Social Intrapreneurism and All That Jazz

How Business Innovators are Helping to Build a More Sustainable World

David Grayson, Melody McLaren, Heiko Spitzeck

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781783530656
• eBook ISBN: 9781351287746
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business General
• Index: Business

In response to the world's rapidly growing social, economic and environmental challenges, a growing wave of "social intrapreneurs" are harnessing the power of large companies to create new business solutions to address societal problems. Social Intrapreneurism and All That Jazz reveals how these highly creative social innovators are improvizing alliances across, as well as beyond, their companies to create micro-insurance products for low-income people; offer delivery services to millions of small businesses in slums around the world; develop alternative-energy solutions inside a major gas and oil corporation; partner with a Brazilian community to produce new natural care products; establish a green advertising network within a major media company; apply engineering expertise to help alleviate poverty and much more – all while generating commercial value for their companies.Distilling insights from interviews with social intrapreneurs, their colleagues and experts around the world, the authors bring to life how business can be about more than just maximizing profit. They identify the mind-sets, behaviours and skills that have helped successful social intrapreneurs journey from initial idea to roll-out by their company – and some of the pitfalls.Although their journeys may be lonely at times and require considerable hard work while working "against the grain" of large conventional businesses, successful social intrapreneurs are, above all, great communicators who inspire others to join them in achieving a higher purpose beyond the realms of conventional business.Drawing on the metaphors of ensemble jazz music-making, the authors describe how "woodshedding", "jamming", "paying your dues", being a "sideman", joining and building a "band" but, above all, "listening" to what is happening in business and the wider world – are all part of the life of a successful social intrapreneurism project.Whether you're an aspiring social intrapreneur who wants to change the world while keeping your day job, or want to renew the entrepreneurial spirit of your own company, this book is for you.

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How social intrapreneurs are rising to global business and social challenges

Business today faces multiple 'mega-challenges'. These include:

• Difficult, on-going trading conditions in many parts of the world, in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis and the Eurozone crisis
• How to reconcile the new business opportunities from the forecast three billion extra middle-consumers by 2030 with planetary constraints, so that nine billion people can live reasonably well within the constraints of one planet by 2050
• The threat to social and political stability from growing global and local inequalities, which business is seen to exacerbate with 'winner takes all' executive compensation packages
• Being persistently invited to contribute to fulfilment of the new UN Sustainable Development Goals
• A lack of trust in many institutions, including business, as illustrated by the annual Edelman Trust Barometer
• Intensifying market-place competition intensified by global connectivity and disruptive business models
• The era of the 'Naked Corporation' (see Tapscott 2003) where 'everything is for the record' and information and communications technologies, including social media, enforce greater corporate transparency and accountability
• At least for the global young talent who want to 'take their whole selves to work', a sense that their loyalty is conditional and has to be earned and reearned by employers

Unsurprisingly, in the face of such complexity, business is often floundering and searching for new sources of innovation, insight and means of connectivity with employees and wider society. This is the global context in which social intrapreneurism and corporate social innovation is emerging.

Global challenges as opportunities for profitable social innovation

These myriad global challenges, although numerous, create opportunities for social intrapreneurs. The divides and opportunities listed in Table 1.1, set out initially by SustainAbility (2007) and enlarged from 10 to 15 by our team, describe the realities of challenges faced in many parts of the world—but they can equally be perceived as opportunities for innovation.

Table 1.1 Global divides and opportunities

Divides	Realities	Opportunities
1 Demographics	The world is heading to a population of 9 billion by 2050, with 95% of growth expected in developing countries. Just under 11% of the world's people are over 60. By 2050 that share will have risen to 22% (of a population of 9 billion), and in developed countries to 33%^1	To meet the needs of billions of people affected by market failures in both developing and developed countries
2 Financial	40% of the world's wealth is owned by 1% of the population while the poorest 50% can claim just 1% of the wealth (Randerson 2006)	Help the have-nots become bankable, insurable and entrepreneurial
3 Nutritional	The world now produces enough food for everyone, but over 840 million people still face chronic hunger every day^2	Address the needs of those with too little food—or too much
4 Resources	60% of ecosystem services, such as fresh water and climate regulation, are being degraded or used unsustainably^3	Enable development that uses the earth's resources in a sustainable way
5 Environmental	The loss of biodiversity, droughts and the destruction of coral reefs are just some of the challenges facing the globe	Create markets that protect and enhance the environment
6 Health	Some 34 million people live with HIV/AIDS in the world,^4 now the sixth largest killer disease^5	Create markets that encourage healthy lifestyles and enable equal access to healthcare
7 Gender	Two-thirds of the world's 1 billion illiterate people are women^6	Enable and empower women to participate equally and fairly in society and the economy
8 Educational	More than 57 million children around the world do not go to primary school. At least 250 million children cannot read or count^7	Provide the mechanisms to transfer and share knowledge and learning that empowers all levels of societies
9 Digital	Global internet usage up 566% 2000-12 (2.4 billion June 2012:34% world) only 16% penetration in Africa^8	Develop inclusive technology that enables all levels of society to tackle each of these divides more effectively
10 Security	The deadliest conflicts in the world are concentrated in Central and South Asia and the Middle East and North Africa (HSRP 2012). Africa and Asia account for 8.8 million of over 10.5 million refugees and displaced people (UNHCR 2013)	Work to promote security and reduce conflict based on inequity and exclusion
11 Local economic development and unemployment	A record 202 million people could be unemployed across the world in 2013; nearly 13% of those under 24 were unemployed (Rushe 2013)	Creating social inclusive business models which provide jobs and support new and existing businesses
12 Mobility	More than 1 billion cars in world 2010 (Sousanis 2011)	Connecting and integrating mobility solutions, e.g. that allow a smart use of existing infrastructure
13 Sustainable consumption	McKinsey & Co (2013): Circular Economy offers materials savings in Europe that could be worth $380 billion in an initial transition period and up to $630 billion with full adoption	Innovating products and services which bring a better quality of life while minimising the use of natural resources as well as emissions and waste
14 Urbanisation	Urban population will almost double, increasing from approximately 3.4 billion in 2009 to 6.4 billion in 2050 when 70% world population will be urban^9	Developing businesses and wellbeing in rural regions in order to reduce migration to the world's mega-cities and by providing low-cost services and facilities to urban dwellers
15 Green energy	World energy consumption predicted to grow 56% by 2040 (US EIA 2013)	Making better use of renewable energy sources by making renewable energy more available and, where possible, by copying nature (biomimicry)

Consider how social intrapreneur Vijay Sharma's Shakti initiative at Hindustan Unilever, India's largest fast moving consumer goods company, addressed the financial and gender divides outlined above. Shakti means 'power' in Sanskrit and its primary aim is to empower Indian women to become micro-entrepreneurs by distributing the company's products such as detergents, toilet soaps and shampoos in small rural villages.

Hindustan Unilever recognised that investing in the income generation of the rural poor was critical to expanding its reach and increasing sales. Starting with 17 women in one state, the programme grew to create employment opportunities for over 40,000 women entrepreneurs in 15 states in 2013, providing access to quality products across more than 100,000 villages and over 3 million households every month.

The initiative has, according to Vijay, overcome the 'barriers that strip people of dignity, and strip business of opportunity' (quoted from one of the interviewees in SustainAbility 2008) Susheela, a participant in the programme, captured the essence of its impact on women entrepreneurs: 'When the people see me, they crowd around me and call me "Shakti amma". I am someone today' (Wright 2008: 26).

Unilever have committed to increasing the number of Shakti entrepreneurs that the company recruits, trains and employs to 75,000 in 2015.¹⁰

Imagine how companies following Hindustan Unilever's example could contribute to bridging the divides listed in Table 1.1. How Banco Santander coul...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of figures, tables and boxes
• Foreword
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1 How social intrapreneurs are rising to global business and social challenges
• 2 Understanding individual social intrapreneurs
• 3 How companies react
• 4 Enabling environment inside companies
• 5 External enabling environment
• 6 Impacts of social intrapreneurism
• 7 Recommendations and practical tips
• 8 The way ahead
• Conclusion: Towards a new way of doing business
• Appendix: Our research
• References
• Index
• About the authors