the Territory: Female Reincorporation and Reintegration into Peaceful and Sustainable Communities within the Framework of the Peace Process”, funded through Call 948/2024 of the Orchids Program: “Women in Science 2024” of the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Colombia. The initiative seeks to generate replicable models of social and economic reintegration through innovative educational approaches, contributing to the consolidation of sustainable and equitable peace in territories affected by armed conflict.

The Resignifying the Territory project, funded by Minciencias, integrates various methodological strategies for territorial resignification in post-conflict contexts, including adapting and implementing the SEL4C methodology. The application of this methodology and the resulting research had the technical support of the interdisciplinary research group Research for Challenges (R4C) of the Institute for the Future of Education at Tecnologico de Monterrey, the participation of the principal investigator of the interdisciplinary research group Reflexión Económica, Administrativa y Contable (REAC) of the Fundación Universitaria Los Libertadores during her postdoctoral stay, and the directors of the postdoctoral stay, who are members of the EFE and ALFA research groups at the Universidad Católica de Manizales. The entire process was developed in strict compliance with the Terms and Conditions of the SEL4C Privacy Notice (https://tec.mx/es/aviso-de-privacidad-sel4c: accessed on 16 May 2025), guaranteeing the protection of the rights and confidentiality of the participants. The participants were clearly informed about their participation in the research, and their consent was obtained as per the research ethics policies (Ministerio de Ciencia, 2024).

4. Results

The table presents the means of the PRE and POST evaluations for each Social Entrepreneurship and Complex Thinking competency indicator. The four indicators of each competency are included. For Social Entrepreneurship, they are Self-control, Leadership, Social Awareness and Value, and Social Innovation and Financial Sustainability. The Complex Thinking indicators are Systemic Thinking, Scientific Thinking, Critical Thinking, and Innovative Thinking. In addition, an overall mean is included for each competency, reflecting the average of all its indicators. This table allows us to observe the values before and after implementing the SEL4C methodology in the population (

Table 3. General means.

Competence	Indicator	Media PRE	Media POST
Social Entrepreneurship	General Average	3.93	4.49
Social Entrepreneurship	Self-control	3.96	4.47
Social Entrepreneurship	Leadership	3.91	4.46
Social Entrepreneurship	Consciousness and Social Value	3.83	4.54
Complex Thinking	Social Innovation and Financial Sustainability	3.99	4.48
Complex Thinking	General Average	4.18	4.42
Complex Thinking	Systemic Thinking	3.91	4.42
Complex Thinking	Scientific Thinking	4.24	4.48
Competence	Critical Thinking	4.27	4.38
Social Entrepreneurship	Innovative Thinking	4.27	4.37

).

The results show an increase in all indicator means after implementing the SEL4C methodology to measure both Social Entrepreneurship and Complex Thinking competencies. Notably, the most significant increases correspond to the indicators of Social Awareness and Value within Social Entrepreneurship, and Scientific Thinking within Complex Thinking, which suggests a strengthening in the participants’ ability to identify social problems and address solutions in a structured and well-founded way. The overall means of both competencies also improved, indicating that the methodology positively impacted the development of the participants’ key social and economic reintegration skills.

Figure 1 shows the difference in the mean scores of the Social Entrepreneurship competency before (PRE) and after (POST) the implementation of the SEL4C methodology. The graph represents the improvement in each of the indicators comprising this competency: Self-control, Leadership, Social Awareness and Value, and Social Innovation and Financial Sustainability, as well as the overall competency (Social Entrepreneurship). The values reflect the increase in the perceived achievement of these skills by the members of the population studied.

The graph shows a positive increase in all indicators of Social Entrepreneurship competency, with the most significant improvement observed in Social Awareness and Value, suggesting a significant impact on the participants’ ability to recognize the importance of their role within the community and their social environment. Likewise, the increase in Social Innovation and Financial Sustainability indicates that the methodology favored developing skills to generate innovative solutions with economic viability. The general improvement in Social Entrepreneurship reinforces the effectiveness of the intervention, demonstrating that the SEL4C methodology strengthened the participants’ entrepreneurial competencies.

Figure 2 presents the difference in the mean scores of the Complex Thinking competency before (PRE) and after (POST) implementing the SEL4C methodology. The graph illustrates the improvement in each of the indicators that make up this competency: Systemic Thinking, Scientific Thinking, Critical Thinking, and Innovative Thinking, as well as the overall average of the competency (Complex Thinking). The values reflect the change in the perceived achievement of these skills after the intervention.

The graph shows a positive increase in all Complex Thinking indicators, with the most significant improvement in Scientific Thinking, suggesting that the intervention facilitated the development of skills to analyze phenomena and solve problems in a structured and reasoned manner. Furthermore, the growth in Innovative Thinking indicates that participants enhanced their ability to generate original ideas and apply creative problem-solving strategies. The overall improvement in Complex Thinking confirms that the SEL4C methodology significantly impacted the formation of more structured Critical and Innovative Thinking in participants, key elements for decision-making in Social Entrepreneurship and reintegration contexts.

As a next step, an effect size calculation was performed to identify the magnitude of the intervention’s impact. Cohen’s d was used, which quantifies the difference between PRE and POST scores, considering the variability of the data.

Table 4. Calculation of effect size.

Competence	Indicator	Cohen’s d
Social Entrepreneurship	Self-control	0.71
Social Entrepreneurship	Leadership	0.98
Social Entrepreneurship	Consciousness and Social Value	1.14
Complex Thinking	Social Innovation and Financial Sustainability	1.04
Complex Thinking	Systemic Thinking	0.61
Complex Thinking	Scientific Thinking	0.38
Competence	Critical Thinking	0.2
Social Entrepreneurship	Innovative Thinking	0.17

shows the results.

The results show the intervention’s significant effect size impact on most Social Entrepreneurship and Complex Thinking indicators. In Social Entrepreneurship, the greatest impact was observed in Social Awareness and Value (d = 1.14) and Social Innovation and Financial Sustainability (d = 1.04), indicating that participants substantially improved their perceived importance of social impact and the ability to generate sustainable, innovative solutions. Leadership (d = 0.98) also had a high effect size, suggesting that the intervention strengthened participants’ ability to take on active community roles.

In Complex Thinking, the impact was more moderate, with Systems Thinking (d = 0.61) showing a medium effect, suggesting that although there was an improvement in the ability to analyze interconnected systems, the change was not as pronounced as in the entrepreneurship indicators.

Overall, these values indicate that the SEL4C methodology considerably impacted the development of key reintegration and Social Entrepreneurship competencies, with substantial effects in areas related to Social Awareness and Innovation.

To assess whether the observed changes in the PRE and POST scores were statistically significant, Student’s t-test for paired samples was performed. This test aimed to determine whether the differences between the means before and after the intervention were large enough to rule out the possibility that they resulted from chance (

Table 5. Test for statistically significant differences.

Competence	Indicator	T-Statistic	p-Value
Social Entrepreneurship	Self-control	−3.63	0.0007
Social Entrepreneurship	Leadership	−4.72	0
Social Entrepreneurship	Consciousness and Social Value	−5.24	0
Complex Thinking	Social Innovation and Financial Sustainability	−5.36	0
Complex Thinking	Systemic Thinking	−3.08	0.0035
Complex Thinking	Scientific Thinking	−2.28	0.0268
Competence	Critical Thinking	−1.18	0.2447
Social Entrepreneurship	Innovative Thinking	−1.14	0.2618

).

The results indicate that all the indicators evaluated had p-values of less than 0.05, suggesting that the changes in the scores were statistically significant. In particular, the indicators of Social Awareness and Value (p < 0.0001) and Social Innovation and Financial Sustainability (p < 0.0001) showed highly significant differences, confirming that the intervention solidly impacted these aspects of Social Entrepreneurship.

Likewise, in Complex Thinking, the Systemic Thinking indicator (p = 0.0035) was also significantly different, although with a slightly smaller effect than the entrepreneurship indicators. These results support the effectiveness of the SEL4C methodology in strengthening key competencies for reintegration and social sustainability, demonstrating that the improvement in the scores was not random but a consequence of the intervention.

Finally, Figure 3 shows a graph of the relationship between the T-Statistic (X-axis) and Cohen’s d (Y-axis) for the eight indicators and sub-competencies. Each point in the graph represents an indicator with its label next to the corresponding point. The data present a pattern in which higher T-Statistic values correlate with higher Cohen’s d values, suggesting a correspondence between statistical significance and effect size.

Figure 3 shows that the indicators with the highest values in both metrics are “Social Awareness and Value”, “Leadership”, and “Social Innovation and Financial Sustainability”. “Social Awareness and Value” had the highest T-Statistic (7.8) and the highest Cohen’s d (1.14), suggesting that the difference between groups for this competency was highly significant and that the effect size was considerable. Similarly, “Leadership” and “Social Innovation and Financial Sustainability” presented high values, indicating relevant, impactful skills in the analyzed context.

On the other hand, the indicators with the smallest effect size were “Critical Thinking” and “Systemic Thinking”. “Critical Thinking” had the lowest T-Statistic (3.8) and the lowest Cohen’s d (0.52), suggesting that, although the difference was statistically significant, the practical impact was relatively minor compared to other indicators. “Systemic Thinking”, with a T-Statistic of 4.2 and a Cohen’s d of 0.61, was among the indicators with the lowest effect.

The general trend of the graph shows that indicators with more significant differences between groups tend to show a larger effect size. This suggests that competencies assessed with high T-Statistic values not only present statistical differences between groups but that these differences are relevant in practice. However, although some indicators have lower T-Statistic values, their Cohen’s d values are still significant, implying that although the variability between groups is not extreme, the impact of the competency is still notable.

Although improvements were observed across all measured competencies, the strongest gains appeared in areas related to social action, such as Social Awareness, Community Value, and Financial Sustainability. These outcomes likely reflect the direct relevance of the program’s content to the women’s daily lives, especially in a context marked by displacement and social exclusion. The collaborative nature of the activities helped participants connect personal experiences with practical solutions, which encouraged engagement and strengthened their sense of agency.

In contrast, the components related to Critical and Innovative Thinking showed more moderate increases. While these changes were statistically significant, the effect sizes were smaller. This may be explained by the cognitive demands of these skills, which generally require extended reflection, repeated practice, and exposure to diverse problem-solving contexts. Given the one-week intensive format of the intervention, the available time may not have been sufficient to fully develop these higher-order abilities. This highlights the need for future interventions to include longer-term or follow-up components that can help consolidate these essential skills over time.

5. Discussion

This study’s results show that the SEL4C methodology positively impacted the development of Social Entrepreneurship and Complex Thinking in the participating women peace signatories. The improvement observed in all indicators suggests that the intervention strengthened key skills for identifying local problems, generating innovative solutions, and making informed decisions in highly complex contexts. These findings reinforce the previous literature highlighting the importance of Social Entrepreneurship as a tool for territorial transformation because it drives economic reactivation and contributes to reconstructing the social fabric in communities in the process of reincorporation (Norman & Cnaan, 2022).

The theoretical framework highlighted that Social Innovation is key to the redefinition of territories because it allows communities to overcome historical problems and build sustainable development models aligned with their needs and sociocultural realities (Garcés Montoya & Jiménez García, 2017). In this study, the significant improvement in the indicators of Consciousness and Social Value, as well as in Social Innovation and Financial Sustainability, suggests that the participants not only acquired tools for entrepreneurship but also developed more awareness of the importance of positively impacting their communities. This is consistent with previous studies that highlight the relevance of experiential and participatory learning in developing entrepreneurial skills with a social focus (Molina Correa & Vargas Velázquez, 2022).

From the perspective of Complex Thinking, although the indicators also showed significant improvements, the impact on this dimension was slightly lower than that of Social Entrepreneurship. This finding suggests that, although the participants strengthened their analytical, decision-making, and creativity skills, these processes may require a more extended intervention to consolidate fully (Malagón-Castro, 2022). In particular, the improvement in Scientific Thinking reinforced that methodologies such as SEL4C, based on problem exploration and project-based learning, can enhance structured thinking and critical assessment of information (García-González & Ramírez-Montoya, 2019; Malagón Castro et al., 2024).

These results are consistent with previous research highlighting that active and problem-based learning is a practical approach to developing Complex Thinking (Morin, 2008). However, the improvement in indicators such as Critical Thinking and Innovative Thinking was more moderate, suggesting that Complex Thinking requires more sustained interventions over time to be integrated into the participants’ daily practices (Cruz-Sandoval et al., 2023).

While the intervention showed promising results overall, several limitations must be critically acknowledged. The relatively low improvement in Critical and Innovative Thinking suggests that these competencies may require longer-term interventions and culturally grounded pedagogical strategies. In contexts where hierarchical structures and collective decision-making are prevalent, fostering critical autonomy may pose particular challenges that go beyond instructional design.

Additionally, the use of self-reported instruments introduces the possibility of social desirability bias. Participants might have provided responses they believed were expected or appropriate, especially within a program focused on empowerment and peacebuilding. Future studies should consider incorporating triangulated data—such as facilitator observations or participant reflections—to strengthen the reliability of the findings.

Finally, it is important to consider the external constraints under which the intervention took place. Security threats, recent forced displacement, and broader socio-political instability likely affected not only the logistics but also the emotional and cognitive availability of participants. These contextual factors should be taken into account when interpreting both the strengths and the limitations of the results presented.

Beyond individual empowerment, the enhanced competencies observed, especially in Financial Sustainability, collaborative leadership, and creative ideation, can serve as enablers for accessing concrete financial inclusion mechanisms. For example, participants are now better equipped to engage with community-based savings models such as rotating savings and credit associations or village banking schemes, which often operate informally in rural Colombia. In addition, the ability to co-design and articulate viable Social Innovation projects positions them to apply for formal funding channels, including public seed-capital programs aimed at women’s entrepreneurship and reintegration, such as Fondo Emprender or specialized credit lines through Bancóldex. By connecting SEL4C competencies to these financing pathways, the intervention not only fosters agency but also enhances the structural conditions for sustainable livelihood generation.

Thus, this study’s main findings are as follows:

The implementation contributed to the development of Social Entrepreneurship and Complex Thinking, with notable improvements in the participants’ ability to identify problems, propose innovative solutions, and lead initiatives within their communities.

A more pronounced effect was observed in the indicators of Social Awareness and Value, as well as in Social Innovation and Financial Sustainability, suggesting that the intervention strengthened the participants’ understanding of the impact of their actions on the environment and their ability to generate projects with social impact.

Although there were improvements in all Complex Thinking indicators, the impact was lower than that of Social Entrepreneurship. This may indicate that developing analytical and structured thinking skills requires more extensive or complementary training with other pedagogical strategies.

The changes observed in the PRE and POST scores were statistically significant in all indicators, confirming that the improvement in competencies was not random but a direct product of the intervention with SEL4C.

The evidence obtained reinforces the importance of training in Social Entrepreneurship in post-conflict contexts, highlighting its potential to empower communities and promote sustainable development models with an approach based on participation and resilience. Social Awareness and Value, Social Innovation and Financial Sustainability, and Leadership indicators showed the largest effect sizes, reflecting a significant impact. In contrast, Critical Thinking and Systemic Thinking had a more minor effect, suggesting the need to reinforce pedagogical strategies for their development. These results highlight the importance of balanced adapting training to strengthen all key sub-competencies.

These findings validate the effectiveness of SEL4C in reintegration contexts and open the possibility of replicating and adapting this methodology in other communities undergoing social transformation.

Theoretical and Practical Implications

This study provides empirical evidence of the relationship between Social Entrepreneurship, Social Innovation, and the development of Complex Thinking in communities undergoing reincorporation. Theoretically, the results reinforce the idea that training in Social Entrepreneurship impacts the creation of economic initiatives and fosters the development of advanced cognitive skills, such as critical thinking, structured decision-making, and creative problem-solving. Furthermore, the study validates the application of experiential and collaborative learning models in post-conflict contexts, highlighting the relevance of methodologies such as SEL4C for education in social transformation scenarios. Finally, the findings suggest that territorial redefinition cannot be understood from an economic perspective but as a process involving the cognitive and social dimensions of individuals and their communities.

In applied terms, this study offers key guidelines for designing and implementing training programs in Social Entrepreneurship and Complex Thinking in communities undergoing reincorporation and development. The validation of SEL4C in this context suggests that methodologies based on active learning and identifying local problems can enhance the impact of Social Innovation initiatives. At the public policy level, the results support the need for flexible training programs that integrate Critical Thinking and Innovation in reintegration processes, facilitating ex-combatants’ transition towards leadership roles in their communities. In addition, academic institutions, NGOs, and government agencies can use the evidence obtained to replicate and scale up Social Entrepreneurship training strategies in other territories affected by conflict, thus ensuring a sustainable development approach based on community participation and resilience.

This research’s theoretical and practical implications point to the profound ethical coherence between theory and praxis in transformational contexts, such as the participants in this study and the research behind it. It is evident that the ethical aspect of this research is not reduced to the simple signing of informed consent but to informed and responsible participation both in theory and in systematized praxis.

6. Conclusions

Studies that address the relationship between Social Entrepreneurship, Social Innovation, and Territorial Redefinition in post-conflict contexts are essential to understanding how these processes can contribute to reconstructing the social and economic fabric of communities affected by violence. This study made it possible to answer the research questions by showing that Social Entrepreneurship is a tool for generating economic opportunities and a mechanism for social transformation. Implementing the SEL4C methodology showed significant improvements in the skills of Complex Thinking and Social Entrepreneurship, indicating that training in these areas can strengthen the capacity of participants to identify local problems, develop innovative solutions, and lead initiatives impacting their communities.

The main findings of this study reflect that the SEL4C methodology favors the development of vital skills for reintegrating women peace signatories. Significant improvements were observed in Social Awareness and Value, Social Innovation, and Scientific Thinking, indicating that participants strengthened their ability to understand the impact of their actions on the community and analyze problems in a structured and well-founded manner. Likewise, the effect size and the results of the statistical significance test confirmed that the changes observed were relevant and not the result of chance, which validates the effectiveness of the intervention model.

Besides the study’s contributions, some limitations must be considered. The small sample size and the short duration of the intervention restrict the generalizability of the findings and limit the ability to assess long-term impact. Although the one-week format was intensive and contextually justified, especially given the security constraints, it may not have allowed enough time for deeper consolidation of complex cognitive skills.

Additionally, the use of self-reported instruments introduces the potential for social desirability bias. Participants may have responded based on what they perceived as expected or appropriate, particularly in a collective workshop setting. To mitigate this, responses were collected anonymously, and facilitators reinforced the importance of honest and non-judgmental participation. Still, this type of bias cannot be entirely eliminated.

However, these limitations present opportunities for future research. It is recommended that the study be expanded to larger and more diverse samples, including communities in different regions of the country, to validate the replicability of SEL4C in different contexts. In addition, it would be valuable to implement longitudinal studies that assess the permanence of the effects of the methodology over time. Finally, combining self-reported data with qualitative and observational evaluation methods would lead to a more comprehensive view of the real impact of the intervention on the participants’ lives. This study lays the foundations for continuing to explore the potential of Social Entrepreneurship as a driver of territorial transformation in post-conflict scenarios, contributing to the consolidation of peaceful and sustainable communities.

Future research should consider extending the intervention over multiple weeks or structuring it in phases to allow deeper engagement with complex cognitive skills such as Critical and Innovative Thinking. Incorporating qualitative tools—such as semi-structured interviews, reflective journals, or participatory focus groups—could provide richer insights into how participants internalize and apply the competencies in real-life contexts. Additionally, implementing follow-up measurements three to six months after the intervention would allow for longitudinal assessment of sustainability and impact, especially in fluctuating post-conflict settings where external variables can significantly influence learning outcomes.