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Week 10: What is it about hybrids that make them so successful?

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 cases, we can give a handout to them and wish them well. However, what we are trying to remedy in social entrepreneurialism is to repair a broken system and create one in which people are able to have access to something they haven’t had before, or the system is too damaged to offer again. We don’t want those efforts to be all for naught.
Week 10 Prompt: What is it about hybrids that make them so successful?

I feel the main thing about a hybrid that makes it so successful is that it can fund itself and create both a social change and a revenue in the economy. This type of independence allows a true hybrid to create a great change and expand efforts as finances allow. Many social businesses are hindered by the donations and funding they are able to acquire. If they can’t get enough funds, they simply cannot do as much as they would like. Similarly, if they create a way to gain funds by selling something they may be looked down upon. While a hybrid social business already has a foot in both worlds and creates a synergy between many people on both sides and in different disciplines to create solutions one may not have thought of without all the available talent. They really do pull resources from all areas of business and innovation. It seems like a difficult but very worthwhile endeavor. 

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