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Why Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity?

Why Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity?

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Page 1: Why Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity?

Why Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity?

Page 2: Why Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity?

Bringing Theory and Practice Together

“There is nothing more practical than a good theory.”

-- Kurt Lewin

Page 3: Why Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity?

Associacao Saude Crianca Renascer

• 1991--founded by Pediatrician Vera Cordeiro because of recidivism rate of children with same health problems; meeting with 50 colleagues

• Reach-out to families (mothers) in favelas re: treatment plans, medical education, antiseptic conditions; enlisted other docs, nurses, etc.

• Many more joined as volunteers, set-up physical location, began work inside the favelas and instituted job training and small businesses involving dress making, crafts, cooking

• Free nutritional supplements as incentives• Funding from government, Ashoka Foundation, dues

paying members, help from McKinsey Consulting• Replication: scaling outwards to 14 other hospitals

in Rio, Sao Paulo, and Recife.

s

~ /s

Page 4: Why Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity?

Odilon Arantes (Head of Pediatric Ward at Hospital

da Lagoa): “Here I can say with absolute assurance

that the main element for Renascer’s success was

Vera.”

“[Vera] acknowledged she… had brought people

together, but it was their collective energy that

made it all happen.” [Bornstein, p. 145]

Success Factors in S.E. What to Emphasize?

Charismatic heroic leader

Networks, Emergence, Resonance--Complexity

Page 5: Why Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity?

Barka Foundation for the Promotion of Mutual Help

• In early 1990s, gov’t stopped subsidizing collective farms with the result that thousands became homeless;

• Tomasz Sadowski and his wife, both psychologists, purchased abandoned schoolhouse and renovated it and started farming;

• By 2003 there were 20 such homes/farms; mature “mother” houses hatch new smaller homes and farms;

• Residents manage each home and farm with assistance of Barka’s staff;

• One resident, “We are all people with problems…biggest miracle is that we sit at one table and talk with each... at the end of the day I feel needed”

• Sadowski: “People told us that it wasn’t possible to create such an inclusive feeling…there is nothing mysterious about it. …The worst criminal doesn’t believe things can be this way only because he has never come across these kinds of relationships..”

Page 6: Why Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity?

Barka Foundation for the Promotion of Mutual Help

• Sadowski: “People told us that it wasn’t possible

to create such an inclusive feeling…there is

nothing mysterious about it. …The worst criminal

doesn’t believe things can be this way only

because he has never come across these kinds of

relationships..”collective/cooperation; interaction resonance; emergence (possibility and hope)-- complexity

Page 7: Why Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity?

Social Entrepreneurship:Grass roots/community organizing

Page 8: Why Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity?

Organizing

Page 9: Why Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity?

Complexity Theory:Networks/Graphs

Page 10: Why Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity?
Page 11: Why Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity?
Page 12: Why Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity?
Page 13: Why Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity?

What kind of network or graph?Hub network; scale free network; small

world network; emergence of giant cluster?

What information do we gain when we know what kind of network/graph?

Page 14: Why Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity?

OrganizingSocial Entrepreneurship has Systems Thinking and

Complexity Written All Over It

Networks/graphs/collectivity

Distributed control/heterarchy

Innovation/emergence

Scaling outwards, upwards, downwards

Differences/information flow

Self-organization…

Page 15: Why Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity?

Equilibrium describes a stable state, generally economic or social, controlled by and benefiting established entities. The social entrepreneur sees the limitations of an existing equilibrium and offers a more efficient solution with the potential to benefit those not served by the existing model. Skoll is seeking social entrepreneurs who have created and are implementing new, large-scale approaches that can change the equilibrium by fundamentally transforming the lives of marginalized populations. The ultimate example of equilibrium change would be to eliminate a problem by solving its root cause or to create global impact by driving universal adoption of a new innovation by all others who address the same issue.

From Skoll Application Form:

Page 16: Why Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity?

Challenge of Diffusion of Innovation for S. E.’s. (Rogers)

Early Adopters --- 13.5%

Innovators – 2.5%

Normal Distribution

Mean

Page 17: Why Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity?

Challenge of Diffusion of Innovation for S. E.’s. (Rogers)

Early Adopters --- 13.5%

Innovators – 2.5%

Normal Distribution

Mean

From Resistance to Attraction

Page 18: Why Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity?

From Eoyang

Status QuoPassivity

InertiaRestoration

RewardRecognitionSharing

ComraderieBoredom

WarShort term peace

AngerFrustration

CreativityInnovationTransformation LearningExcitementTension

Page 19: Why Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity?

life consciousness speciation project life consciousness speciation project

teams multi-organisms artificial life the teams multi-organisms artificial life the

InternetInternet

magnetism superfluidity magnetism superfluidity

superconductivitysuperconductivity

additional computational functionalityadditional computational functionality

dissipative structures optimal options dissipative structures optimal options

pricesprices

perception of color attractors and their perception of color attractors and their

basinsbasins

drug interactions leadership drug interactions leadership

behavior behavior

software “bugs” temperature software “bugs” temperature

citiescities

wars scientific revolutions Benard wars scientific revolutions Benard

cells cells creative ideas giant creative ideas giant

graph component graph component

EXAMPLES OF EMERGENCEEXAMPLES OF EMERGENCE

Social entrepreneurial projects

Page 20: Why Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity?

“In a sense, I put together elements that were already there, but that is what inventors always do. You can’t make up new elements, usually. The new element, if any, it was the combination, the way they were used.”

-- Kary Mullis, Nobel Laureate for his invention of polymerase chain

reaction (PCR)

Page 21: Why Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity?

To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.

-Thomas Alva Edison