Social enterprises are situated narratives that claim to do good. The organisational work we do needs to exemplify the good we claim to be doing.
Many organisations that make claims to do good are terrible places in which to work. Doing good work involves developing work cultures and practices that promote the wellbeing of the people working in the social enterprise. |
Effectuation
A powerful framework for understanding how enterpreneurs forge their craft of entrepreneurship has been developed by Saras Saravathy called "effectuation". The video and the button provides a short introduction and access to the website. |
Sociocracy
Building organisations based on consent rather than consensus or autocracy is the core insight of sociocracy. This profoundly collaborative approach to communication, work, decision-making and organisational development is transformational. |
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Health & safety at work
The UK passed the health &safety at work Act in 1974. It may seem boring but used well, this act transforms the places in which we work. Good work is healthy and safe. |
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Relationships ProjectEverything works better when relationships are valued; people are happier and healthier, organisations and services are more efficient and effective, communities are stronger and more resilient.
The Relationships Project offers a range of practical tools to enhance our relationships |
Investors in people
One of the better innovations of the British government in 1991 was to create the Investors in people Standard. Investors in People is a standard for people management, offering accreditation to organisations that adhere to the Investors in People Standard. From 1991 to January 2017, Investors in People was owned by the UK government. As of 1 February 2017, Investors in People transitioned into the Investors in People Community Interest Company. Investors in People assessments are conducted locally through local Delivery Centres across the UK and internationally. |
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Understanding personalities at work
The humans that make up your social enterprise work best as a team. This team needs different personalities to work together to enhance the change you want to make in the world. Being deliberate about the personailitie that comprise your team is an effective approach to doing good work because different perspectives enahnce a teams' functioning and make it more resilient.
Click on the links below to check out personality typologies which you can use to understand the personalities of members of your team and, to select additions to your team:
The Enneagram Myers-Briggs
The Five Elements typology : learnthefiveelements.com/personalitytypes/
The humans that make up your social enterprise work best as a team. This team needs different personalities to work together to enhance the change you want to make in the world. Being deliberate about the personailitie that comprise your team is an effective approach to doing good work because different perspectives enahnce a teams' functioning and make it more resilient.
Click on the links below to check out personality typologies which you can use to understand the personalities of members of your team and, to select additions to your team:
The Enneagram Myers-Briggs
The Five Elements typology : learnthefiveelements.com/personalitytypes/
Your team roles and Belbin
When a team is performing at its best, you'll usually find that each team member has clear responsibilities. Just as importantly, you'll see that every role needed to achieve the team's goal is being performed fully and well.
But often, despite clear roles and responsibilities, a team will fall short of its full potential.
How often does this happen in the teams you work with? Perhaps some team members don't complete what you expect them to do. Perhaps others are not quite flexible enough, so things "fall between the cracks." Maybe someone who's valued for their expert input fails to see the wider picture. Or perhaps one team member becomes frustrated because they disagree with the approach of someone else on the team.
Dr Meredith Belbin studied teamwork for many years, and he famously observed that people in teams tend to assume different "team roles." He defined a team role as "a tendency to behave, contribute and interrelate with others in a particular way," and named nine such team roles that underlie team success.
But often, despite clear roles and responsibilities, a team will fall short of its full potential.
How often does this happen in the teams you work with? Perhaps some team members don't complete what you expect them to do. Perhaps others are not quite flexible enough, so things "fall between the cracks." Maybe someone who's valued for their expert input fails to see the wider picture. Or perhaps one team member becomes frustrated because they disagree with the approach of someone else on the team.
Dr Meredith Belbin studied teamwork for many years, and he famously observed that people in teams tend to assume different "team roles." He defined a team role as "a tendency to behave, contribute and interrelate with others in a particular way," and named nine such team roles that underlie team success.
The Schlent
The Sclent is an idea that speaks to often hidden mechanics of business practices that nonetheless have ethical impacts. This paper offers an insight into ethical and unethical work. |
Integrated reporting
For larger companies and organisations, integrated reporting is increasingly become the standard by which annual reports and audits are conducted. Based on the six capitals. Check out the resources below. |
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Networking as an ethical way of doing good work
The giver's gain principle and its application as a working-out of principle 6 of the cooperative movement, provides a profound and powerful means to doing good work. Click on the button below to access an interview with Sion Whellans, the founder of Principle 6 Networking |
Organisation Workshop
Social enterprises are embedded in communities. The organisation workshop is an approach to community organising. Organisation Workshop stands for a body of practice derived from the pioneering work that Clodomir de Morais did with the Brasilian Peasant Leagues starting in the early 1960s and shown to be relevant today in situations of high unemployment. Two essential ingredients are a large group and a common resource pool. A really good PDF article on this approach can be read by clicking on this link: seriti.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/organisation-workshops.pdf |
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Study Circles
The study circle is a tried and tested approach to collaboratively lifting the education and understanding of communities. A study circle is a group of 8 to 12 people who meet regularly over a period of weeks or months to address a critical public issue in a democratic, collaborative way.
Through study circles, Sweden and other Nordic countries built their education system to be the best in the world.Click on the button below to access some great resources on study circles
The study circle is a tried and tested approach to collaboratively lifting the education and understanding of communities. A study circle is a group of 8 to 12 people who meet regularly over a period of weeks or months to address a critical public issue in a democratic, collaborative way.
Through study circles, Sweden and other Nordic countries built their education system to be the best in the world.Click on the button below to access some great resources on study circles
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The circular economy
I think the image below says it all? Click on the button to the right for a great video.
I think the image below says it all? Click on the button to the right for a great video.
The power of ressentiment
This is a cautionary segment. Ressentiment is an ethical problem and deserves to be raised here as it has destroyed many promising social enterprise initiatives. A concept initially developed by Friederich Nietzsche and later, Max Scheler, it describes the jealousy that community members feel towards their neighbours who are successful and powerful. It is given different names in different societies; pull his/her down (phd) syndrome, tall poppy syndrome, jealous-down and in Nordic countries, "Janteloven" and so on. The power of ressentiment to destroy social entrepreneurial initiatives should never be disregarded. Anna Stevenson has has written a doctoral dissertation which describes ressentiment in a case study. Click on the button below to read it. |
Making fundraising easier and more transparent |
Liberapay - the free open source alternative to Patreon for recurring donations |
Open Collective lets you manage your finances so everyone can see where money comes from and where it goes. They support collectives and fiscal hosts. Accept donations and sponsorships, celebrate your supporters, pay expenses, and keep everyone up to date — all in one place.
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If you are looking to build a fan-base and accept recurring donations, Liberapay is a great resource.
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