Lessons on Social Innovation - B374:02

This week we learned about self-reliance, social entrepreneurship and being a disciple of Christ through several church talks and articles. I always enjoy listening and reading those. Self-reliance is something we will always need to work at so that we can continue being it. It is a behavior that is learned through practice and perseverance, not just by reading about it. We can apply it to our personal finances and our business finances. As we work to implement these principles in our professional and personal lives, we will become better at it, preparing for emergencies and planning for the future. I have seen this in my own life and in our business. Being self-reliant also helps us to feel more capable because we become accustomed to taking care of our own needs rather than expecting a handout. Week 13 Prompt: Reflect on your future social innovation goals and The Gospel. For my personal social innovation goals are to support those who are social entrepreneurs. Now that I under...

This week we learned about being self-reliant and how we can help others learn to be self-reliant. I really liked how Mohammed Yunus likened the poor to a bonsai tree and illustrated that everyone is capable to grow to great things. I think that we often forget how much circumstances influence our ability to grow to our full potential. As I think upon this, I reflect on how this is something that I hope my children will understand about people. Just because someone comes from a place that may seem unfavorable doesn’t mean they are unfavorable. I feel this also goes along with respect. Respecting others and their experiences that have led them to where they are and where they are going. Self-reliance isn’t something that only the poor need to learn about. Many a wealthy person has mismanaged resources and found themselves without. Being self-reliant helps us to prepare for these mishaps and to gain the self-confidence that we can pick ourselves up again. It is this knowledge of ourse...

This week we discussed social business in more depth. We learned there are two main types of social business and some of the key defining attributes. The two social businesses are type 1: in which all profits are reinvested in the company, no dividends are paid, and no losses are incurred that strives to solve a social problem. The type 2 social business is a for-profit business owned by the poor that seeks to solve a specific social issue. I found it very interesting that according to Muhammed Yunus, no social business takes any profit for the wealthy investors. If investors receive anything back, then it is not truly a social business. On one hand, this makes perfect sense, however, when thinking about a previous lesson and how to entice investors to the social business you have to be willing to make it comparable to other offers from for-profit companies. It seems to me you would have to choose one plan or the other.   Week 11 Prompt: Muhammad Yunus would like poverty to only...

This week we learned about how some efforts in social entrepreneurialism can actually become more damaging to the very people they are trying to help than they do help. Evaluating our end game is vitally important so that we can make a plan that will really make a difference and change the course people’s lives are on. It reminds me of the talk from Marion G. Romney, that shared the story of the seagulls and the shrimpers feeding them. They learned that they could just get fish from the shrimpers instead of wasting time fishing for themselves. Later generations were only taught to go the shrimpers for fish and didn’t learn how to fish. So, when the shrimpers left, they began to starve. We certainly don’t want to create this type of environment when we are trying to help improve people’s lives. I feel it does beg to be mentioned that there are those who just need a hand. Perhaps there has been a temporary setback and they need a bit of assistance to get back on their way. In these case...

Our class is just speeding right along! We are well into the last half of the semester and I am already looking forward to the break. Our lessons this week centered around Corporate Social Responsibility and B Corps. I had no idea that B Corps had such stringent requirements. They include legal accountability, transparency, assessments of their impact on the environment, community and both workers and customers. They must balance both profit and purpose while aspiring to benefit all and not to damage the world in any way. That does make me feel good though that when I do run across one, I can be assured that they are really working and making the impact they are aiming for. I appreciate that as a consumer because I often feel we are duped by companies looking to improve their self-image but not really making the change. I am also realistic that it is difficult to meet all the requirements and that there are plenty of companies doing all they can but still may not meet the right criter...

This week we learned more about business canvas models, lean start-up, and keys to success for social innovators. I appreciated the 5 Keys to Success for Social Entrepreneurs that Lluis Pareras listed in his TEDx talk. In particular, key point 3 where you should shout your existence to everyone and not hide any inventions you have made up for fear that someone would steal it. I think this hit me the most because if you are more concerned about theft then are your priorities really in the right place for the social issue you are trying to help. However, this was also coupled with key point 1 which was to focus on social impact and money at the same time. I spent some time thinking about these two in order to reconcile them against one another. What I came to understand is this. Sure, protect your inventions from theft but don’t allow the fear to stop you from seeking help and feedback on your inventions. This is a major way that we improve our product and make it better. We must be w...

Week 5 is here! Our lessons this week focused on mission statements, measurements and impact. There were a number of readings and a couple of videos, but the one that I found most interesting was the Standfords Social Innovation Reviews article titled Getting Results: Outputs, Outcomes, and Impact . I feel this article explained well the ideas we were focusing on this week including how outputs and outcomes are very different and only a small part of the impact you are seeking to create. We were also asked to watch a video of Kevin Starr titled Lasting Impact where he delved into the topic of impact and why seeking that above all else is the most important. I particularly appreciated his four questions we should ask ourselves about our products: "Is it needed? Does it work? Will it get to those who need it? Will they use it correctly when they get it?"  The last two questions really stood out to me because they address the meat of why a product would fail. Of course, many pr...

Hi again! This semester sure is moving quickly. I know that is something I always seem to say during semesters, but it always amazes me at quick time passes. This week we discussed Design Thinking and how to use that to address issues. I found it interesting that we can have such a thing as design thinking. It seems to me to be a bit of a formula of how to solve a problem. Sure, some steps are a bit circular until you get to the right solution, however, what comes next is still the next step. I like this little bit of step by step process because I feel it helps to offer a bit of order in a place where things can spread out in so many directions. In particular, we read an article that took a good hard look at using this method to address poverty creation. When we think of poverty, we don't always think about how or why it is there and what factors go into the creation of it. For some reason, we tend to think of poverty as something that happens after a bad situation, not a result o...

This week we learned about researching root causes of our social issues by using either the fishbone tool or the five whys. We also watched a video of a man who created a business rescuing kids from being sex trafficked. He had previously been a navy seal but under the direction of the US government, he was limited in what he could do when he saw these types of things happening. So, after his time was up, he started this project to rescue these kids. It was so encouraging to see that, especially because we see so often how these things are happening and how hard it is to stop it. I love how he remembered something terrible he had seen during his service and committed to doing something about it when his time was up. He took action to make a change in some lives and battle what seems like an endless endeavor. This week’s prompt is: What are you most looking forward to in regard to your social issue? I am looking forward to understanding this issue better so that I can find ways that I...

Moving right along, already in week 2. This week we learned more about how not everyone should be a social entrepreneur but that everyone can have a part in working in and with the solutions that social entrepreneurs create. We can be a help and work to overcome obstacles, help build or volunteer our time/services. I appreciate this because I am starting to see that this may be where I am best suited to be. Which I am ok with. I think that what I am trying to do is to be involved. This week’s prompt is: What connections do you see between Jeffrey Thompson’s article, the Gospel, and social innovation? It is clear that becoming a social innovator is a sort of calling all in itself. However, what I found interesting is that just like in the gospel, we all have a part to play. Heavenly Father will place us in the right place for us to be. For example, I have several times been called to teach in primary. In fact, I have only ever had two callings outside of primary, and both were eith...

A new blog again. This one is for a specific class titled B374 Social Innovation.  I don't need this class for my degree but the description was one such that I just really wanted to take it and learn more about it. I am quite excited to see where it takes me.  So, this week we begin our class learning about and understanding what it means to be a social entrepreneur. It is more than simply trying to help a difficult social issue and more about seeking a viable solution to the underlying problems that cause the issue. It amazes me how involved it is to strive towards this goal. You are essentially trying to fix a construct that has been in place for quite a long time. I am excited to learn more about this concept as we progress. Reading how the definition of an entrepreneur has evolved over time is also a bit sad. The older definitions are clearly more meaningful and impactful than it referring to someone just opening a business. I feel that this has offered m...