objects/social-entrepreneurism.html

Social Entrepreneurism Applied to Environmental Problems

Ecological, environmental, social, and economic probelms are all linked

wicked problems: values are changing as more is known

no set structure for solving these problems

Social entrepreneurism is needed to create value in these uncertain and changing situations

in part to account for the social benefits that are linked to improving environmental or economic conditions

Social entrepreneurs use groups and networks of groups to address problems

"grass roots"

very effective at choosing key problems

individuals and groups learn, and that learning transforms the network also

The collective action of all of these groups and networks is seen as a movement (Hawken 2007)

more people working together to achieve their shared objectives

 

References and links:

problem-types-action.html

wicked problems

Net Work: the purpose of networks

Multiple Perspectives Framework

Text:

Many environmental problems are inextricably linked to social and economic issues and there is no single coherent order of preferences by the people involved. In these situations the nature of the problem can change, in fact is supposed to change, as new information or technology become available or the publics' values change. These are known as wicked problems.

Social entrerpreneurship is important in these situations for two reasons:

1. Actions and progress that is made on these problems will probably have multiple dimensions, including ecological, social and economic, that can't be measured or compared directly. Thus there will be a social component that will be the least ammenable to quantification.

2. Entrepreneurism is needed to create order and value when dealing in a situation where there is either little structure or there is no dominant strucutre to the values/technology/science dimensions of the problem.

A social entrepreneur will participate in a group that is probably in a network of other groups. These individual groups maybe small, but it is how they are connected together and how this overall network of groups is very adaptable and plastic. A properly sized and connected network of working-groups can address the problems, learn quickly what does and doesn't work, and adapt the level of effort and approaches taken.

The starting point for many of these activities is to be involved in a small group. These groups have complex dynamics and it helps if you understand how and what reasons they were formed. Arrow et. al (2000) describe four types of groups:

1. concocted groups - external and planned
2. founded groups - internal and planned
3. self-organized groups - internal and emergent
4. circumstantial groups - external and emergent

In most cases environmental action groups are self-organized, formed for a purpose shared within the group and the group structure and rules emerged out of individual actions. As expected from that genesis, there are many types of these groups and many are focused on small scale issues to the extent that they might be seen as idiosyncratic. The diversity and local nature of these groups is a strength in the larger context of looking for a wider range of possible ideas and solutions.

Individuals and groups participate in flexible networks to actually get things done. They form networks to achieve objectives that they can't meet alone. In another paper (Net Work), I claim that there are four main purposes for networks. These four purposes for the network to exist (independent of the work objective) are to 1) protect members of the group from the outside, 2) to advance the group and help them control more resources, 3) to provide a center for creativity and innovation and amplify the creative contribution of individuals within the network, and, finally, 4) to build trust and establish a base of social capital that can be applied toward solving problems or meeting the objective. It is beyond the scope of this short treatment to go into many details, but what is important is that different types of groups work together within a network and, according to my view, they work in a rotating set of pairs of groups. see Net Work v4 chap 3

Marc Smith quoted in Rheingold (2002) page 31: "more people pooling resources in new ways' is the history of civilization in ..." pause " ..seven words"

References

Arrow, H., Joeseph E. McGrath and Jennifer L. Berdahl (2000). Small groups as complex systems: Formation, coordination, development and adaptation. Thousand Oaks, CA, Sage Publications.

Bornstein, D. (2007). How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas. Oxford, Oxford University Press.

Elkington, J., and Pamela Hartigan (2008). The Power of Unreasonable People: How Social Entrepreneurs create markets that change the world. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press.

Hawken, P. (2007). Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Social Movement in History is Restoring Grace, Justic, and Beauty to the World. New York, NY, Penguin.

Nicholls, A., Ed. (2006). Social Entrepreneurship: New Models of Sustainable Social Change. Oxford, Oxford University Press.

Rheingold, Howard. 2002. Smart Mobs: the next social revolution. Perseus Publishing. Cambridge, MA.

Yunus, M. (2007). Creating a World Without Poverty: Social business and the future of capitalism. New York, PublicAffairs.