Sunday, November 2, 2014

Do you believe "Transformative" is synonymous with "Subversive"?



Do you believe "Transformative" is synonymous with "Subversive"? 


Today I'm reverting my focus from social intrapreneurship to its big sister named social enterprise. Social enterprise sets out to use traditional business models to create profits, and then uses those profits to promote social change, instead of giving those profits to shareholders. It is rooted in the desire to eradicate suffering, and is often spear-headed by entrepreneurial dreamers and rebels. 

I'm reading Carl Frankel and Allen Bromberger's book, The Art of Social Enterprise: Business as if People Mattered. There's a chapter that addresses worldviews, and one of those views is whether social enterprise is subversive. According to Milton Friedman, social enterprise is subversive because it sets out to change the way business is conducted and takes primary focus off of generating profits I do think social enterprise is subversive, in all the right ways. It challenges traditional models and established systems that focus solely on profits for shareholders, and diverts that focus to the betterment of society. Therefore, it is both transformative and subversive. I love this snippet from the book: 

"...social enterprise arose out of what we've called the forward-looking mental model. This worldview is deeply transformative and arguably subversive. Treating every person on the planet as your brother or sister is as revolutionary as, well, Christ's message. And His message was totally subversive, if His fate is any indication (page 45).



      trouble-maker     rebel     agitator     revolutionary     change-maker     helper     leader     



Subversiveness has varying degrees. Social enterprise is not a bad guy that sets out to over-throw everything in its way. It's not about creating chaos. It's about creating change. Social intrapreneurship is the same in terms of subversion, but becomes very tricky to navigate in corporate environments. You can't set out to challenge management in a way that pits you against them. It has to be a partnership. There has to be a mutual benefit for the company and the targeted community. 





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