Gaia: Starship Social Enterprise - Social Water Cooler

Social Entrepreneurs and Conscious Capitalism

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 15:31:11 GMT

(Originally posted on zBlog:~C4Chaos)

Social Entrepreneurs and Conscious Capitalism

This blog post was prompted by a fellow Zaadzster, Andrew. I just received his email asking me this question:

“…. Am trying to figure out where my angle and interests fits between the definitions of social entrepreneurs and conscious capitalism. Can you clarify the difference for me… if you can explain to me more about the distinction to CC and SE in your eyes that'd be great.”

Good question. I wonder about that myself too. But first, before I answer the question let me say that I haven't (yet) engaged in social entrepreneurship. My understanding of it is purely intellectual at this time, while my experience with conscious capitalism is currently limited to Zaadz. (Though I learn a lot every day because of the people I get to network with by working at Zaadz :))

Having said that, here's my understanding of the difference between social entrepreneurs and conscious capitalism.

Read more.

So, what do you think? Did I get it right? Am I completely off? Did I miss anything? I want to learn more. I also want to hear from people who are into the theory and/or practice of Integral Business. So feel free to continue with the discussion by posting your thoughts in the comment section.

For more on Social Entrepreneurship see:

Social Entrepreneurship: The Case for Definition
http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/social_entrepreneurship_the_case_for_definition/

Ashoka Innovators for the Public
http://www.ashoka.org/

Echoing Green
http://www.echoinggreen.org/

The New Heroes
http://www.pbs.org/opb/thenewheroes/

Social Innovation Conversations (Podcast): Social Entrepreneurship
http://www.siconversations.org/series/socialEnterpreneurship.html

How to Change the World by David Bornstein
http://books.zaadz.com/1099/how_to_change_the_world/by_david_bornstein

For more on Conscious Capitalism see:

Megatrends 2010: The Rise of Conscious Capitalism
http://www.megatrends2010.com

John Mackey's Essay: Conscious Capitalism: Creating a New Paradigm for Business
http://www.wholefoods.com/blogs/jm/archives/2006/11/conscious_capit.html

The Triple Bottomline
http://www.thetriplebottomline.net/

UTNE: The New Capitalists
http://www.utne.com/issues/2006_135/promo/12081-2.html

Good Business: Leadership, Flow, and the Making of Meaning
http://books.zaadz.com/368/good_business/by_mihaly_csikszentmihalyi

Ken Wilber's Foreword to The Spirit of Conscious Business by Fred Kofman
http://wilber.shambhala.com/html/misc/foreword-spirit.cfm

Social Innovation Conversations (Podcast): Corporate Citizenship
http://www.siconversations.org/series/corporateCitizenship.html

Re: What's your favorite Social Innovation Conversations podcast?

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:45:22 GMT

i love all the SI Conversations podcast so far. but since i'm a technology junkie, my favorite would be the Dean Kamen interview. it's a must-hear.

Heinz Award Winner Series: Dean Kamen

Although he is considered one of the preeminent inventors of the modern age, Dean Kamen describes himself as a cockroach: He simply refuses to die. More specifically, he won't let his ideas die until they become reality.

This holder of over 400 US and International patents and inventor of the Segway People Mover likes to tackle big problems. He identifies those problems that the "gatekeepers" think that we shouldn't dedicate resources to--either because the problem is too big or too unthinkable--and then he solves it. Host Tim Zak asks Kamen what it takes to persevere in the face of public and professional criticism. What has propelled him through the years of persuasion required to change lots of people's lives for the better?

Kamen addresses the unintended consequences of injecting new technologies into the complex systems that inhabit the planet, and reminds us: "Technology is an amplifier of human capability. It allows you to do good, more better [sic]. And it allows you to do more bad, more better too!"

From water filtration to modern pharmaceuticals to the lowly toilet bowl, Kamen addresses the effect of technology on society, and the attitudes of those who take these social innovations for granted. He points out that "technology" is anything that wasn't around when you were a kid.

He has powerful advice for all US businesses and governments, namely if we do not change the attitudes of a large amount of kids in this country, and inspire them to pursue careers in the sciences, then life as we know it will not be able to sustain itself.

What's your favorite Social Innovation Conversations podcast?

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:41:04 GMT

What is Social Innovation Conversations?

Social Innovation Conversations is an open and collaborative online platform for cross-sector and multidisciplinary learning for social change. Social Innovation Conversations is part of the Conversations Network, a non-profit online publisher for the recording of spoken-word events such as conferences, lectures and meetings. For more details, read about our mission.