It's a good idea every so often to take the time to stop, think and reflect on why we do what we do. Unfortunately (at least for me) I don't do this often enough. Now that SCP has launched itself into the blogosphere, our resident blogger Karim, has asked all of us here at SCP to ponder this particular question. So here goes.
For me, it is about finding the right fit between social and economic objectives. What I find particularly inspiring today is that there are more than enough examples out there in the world illustrating that economic and social goals do not have to be mutually exclusive. The trick is being diligent enough in defining a specific set of social objectives that align with a corresponding set of economic objectives.
Back in 2001 when I first connected with Bill Young, it struck me that the Social Capital Partners was a new kid on the block with a very different haircut. Bill was both passionate and serious about the mission of his new organization; to help change the landscape regarding how people facing employment barriers get back into the workforce. How did he propose to do this? Finance businesses that establish a social mission as part of their HR model. What a novel yet very practical idea!
It is not always easy to connect the dots between the social and economic to find a feasible solution. That is why facilitators such as SCP are needed to bring together different players, promote the value of injecting a social purpose into business models and introduce the right kind of incentives to make these hybrid models work. One of the things working at SCP has taught me is that people and organizations that might seem to have competing missions may in fact have significant common ground. All they need is the opportunity to have a good conversation.
Posted by Joanne Norris on Wednesday, May 6th, 2009