www.doen.nl/researchneweconomy
RESEARCH NEW ECONOMYFramework for recognizing, identifying, managing and evaluating
initiatives for and in a new economy
Godelieve Spaas February 2012
ContentsAcknowledgements ............................................................................................................................................................. 2
Enroutetoaneweconomy .............................................................................................................................................. 3
1. Background .................................................................................................................................................................... 4
1.1 Neweconomy ....................................................................................................................................................... 41.2 TheDOENFoundation...................................................................................................................................... 6
2. Thestudy ........................................................................................................................................................................ 8
2.1 Researchquestion .............................................................................................................................................. 82.2 Scopeofthestudy............................................................................................................................................... 82.3 Frompracticetocontours.............................................................................................................................. 82.4 Engagedscholarship.......................................................................................................................................... 92.5 Approach ............................................................................................................................................................. 10
3. Contoursofaneweconomy ................................................................................................................................. 12
3.1 Broadeningtheplayingfield...................................................................................................................... 133.1.1 Aneweconomy,designinginco‐creation ....................................................................................... 13
3.1.2 Neweconomy–ahybridplayingfield............................................................................................... 14
4. Resultsofthestudy.................................................................................................................................................. 17
4.1 Neweconomy–adynamicframework................................................................................................. 174.1.1. Broadeningtheeconomicplayingfield ........................................................................................... 18
4.1.2 Characteristicsofabroaderplayingfield........................................................................................ 21
4.1.3 Broadeningtheentrepreneurialperspective ................................................................................. 22
4.1.4 Theentrepreneurialperspective:amodel....................................................................................... 36
4.2 Neweconomy:byorganisation ................................................................................................................. 374.2.1 Tapworld ..................................................................................................................................................... 38
4.2.2 StichtingGeïntegreerdeVisserij(SGV) ............................................................................................ 41
4.2.3 FestivalsurleNiger .................................................................................................................................. 43
4.2.4 EnviuandOpenSourceHouseGhana .............................................................................................. 45
4.2.5 StichtingSTROhalm ................................................................................................................................ 47
4.2.6 Specialisterren ........................................................................................................................................... 48
5. Conclusions ................................................................................................................................................................ 50
5.1 Oldandneweconomy.................................................................................................................................... 525.2 Scalingup ............................................................................................................................................................ 52
Annex1 ................................................................................................................................................................................. 54
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AcknowledgementsThisframeworkcouldnothavecomeaboutwithoutthecooperationofeveryoneIinterviewed.Theytookthetimetotellmetheirexperiences,ideas,successesanddisappointments.Theyexplainedhowtheirinitiativestookshape,whattheunderlyingideaswere,whatproblemstheyencounteredandwhattheylearned.Theirenthusiasmwasinfectious,theirdisappointmentsinstructiveandtheiropennessenlightening.Itwastheinitiatorsofthevariousorganisationswhowerepreparedtosharetheirnetworkandcontactswithme.Anditwastheywhohelpedtodeepenandenrichthebodyofthoughtthatemergedthroughdialoguesandinformalconversations.Forallofthat,IcannotthankStefvanDongen(Enviu),SamuelBiitir,AbrahamYenuLambon(OSHouse)MamouDaffé(FestivalsurleNiger),WillieSmits,TomasFiegeVosdeWael(Tapworld),SjoerdvandeMaade,RonaldvanVliet(Specialisterren),HenkvanArkel(STRO)andJaapVegter(SGV)warmlyenough.IwouldalsoliketothankLauraTalsmaforherworkontheinterviews.ItwasLaurawhotypedupthemorethansevenhundredpagesofinterviewsanddialoguesonwhichthisstudyisbased.ThanksgoalsotoSueAndersonMITIwhotranslatedmuchoftheresearchintoEnglish.Thesupportandinputofthe‘neweconomy’teamatStichtingDOENwasalsoofenormousbenefittothisstudyandthedevelopmentoftheframework.Theirfeedback,intelligenceandstaminawereindispensable.ThelinchpinoftheprojectwasNewEconomyProgrammeManagerKimKiszelnik,whomadetheresearchpossiblebyinitiatingitwithinDOENandsupportingitthroughthickandthin.Withouther,Icouldneverhavebegunitandcertainlynothavebroughtittocompletion.GodelieveSpaas
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EnroutetoaneweconomyRe‐thinkingeconomyandentrepreneurshipContributingtowardsamoresustainableworld,aworldinwhicheveryoneiscapableofprovidingforhisorherownneeds,callsforanentrepreneurialmentalityinwhichpeopleandnaturearemoreimportantthanmakingaprofit.Itcallsforaneconomythataddssocialandecologicalvalue.Itcallsforpeopleandinitiativesstrivingtowardsaneweconomy.Ittakescouragetocontributetothedevelopmentofaneweconomy.Ittakespeopleofcharacter,entrepreneurswhobelievethereisadifferentway,whohavethenervetosticktheirnecksout,whohaveauniquevisionandsetaboutachievingit.Itcallsforfinancialbackerswiththenervetobelieveinthoseentrepreneursandtohelpthemontheirwaywithloans,investments,grantsand/orinformation.Forpeoplewhobelievethatthingscanandmustbedonedifferently,withoutknowingiftheywillsucceed.Becausepreciselywhataneweconomyis,whatworksandwhatdoesn’t,andhowitcanbeachievedalongsideandinharmonywiththeoldeconomy,isslowlybecomingapparentbuthasyettotakefullshape.StichtingDOENaimstoidentifyguidelinesthatwillhelpittosupportentrepreneursandorganisationsinaneweconomyaseffectivelyaspossibleandthuscontributetothefurtherdevelopmentofaneconomywithscopeforsocialandsustainableentrepreneurship.Thisresearchdescribesandinterpretsthedevelopmentofaneweconomybasedontheexperiencesandpersonalaccountsofpeopleandinitiativescontributingtoit.Aneweconomyisaneconomythatleadstoapositiveimpactonsocietyandnature.Thisstudyshowsthatthisdevelopmentistakingplaceintwodifferentareas:intheorganisationandonthemarket.Becauseorganisationsseedeliveringsocialandecological‘addedvalue’astheircoreactivity,theirgoalsarebecomingmorehybridised:social,ecologicalandeconomicgoalsarecombiningandreinforcingeachother.Socialandecologicalvaluesformthemoralcompassofanorganisationinaneweconomy.Socialandecologicalimpacttakesplaceinsideandoutsidetheorganisation.Toachievethis,aconnectionwiththeenvironmentisvital.Sensitivitytotheirenvironmentisavitalpreconditionfororganisationsinaneweconomy.Thatconnectionwiththeenvironmentcallsforacapacitytoadapt,andfortheflexibilityandcreativitytoanticipateandrespondtothemobile,changingnatureofthatenvironment.Organisationsinaneweconomybecomeresilientbyorganisingonthebasisofdiversity.Thesecondareainwhichaneweconomyisemergingisthemarket.Organisationsinaneweconomyusethemarketnotonlytotradetheirproducts,servicesandideasbutalsotosharethemwitheachotherortogivethemaway.Asaresult,newrulesofplayareevolvingandpeopleandorganisationsotherthansimplythosedemandingandsupplying(scarce)economicgoodsareabletoparticipateinthemarket.Thisreportdescribes:‐ thebackgroundtoandtheapproachusedinthestudy;‐ theunderlyingprinciplesofaneweconomyandsustainableentrepreneurship;_ thegenericfeaturesofaneweconomyandsustainableentrepreneurship;‐ theindividualstoriesofthesixinitiativesstudied,andtheircontributiontoaneweconomy;‐ aquestionnaireasatoolforDOENtohelpitselect,monitorandguidebusinessesinthesubject
areaof‘neweconomy’.
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1. Background
“Thereisnothingnewaboutpoverty.Whatisnewisthattodaywehavetheresourcesandthetechniquestogetridofpoverty.”MartinLutherKing1
Istheresuchathingasaneconomythatcontributestoamoresustainableworld?Isitpossibletodobusinessinsuchawaythattheworldbenefitsasaresult?Thecurrenteconomicandecologicalcrisesmakethesequestionsallthemorepressing.Whatdoesabusinessthatprioritisessocialand/orecologicaldevelopmentlooklike?Howdoessuchanorganisationoperate?Howdomarketforces2changeifpriceisalsodeterminedinotherways,notjustonthebasisofsupplyanddemand?Whatifcostpriceweretotakeaccountofimpactonpeopleandnatureaswell?Whatifideas,knowledgeandqualitieswerealsoexchanged,besidesscarceproductsandservices?Ifthesharingandgivingofgoods,servicesandideasweretobepartofmarketforcesalongsidethetraditionaltransactionmodels?Moreandmoreentrepreneursareonthelook‐outforsustainableformsofentrepreneurshipbecausetheybelievethatthingscanbedonedifferentlyand,inparticular,better.Betterforthepeopleworkinginthebusinesses,fortheenvironment,fornature,fittinginwithlocalcommunitiesandtheirculturesandcontributingtoecologicalandsocialissues.Entrepreneursaredevisingandexperimentingwithnewformsofentrepreneurship,tryingoutdifferentpricesettingmethods,workingouthowtoincorporatepartnershipwithotherbusinesses,inadditiontoorinsteadofcompetingwitheachother.Thisstudydescribeshowentrepreneursinpracticeareshapingwhatcanbedescribedasa‘neweconomy’,aneconomyinwhichachievingapositiveimpactforpeopleandnaturecomesbeforematerialprofit.Manyentrepreneurshelpingtodevelopaneweconomydosofromapracticalperspective:whatdoIneed,whatworksandwhatdoesn’t?Thereisn’talwaystimetoharvestthoseexperiencesandsharethemwithotherentrepreneurs.Letalonethetimeandeffortneededtocombinethefindingsgainedfromdifferentexperimentsandlookattheoverallstorytheytell.Thisstudyaimstodescribeandinterpretthecontributionmadebysixdifferentorganisationstothedevelopmentofnewmethodsofentrepreneurshipandaneweconomy.Basedoninterviewsandmorein‐depthdialogues,thestudypaintsapictureofwhatentrepreneurshipinaneweconomyis,andwhatitcanbe,forthebusinessesconcerned.Onthatbasis,itgoesontoidentifythecontoursoftheemergingneweconomyandentrepreneurshipingeneral.TheDOENFoundation(StichtingDOEN),whichprovidesfinancialsupportforinitiativeshelpingtoshapeaneweconomy,alsointendsthatthisstudyshouldmakeasubstantivecontributiontothedevelopmentofaneweconomy.ThestudyalsoservesasabasisinthedevelopmentofguidelinesforDOEN:how,asafoundation,canitfacilitateaneweconomy?Takentogether,theexperimentsstudiedheregiveapictureofaneweconomy.Aneconomywhich,initscurrentform,isnotasingle,clearnewconceptbutratheracollectionofchangesanddevelopmentsthatindicateanewdirectionwithoutspecifyingordefiningitfromoneparticularperspective.Hencethedecisiontodescribethesedevelopmentsasaneweconomyratherthantheneweconomy.
1.1 NeweconomyThetrendtowardsaneweconomyisinfullswing.In‘Cradle‐to‐Cradle:RemakingtheWayWeMakeThings',WilliamMcDonoughandMichaelBraungartexploreanddescribetheprocessofdesigningwithoutwaste.ThecoreoftheCradletoCradleprincipleliesintheconcept‘wasteisfood’.Aftertheirusefullifeinoneproduct,allmaterialsshouldbeabletobeputtouseagaininanotherproduct.Inthisway,organisationscancontributetoagreeneconomydifferentiatedbythedirectvaluingofnaturalcapitalandthepassingonofcostsinfulltonatureorsociety.
1King,Jr.MartinLuther(1968),recordedinthevideodocumentary“EyesonthePrize”2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoclassical_economics
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HermanWijffels,professorofsustainabilityandsocialchangeattheUniversityofUtrecht,describestheconceptofthecirculareconomyfocusedonthemoreefficientuseofnaturalresourceswithaviewtoasustainablesociety.Wijffelsadvocatesaneconomyinwhichproductionispartofthecycle.WhileWijffelsemphasisesecology,GunterPauliextendstheconcepttothe‘greeneconomy2.0’,whichhecallsthe‘blueeconomy’.ThefounderofZERI(ZeroEmissionsResearch&Initiatives)3,Paulilinkstheecologicalenvironmentwithqualityoflife:“BlueEconomyiswherethebestforhealthandtheenvironmentischeapestandthenecessitiesforlifearefreethankstoalocalsystemofproductionandconsumptionthatworkswithwhatyouhave.Innovativebusinessmodelsarecapableofbringingcompetitiveproductsandservicestothemarketrespondingtobasicneedswhilebuildingsocialcapitalandenhancemindfullivinginharmonywithnature'sevolutionarypath.Competitivenessisharnessingandoptimizingtheinnatevirtuesandvaluesconnectinguntappedlocalpotential‐likeanaturalsystem,wheretheseedsliefallowonlytosproutwithamazingvigoratthefirstrainunleashingjoyandhappinessastheconditionsformindfullivingaremetinbalanceandinharmony.”Aneconomythatcontributestoqualityoflifeisalso,accordingtoJudyWicks,aneconomyinwhicheveryonehasopportunitiesandinwhichallcanparticipate.Aneconomythatenableseveryonetoprovidefortheirownneeds:“Businessesinlocallivingeconomiesremainhuman‐scaleandlocally‐owned,fosteringdirect,authentic,andmeaningfulrelationshipswithemployees,customers,suppliers,neighbors,andlocalhabitat,addingtothequalityoflifeinourcommunities.Decentralizedownershipspreadswealthmorebroadlyandbringseconomicpowerfromdistantboardroomstolocalcommunitieswherethereisashortdistancebetweenbusinessdecision‐makersandthoseaffectedbythedecision.Addressingthedeeperneedsoftheircommunities,localbusinessownerscanprovidemorefulfillingjobs,healthiercommunitiesandgreatereconomicsecurityintheirregion.Successcanmeanmorethangrowinglargerorincreasingmarket‐share,itcanbemeasuredbyincreasinghappinessandwellbeing,deepeningrelationships,andexpandingcreativity,knowledge,andconsciousness.”4ArjoKlamer5,professorofculturaleconomy,isconcernedwiththeeconomyoftheculturalsector.Hedefines‘economy’asthecreatingofvalues:givingexpressiontoyourtalentsandreceivingsomethinginreturn6.Hedistinguishesfourmainpartnerswhomakearteconomicallypossibleandoutlinesaplayingfieldinwhichmarket,stateand‘oikos’(family)jointlydeterminetheeconomy,notonlyaddingcultureasaneconomicvalue,butalsoaddingfamilyasaplayerintheeconomicplayingfield.
3www.zeri.org,GunterPaulim,TheBlueEconomy‐10Years,100Innovations,100MillionJobs,20104JudyWicks,LocalLivingEconomies:TheNewMovementforResponsibleBusiness5ArjoKlamer,CeesLangeveld,Pakaan,100en1ideeënvooralternatievefinancieringvankunstencultuur,20116ArjoKlamer,inhislectureattheDOENneweconomyeventon14March2012
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Allofthesenewformsofeconomyhelptomakeapositiveimpactonsocietyandnature.Eachformenhancestheother.Wherethegreeneconomyaimsforcarefuluseofscarceresources,thecirculareconomystrivestoreuseandrevalueresourcesalreadyused.Thesocialelementofaneweconomyisnotonlyaboutman’snaturalenvironmentbutalsoaboutallowingmantocomeintohisowninthatenvironment,assigningvalueandgivingqualityoflife.Termssuchashappiness,relationships,creativityandawarenessareintroducedintotheeconomicdomain.AccordingtoKlamerandPauli,thisalsocallsfordifferentbusinessmodels.Aneweconomyplaceseconomicreturnsattheserviceofecologicalandsocial(includingcultural)returnsandisaboutscarceandabundantproducts,servicesandideas7.Theaddingofdifferentsortsofreturnandofabundance(aswellasscarcity)hasaneffectonmarketforces.Besidesthetrading8ofscarceresources,thereisalsoroomforexchanging9abundantqualitiesofpeopleandorganisationsintheformofknowledgeandideas.Incorporatingecologicalandsocialreturnsintoeconomicthinkingresultsinamuchbroaderpaletteofproducts,servicesandideastobeexpressedintermsofvalue.Thisstudydescribeshowtheeconomyandentrepreneurialmethodsareevolvinginthedirectionofsustainability,andprovidesaframeworkthatcanbeusedinordertoidentifyandinterpretthattrendinpractice.
1.2 TheDOENFoundation
TheDoenFoundation(StichtingDOEN)supportsinitiativesthatcontributetowardsalivableworldinwhicheveryonecanparticipate.DOENencouragespeopleandbusinessestakingtheleadinthefieldofecological,socialandculturalinnovation.Inthatcontext,DOENalsoaimstofurtherthedevelopmentofaneweconomy,aneconomythatcontributestowardswaysofdoingbusinessthathaveapositiveeffectonoureverydayenvironment.
7ABridgingFrameworkforDOEN:ByWell‐Beingweunderstandthepossibilityofpeopleenjoyingasustainableformofhappinessbasedonadeepunderstandingofthenaturalenvironmentandofitsnecessities.Thissustainableformofhappinessisbasedonthepossibilityofsharingandexperimentingwithabundantresources,likeknowledgeandexpression,whicharefreeandguaranteeawholesomeconnectionwithothersandtheenvironment.ByBetterusinglesswerefertocreativestrategiesforapproachingscarceresourcesinasustainableway,replacingexploitation,appropriationandabuseofothersandofnaturebysustainablepracticesbasedonasenseofreciprocityandcooperation.ReportonbrainstormingsessionlookingforpossibilitiesofacommonframeworkforDOEN’sprogrammes.ByClaudiaFontes,JoannavanderZandenandGodelieveSpaas,Amsterdam,Monday6thFebruary20128Tradeinthesenseofreplacingonethingwithanother9Exchangeinthesenseofsomethingbeinggivenoneachside
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Tohelpitselectorganisationsandentrepreneurseffectively,andtosupportandconnectbusinessesreceivingitsfinancialsupport,DOENwillbenefitfromthedevelopmentofaframeworkthatcanbeusedtoidentify,recognise,discuss,monitorandshareemergingtrendsofandwithinaneweconomy.Aframeworkthatidentifiestheemergingtrendwithoutsettingitinstone,aframeworkthatrespectsthedynamicsofaneweconomy.DOEN’srequestandtheexperiencesoftheentrepreneurs/initiativescometogetherinthisstudy,whichdescribesandinterpretstheexperimentsandthinkingofsixdifferentinitiativesco‐fundedbytheDOENFoundationandaimstogiveapictureofaneweconomyandformsofsustainableentrepreneurship.Thisreportdescribes:‐ theapproachusedinthestudy;‐ theidentifiedunderlyingprinciplesofaneweconomyandsustainableentrepreneurship;‐ thegenericfeaturesthatformtheframeworkofaneweconomyandsustainable
entrepreneurship;‐ thecontributionsmadebythebusinessestowardsthedevelopmentofaneweconomyand
conceptsofsustainableentrepreneurship.
DOENandthesubjectareaof‘neweconomy’DOENaimstobringaninnovativeandsustainableslanttoentrepreneurshipand,tothatend,isonthelook‐outforinitiativesmakingademonstrable,positivecontributiontopeopleandtheenvironment.ShapingaNewEconomy: Tomaketheeconomymoresocialand
sustainable,itneedstobestructureddifferently.Toachievethis,DOENfocusesoninitiativesby(new)sustainableentrepreneursandbyorganisationsbringingaboutchangeinexistingeconomicstructures.
Sustainable&SocialEntrepreneurship: DOENfocusesonentrepreneurscarryingoutsustainabilityinnovationsintheirbusinesses,marketingasustainableproductinaninnovativenewway,orcreatingjobsforspecifictargetgroups.DOENalsofocusesonproducersindevelopingcountrieswhoaremakingapositivecontributiontotheireverydayenvironment.
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2.ThestudyThepurposeofthestudyistofleshouttheconceptof‘neweconomy’(changesinthesystemandinentrepreneurialmethodswithinthatsystem)bydevelopingadynamicframeworkwiththeaimofidentifying,interpreting,guidingandevaluatinganeweconomyandinitiatives(withinthemselvesandinrelationtoeachother).Theframeworkrelatestotwoareasofaneweconomy:
• Shapinganeweconomy• Sustainableentrepreneurship10
2.1 Researchquestion
Thekeyresearchquestioninthestudyis‘whataretheemergingcontourscharacteristicofaneweconomy?’Itisnotaboutdefininganeweconomyasaclear‐cutphenomenonbutratherasadevelopmentaldirectionforentrepreneurialactionfocusedoncreatingaddedvalueforsocietyandnature.Sub‐questionstobeansweredinthestudyare:
• Whataretheintentionsofinitiativesinaneweconomy?• Whataretheirgoals?• Howdotheyorganisethemselves?• Howdotheyrelatetotheirenvironment?• Andhowdotheyactintheorganisation?• Intheenvironment?• Onthemarket?
Theresearchfieldistheworldofpractice,theaccounts,experiencesandfindingsofpeopleinandaroundorganisationsaimingtomakeadifferenceforsocietyand/ornature.
2.2 Scopeofthestudy
Becausethisstudylooksatthepracticeoforganisationsusingdifferententrepreneurialmethodsoraimingtoencourageadifferententrepreneurialapproach,itsscopemainlyconcernsdifferentformsofentrepreneurship.Howdoorganisationsaimingtocontributetonatureandsocietyapproachentrepreneurship?Whatdotheydodifferentlyfromotherorganisations?Intheirorganisation,intheirrelationswiththeirsurroundings,andthewaytheyoperateonthemarket?Basedontheirexperience,thisstudygivesapictureofhowthemarketandorganisationsaredevelopinginaneweconomy.Itdescribestheparticularwaysinwhichthoseorganisationsarefleshingouttheconceptofentrepreneurshipandoperatingonthemarketinaneweconomy.Whatelsedotheseinitiatorsandorganisationshavegoingforthem,ontopoftheusualentrepreneurialskills?Thisbasisenablesustoidentifyadevelopmentaltrendindicativeofaneweconomyasawhole.
2.3 Frompracticetocontours
Theframeworkwasdevelopedbasedontheexperiencesofsixorganisationseachcontributingintheirownwaytothedevelopmentofaneweconomy.Theseareorganisationswhichsuccessfullycombineecological,socialandeconomicgoalsandhaveachievingsustainabilityastheircoreactivity.Thefollowingorganisationsmakingtheirownindividualcontributionstothedevelopmentofaneweconomywerestudied:
10http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_development:Sustainabledevelopmentisthereforeaboutanidealequilibriumbetweenecological,economicandsocialinterests.Alldevelopmentscontributingintechnological,economic,ecological,politicalorsocialrespectstoahealthyEarthwithprosperousinhabitantsandproperlyfunctioningecosystemsaresustainable.
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– SocialTRadeOrganizationSTRO11pushestheboundariesoftheexistingfinancialsystembydevelopingregionalfinancialsystemsthatcreatefairopportunitiesforthoselivinginpoverty.
– Enviu12startsupworld‐changingbusinesses,fromideathroughtolaunch,thathaveapositivesocialandenvironmentalimpactontheworld.Oneofthesebusinessesis’OpenSource’House’13,whichaimstodesignsustainable,affordablehousingforpeopleinlow‐incomecountries.
– Tapworldisapilotprojectthataimstocontributetotherecoveryandbuildingoftropicalrainforestandsocialdevelopment.Onewayitdoesthisisbyproducingsugarandethanolfromsugarpalm.
– Specialisterren14isacompanythattestssoftware.Whatmakesitspecialisthefactthatitworkswithpeoplewithautistictraits.
– FestivalsurleNiger15isamusic,theatreandvisualartsfestivalheldannuallyinSégou(Mali)whichhasnowspawnedarangeofspin‐offactivities.ItsaimistodeveloptheregionofSégouinsocial,culturalandentrepreneurialterms.
– StichtingGeïntegreerdeVisserij(SGV)16engagesincoastalfishingintheDutchWaddenSeabasedonrespectfornature,employmentandfishingculture.TheSGVisacollaborativeassociationoffishermenworkingtogethertocreatepracticable,achievableprospectsforthefutureofcoastalfishingusingsmallvessels.17
AmoredetaileddescriptionisgiveninAnnex1.Thisresearchisbasedonashorterpreliminarystudy,alsofocusingoninitiativesfundedbyDOEN,inwhichthefollowingorganisationsparticipated:
o StichtingProgreso,Ghana18o KIVA,UnitedStates19o PrinsHeerlijk,Netherlands20o Agora,CentralAmerica21o AfricanParksNetwork(SouthAfrica,Malawi,Zambia)22
2.4 Engagedscholarship
“Wisdomisthefruitof‘L’arbreàparole’,thetreeunderwhichpeoplesitanddiscuss.Theskinofthefruitisjustsimplefriendlytalking,butthefruititselfisaseriousdialogueandleadstowisdom.”DrSimaga23
DOENandtheinitiatorsinaneweconomyarelargelyfocusedonexperimentation:tryingoutwhatworks,learningbydoingandfiguringoutstepbystepwhatworksandwhatdoesn’t.Thereareveryfewprecedentsavailablethatcanbeeasilycopied.Indeed,itappearsthatthedevisingofcustom‐madesolutionsisamarkofaneweconomy.Aneweconomyischaracterisedbyahugevarietyanddiversityofmethodsofentrepreneurshipandeconomicactivity.Sustainableentrepreneurstrytofindtheirownwaysofdoingbusinessthatfitinwithwhattheywanttoachieve.Theyactonthebasisofdifferenteconomicprincipleswhenitcomestothevaluing,sellingand
11www.socialtrade.org 12www.enviu.org13www.os‐house.org14www.Specialisterren.nl15www.festivalsegou.org16www.geintegreerdevisserij.nl17www.doen.nl/researchneweconomy18www.progreso.nl19www.kiva.org20www.prinsheerlijktilburg.nl21www.theagorafoundation.org22www.african‐parks.org23DrSimagaisapharmacist,expertonMaayaandGodfatheroftheFestivalsurleNiger.
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distributionoftheirproducts,servicesandideas.Thedevelopmentofaneweconomyischaracterisedbyabroadcollectionofinitiativeswhichpotentiallyshareaunifyingfactorindicatingthedirectioninwhichaneweconomyissettoevolve.Aneweconomydevelopsinthedoing.Learningfromexperienceandconstantlyreassessingthebeststeptotakenextleadsslowlybutsurelytoapotentialcourseofaction,anoverallpictureandanideaofwhatworksandwhatdoesn’t.Allgoodreasontotrytofindaformofresearchthatcontributestothatdevelopmentalprocessbysharingandidentifyingexperiences.Theformadoptedwas‘engagedscholarship’24,inwhichtheinteractionbetweenresearcherandresearcheeleadstoanunderstandingandinterpretationoftheinitiativewithintheframeworkorcontextofthedevelopmentofaneweconomyandsustainableentrepreneurship.Thisformofresearchlendsitselfextremelywelltothestudyofdevelopmentsthatarestillongoingandconsequentlyareoftenstillimplicit.ThroughdialogueanddiscussionwiththeDOENprogrammemanagers,thevariousinitiators,theirstakeholdersandtheresearcher,sharedviewsandtheoriesemergeastowhataneweconomyandsustainableentrepreneurshipare,andcanbe.Theresultsofthestudyserveseveralpurposes.Ontheonehand,DOENgainsaframeworktohelpitidentifyinitiativesinaneweconomyandsocialandsustainableentrepreneurship.Atthesametime,participatingentrepreneursreapthebenefitsofsharedknowledgeandpracticalexperienceandonthatbasisareabletoimplementspecificimprovementswithintheirownbusinesses.Thelatterfactoralsoappearstobeacrucialaspectofthedevelopmentofaneweconomyandsustainableentrepreneurship.Or,asVandeVenputsit:"Practicingmanagers,(…),arecriticizedfornotbeingawareofrelevantresearchandnotdoingenoughtoputtheirpracticeintotheory(VandeVen,2002;Weick,2001).Asaresult,organizationsarenotlearningfastenoughtokeepupwiththechangingtimes."25Withthisresearch,DOENismakingatangiblecontributiontothedevelopmentofaneweconomy,byharvestingpracticalknowledgeandsharingitwiththesectorandwithentrepreneursinaneweconomy.KnowledgethatRichardRortysoaptlydescribesasfollows:"Knowledgeiscopingwithreality,notcopyingit".
2.5 Approach
Theresearchconsistsofanexploratorypreliminarystudyandamorein‐depthfollow‐upstudy.PreliminarystudyTheaimofthepreliminarystudywastoconductaninitialinventoryoftheresearchfield.Forthisstudy,fiveorganisationswereselectedandtheinitiatorsandanumberofstakeholderswereapproachedforaninterview.Inthecontextofanopeninterview,theywereaskedthefollowingquestions:
• Whatdoyouaimtoachieve,andhowdoesitdifferfromordinaryentrepreneurship?• Whatdoyouunderstandbyaneweconomy?Andhowdoyoucontributetoit?• Whatproblemshaveyoucomeupagainst,orwhathaveyoulearned?• And,lookingtothefuture,howdoyousee(entrepreneurshipwithin)aneweconomytaking
shape?Thefollow‐upstudywasintwophases.Phase1Collectingdataonthevariousbusinesses/initiativesfromdocumentsfromandabouttheorganisationsandfrominterviewswithawiderangeofstakeholdersinandaroundtheorganisations.UsewasalsomadeofDOENdocumentationandanalysesconcerningtheinitiatives.
24AndrewH.VandeVen,EngagedScholarship:CreatingKnowledgeforScienceandPractice,OxfordUniversityPress,200725AndrewH.VandeVen,ibid.
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Phase2Broadeningandinterpretingthosedata,attheleveloftheinitiativesandatthelevelofthedevelopmentofaneweconomyanddifferentformsofentrepreneurship,indialoguewithgroupsofstakeholders,DOENprogrammemanagersandinitiatorsoftheorganisations.ThisinterpretationoftherealityisthebasisoftheneweconomyframeworkproducedforDOEN.Re1
a. Businessplans,missionstatements,annualreports,websitesandotherwrittendocumentsandsourcesobtainedfromtheorganisationsconcerned
b. Onehundredandthirty‐fiveinterviewswithvariousstakeholders• Initiators• Employees/consultants• Customers/clients• Suppliers• Organisationsconcerned• Representativesof:
‐Society‐Interestgroups‐Science‐State
intheformofopeninterviewsstructuredasfollows: Function,roleandorganisation/groupinwhichtheintervieweeworks/lives Relationshipandinvolvementwiththeorganisationstudied His/herideasabouttheorganisation History Objectives Values Organisation Impact(what,who,how:viawhatoutput/effect) Role/actioninthemarket/marketforces Partnership(who,howandtowhatend) Visionofthefuture
Re2
a. Sevenmorein‐depthdialogueswitheachinitiatorseparatelyb. Eightgroupdialoguesconcerningdifferentoverarchingthemeswith:
• allinitiatorsfromthevariousorganisations• DOENemployeesonthetopicof‘neweconomy’(twice)• stakeholdersofSGV(twice)• stakeholdersofFestivalsurleNiger(threetimes)
SummaryThisstudygeneratesknowledgeaboutthetrendsinvolvedinaneweconomy,basedonexperimentsandbestpracticesofconstantlyevolvingorganisationstakingaconsciousdecisiontomakecontributingtosustainableorsocialdevelopmenttheircorebusiness.Thestudydescribesandidentifiestheexperiencesofentrepreneursinrelationtotheircontributionstothedevelopmentofaneweconomyandotherformsofentrepreneurship.TheaimofthestudyistoharvestknowledgeandexperienceforDOEN,fortheentrepreneursinvolvedandforothers.
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3.Contoursofaneweconomy
"Howwecanmaintainourstandardoflivingwhileeliminatingpovertyandrepairingourecosystem.Withthatasyourmindset,youwillstarttothinkquitedifferently."StefvanDongen,Enviu
Aneweconomyisaworkinprogress.Aneweconomyisdevelopedinpracticebyinitiatorswhoactivelyaimtohelpresolveecologicaland/orsocialissuesbasedontheircoreactivity.Theirraisond’êtreiscontributingtosustainabledevelopment.Insodoingtheycomeupagainstnumerousobstacles,forexampleintheformoflawsandregulations.InthecaseofStichtingGeïntegreerdeVisserij,theshrimpingsectorisnotpermittedtoconcludesector‐widecatchagreementswithaviewtonatureconservationbecausefreecompetitioncomesintoplay(seeblog:theshrimpdilemma26).InthecaseofEnviu,taxregulationsmakeitvirtuallyimpossibletocombineentrepreneurial(read:profit‐making)activitieswithnot‐for‐profitactivitieswithinasinglebusiness.27Otherobstaclesliemoreintheareaoffunding:whowantstoinvestinanorganisationwithacompletelydifferent–andasyetunproven–wayofdoingbusiness?Ortoruncountertoprevailingpractices:whygivesomethingawayifyoucanaskmoneyforit,whyworktogetherinsteadofcompeting?Enviuhasproducedalistofchangesinattitudewithregardtofinancialpracticesthatclearlyillustratesthepotentialextentofthesedifferencesinattitude.Alloftheseobstacleshighlightthedifferencesandsimilaritiesbetweencurrenteconomicpracticesandaneweconomy.Entrepreneursarefindingtheirownsolutionsinordertodealwiththeseissues,usuallywithintheboundsofwhatispossiblewithinthecurrentbasicframeworkoftheeconomicsystem,sometimesoutsideit.Notwiththeintentionofoverturningthecurrentsystembutcertainlywiththeaimofbroadeningit,creatingscopeforgreatervariety.
26www.doen.nl/onderzoeknieuweeconomie27IntheUSthereisanewlegalform,the‘B‐corp’or‘BENEFITcorporation’,thatenablessocial,ecologicalandeconomicintereststobecombinedwithinasingleidentity.Californiaisthe7thstatetoadoptthislegislation(January2012).IntheUK,the‘communityinterestcompany’hasexistedforsomeyearsnow.
AparadigmshiftFrom ToFormal Networked(formalandinformal)Top‐down HorizontalandbottomupBuildsondebtaccumulation BuildsonassetaccumulationFinancialvaluecreationoriented SocietalvalueorientedBasedonscarcityanddistrust BasedonabundanceandtrustGlobalisedstructures GlocalisedConsumptioncentered ConsumerneedcenteredFasttransactions LoyaltyBankingonintransparency BankingonunderstandibilitySystemcomplexityasexcuse NothidingbehindthesystemEfficiency ICTusedtoenhancepersonal relationships
Source:Financialservices,fivetrendsfor2012,EnviuFebruary2012
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3.1 Broadeningtheplayingfield Thesixorganisationsstudieddisplayawiderangeofdifferentwaysofacting.Itisnotpossibletoidentifyasingleanswer,asingleneweconomyorasinglespecificformofentrepreneurship.Centraltoaneweconomyandsustainableentrepreneurshipareentrepreneurswhomakeaconsciousdecisiontodothingsdifferently,tocontributetosustainabilityandsocialimpactnotonlythroughwhattheydobutalso,andaboveall,throughthewaytheydoit.Howtheproductorservicecomesintobeingisjustasimportantasthesustainabilityorimpactoftheproductitself.Asisthewayinwhichentrepreneursworkandorganisethemselves.Inaneweconomyandthenewentrepreneurship,doingbusiness,producing,organisingandpositioningconstituteasinglecoherentwhole.Onecan’tchangewithouttheother,andsustainabilityandsocialimpactcallforalignmentofallthesefactorsandhenceforanintegratedapproach.Theimplementationdifferswidely.Eachexampleisbasedonanindividualvision,anindividualworldviewandanindividualstrategyfordevelopment.Aroundthedifferentorganisations,anareaemergeswithinwhichtheyoperate.Anareainwhichthereismuchmorevariation,bothinentrepreneurshipandineconomicrespects,thanthereisatpresent.Variationinviews,waysofworking,rulesofplay,playersandbasicprinciples.Whattheseexperimentshaveincommonisthatthebroadeningoftheeconomicplayingfieldandtheentrepreneurialperspectivecomesaboutintwoways.Entrepreneursregardthemselvesasco‐creatorsoftheentrepreneurialandeconomicplayingfield.Forexample,TapworldandEnviuseekdifferentrevenuemodelsandwaysofvaluingsustainabilityonthemarket.Theyactivelyimpartformandcolourtoentrepreneurshipandeconomybychoosingtheirowninterpretationofbothterms.Thismeansthatneithertheeconomynorentrepreneurshipisseenasafixedconcept.Thedecisiontointerpretbothascontinuallyevolvinghastheconsequencethateveryentrepreneuralsohasresponsibilityformakingdecisions.Itcallsforavisionofthewayinwhichtheinitiatordoesbusinessandhelpstoshapetheeconomicplayingfield.Becauseeveryentrepreneurcanmakedecisions,theentrepreneurialperspectiveandeconomicplayingfieldarecontinuallychangingandexpanding.Thesecondwayinwhichtheplayingfieldisexpandingismoresubstantive.Ifsustainability(andhenceecologicaland/orsocialinterests)isthebasicprinciple,theeconomyandentrepreneurshiparecolouredaccordingly.Asaresult,thebasischangesfromaprimarilyeconomicbasistoamorehybridform.
3.1.1 Aneweconomy,designinginco‐creation
“Youneedtostartrestructuringyoursystembasedonthestandardnotionofminimisingtheuseofrawmaterials.Thatisoneofthemostimportantstartingpointsforaneweconomy.”StefvanDongen,Enviu
Entrepreneurshipandeconomyarenotstaticconceptsbutarecontinuallysubjecttochangepromptedbyfactorssuchassocialandculturalopinion.Thespiritofthetimescoloursactivitiesandviewsconnectedwithentrepreneurshipandeconomy.Moreandmoreentrepreneursareputtingtheecologicalandsocialimpactoftheirproducts,servicesandideasfirstandforemost.Thattrendisinfluencingtheeconomyandthenatureofentrepreneurshipinmanywaysandondifferentlevels.Forexample,organicorfairtradecertificationisincreasinglyplayingaroleinacompany’simageandindeterminingthepricesofproducts,servicesandideas.ConsumersarepreparedtopayextratooffsettheCO2emissionsoftheirairjourneysandbusinessesarestrivingtoreducetheirecologicalfootprints.Intentionallyandunintentionally,alloftheseactivitiesinfluencetheeconomicplayingfieldandentrepreneurialperspectivetoagreaterorlesserextent.TheorganisationssupportedbyDOENundertherubricof‘neweconomy’setthemselvesapartfromtheseexamplesbecausetheyregardadifferentkindofentrepreneurshipasapreconditionfordevelopingamoresustainableeconomy.Forthem,sustainabilitycannotbeachievedunlesstheeconomyandmethodsofentrepreneurshipchangeaswell.ThisviewissharedbyProfessorAlmeidaAshley,whotookupthePrinceClausChairinDevelopmentandEquityin2009:“Firstly,theCSRconceptdevelopedfromanarrowandafterprofitperspective,mainlyattheearlystagesoftheCSRliterature,whichdefinedCSRasabusinessbenevolenceconductandcommunityrelationspolicies,rangingfrom
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corporatephilanthropytobusinesssocialinvestment.Asecond,broaderandbefore‐profitCSRconceptincludespoliciesandpracticestowardssustainabilitythroughoutthebusinessprocessatthelevelofthefirmandinbusiness‐societyrelations.”28Theorganisationsinthisstudyreportdifferentreasonsforchangingtheirmethodsofentrepreneurshiporeconomicactivity.Someexamplesaregivenbelow:Enviu:agroupofpeoplewithidealswhoaimtoprovethatthereisadifferentway;thatyoucanachievemoretogetherthanalone.Theythereforedevelopedahighlyparticipativewayofdoingbusinessinwhichdifferententrepreneurs,individuals,universitiesandarangeofotherorganisationsworktogethertoimprovethequalityoflifeforall.Tapworld:agroupofpeoplewhoareawarethatnatureneedstoberepaired,andthatthiscanbedoneonlyifnatureisseenasthebasisofentrepreneurship.Specialisterren:agroupofpeoplewhobelievethatyoubuildanorganisationonthebasisofnotwhatyoumakebutwhomakesit.Thetalentofindividualsisthebasis;byfacilitatingthattalentyoucanmakeadifferencetosociety.STRO:agroupofpeoplewithasharedconvictionthateconomicgrowthneedstofindaformotherthanthecurrentone:aformofgrowthinharmonywithnature.Onewaytoachievethat(toassignvaluetonature)isbybroadeningthecurrentmonetarysystem.Allofthemhaveavisionofentrepreneurshipandtheeconomythatenablesthemtoachievetheirobjectivesandshapetheirbusinessesandactionsinpartnershipwiththeirenvironment.Tobeabletooperatesustainably,inthesebusinesses’vision,weneedadjustmentsinmethodsofentrepreneurshipandintheworkingoftheeconomy.Consciouslydedicatingthemselvestoachangeinentrepreneurshipandeconomymakesthemdesignersofaneweconomy.
3.1.2 Neweconomy–ahybridplayingfield
"PersonallyIdon´tseeit[OSHouse]asaprofitdrivenproject(buildingsustainablehousesforthelowermiddleclass)butessentiallytoprovidebasiclivingaccommodationforpeople.Itisfiftyfifty,abusinessandanNGO.ItisanNGOsortof,butit’salsointerestedinrecapturingwhattheyputin."PeterDery29,OSHouse,initiatedbyEnviu
Theterms‘economy’and‘entrepreneurship’canbeinterpretedinavarietyofways.Inmostcases,bothareinterpretedwithinaneconomiccontext.Thedefinitionsbelowgivegeneraleconomicdescriptionsofthesetwoterms:Economy: Aneconomyisasystemofproduction,distributionandconsumptionofscarcegoodsandservicesinasociety.Thecurrenteconomicsystemisbasedontheprincipleofthefreemarket.Thefundamentalideabehindthisisthat,byallowing/preservingcompetition,freemarketforcesensurethatafairpriceissetforproductsandpromoteinnovation.Thebasicprincipleisthattheconsumer,or‘homoeconomicus’,alwaysmakesthemostrational,mostfavourabledecision.Thecurrenteconomyisnotapurelyfree 28CorporateSocialResponsibility:ARoleonlyforBusinessLeaders?PatriciaAlmeidaAshley,InauguralAddressasProfessortothePrinceClausChairinDevelopmentandEquity2009/2011deliveredon30March2010attheInstituteofSocialStudies,TheHague,Netherlands29CoordinatingDirectorCapeCoastmetropolitanAssemblyCCMA
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marketeconomybutamixedeconomyinwhichthestateplaysanimportantregulatoryrole.MostWesternsocietieshaveaformofmixedeconomywithanemphasisonthefreemarketmodel.Entrepreneurship:Anactivitywiththeaimofgeneratinganincomebyrunningormaintainingabusinessorcorporationwithaparticularcombinationoflabour,capitalandknowledge.Asindicatedabove,bothtermsareflexibleandareinfluencedintentionallyorunintentionallybyentrepreneursandmarketparticipants.Inpractice,neithertheeconomynorentrepreneurshipworksaccordingtothesepureunderlyingprinciples.Contributingtosustainabilitybringswithitanumberofvaluesthatalterthesedefinitions.Alloftheorganisationsstudiedhavefeaturesofbothprofit‐makingandnon‐profitorganisationsandusebotheconomicvaluesandsocialandecologicalvalues.Theneweconomyentrepreneursstudiedherearecharacterisedbytheirbridgingrolebetweensociety,natureandeconomy.Thistranslatesintohybridformsofeconomyandentrepreneurshipthatcombinethecharacteristics,valuesystemsand‘actionlogics’ofdifferentworlds.30Theimportanceofcombiningsocial,ecologicalandeconomicvaluesandgoalsisalsoemphasisedintheEarthCharter31:“Lifeofteninvolvestensionsbetweenimportantvalues.Thiscanmeandifficultchoices.However,wemustfindwaystoharmonizediversitywithunity,theexerciseoffreedomwiththecommongood,short‐termobjectiveswithlong‐termgoals.Everyindividual,family,organization,andcommunityhasavitalroletoplay.Thearts,sciences,religions,educationalinstitutions,media,businesses,nongovernmentalorganizations,andgovernmentsareallcalledtooffercreativeleadership.”32Thecomingtogetherofdifferentvaluesystemsintheeconomicdomainisnotnew,oruniquetoaneweconomy.Whatisnewistheexplicitnessandtheexpresschoiceofecologicaland/orsocialvaluesandobjectives.Andwhatsetstheentrepreneursinaneweconomyapartistransparencyandtheirawarenessoftheirinputinfleshingoutaneweconomyandsustainableentrepreneurship.Inasense,theyinventtheirowncustom‐maderulesofplay.Alltheentrepreneursinthestudyseektheirownsolutionsinordertocombinesocietyandnaturewiththeirentrepreneurialactivities.AsJurcellVirginia,financeandinvestmentadvisortoTapworld,observes:“Wearemakingalinkbetweeneconomyandthesoftersideofsustainability."MamouDaffé,theinitiatoroftheFestivalsurleNiger,believesthatentrepreneurshipinMalicanhaveonlyoneaim:thatofcontributingtosocialdevelopment.Inordertoachievethat,hecombinestraditionallocalvalueswithmoreglobaleconomicprinciples.StefvanDongenofEnviuexploresoptionsforshapinghisorganisationinsuchawaythatprofit‐makingandnot‐for‐profitactivitiesreinforceeachother.Heputsitasfollows:“Enviuconsistsoftwoparts:the“goodcauses”organisationdevelopsideasthatarethensoldto“participations”,asubsidiaryintheholdingcompanyunderthecommercialfoundation.Itisasortofhybridstructure.”Enviu’sinitiatorshavedevelopedtheirownuniquestructurethatallowsthemtoretaintheirANBI(charitable)statusontheonehandbutatthesametimecreatesscopefordeveloping,settingupandsellingentrepreneurialinitiatives.InthisparticularcasetheDutchtaxauthoritieshavegivenspecialconsentforEnviutooperateinthisway.
30"Hybridityreferstoheterogeneousarrangements,characterizedbymixturesofpureandincongruousorigins,(ideal)types,“cultures”,“coordinationmechanisms”,“rationalities”,or“actionlogics”.Thenotionofhybridityhasitsoriginsinbiology,whereitreferstothemoreorlessstablemixtureofdifferentspecies".IntlJournalofPublicAdministration,28:749–765,2005GriffinsorChameleons?HybridityasaPermanentandInevitableCharacteristicoftheThirdSector,TacoBrandsen,WimvandeDonkandKimPutters31TheEarthCharter(2000)isaninternationaldocumentonfundamentalvaluesandprinciplesthatattemptstocontributetoajust,sustainableandpeacefulsocietyinthe21stcentury.AccordingtothevisionoftheEarthCharter,ecologicalintegrity,humanrights,equalityandpeaceareinextricablyboundupwitheachother.Thedocumentthereforecreatesaframeworkinwhichallofthesetopicsarejointlyaddressed.TheEarthCharterresultedfromaglobalconsultationprocessthattookplaceinthetenthdecadeofthe20thcentury.ThedraftingoftheEarthCharterwasoneofthemostopenandcompletecollaborativeprocesseseverundertakeninordertowriteaninternationaldocument.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Charter32http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/content/pages/Read‐the‐Charter.html
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OpenSourceHouseillustrateshowsocialvaluesarestartingtoplayaroleintheorganisation.Theyhavegatheredanetworkofprofessionalassociationsaroundthemwithaviewtojointlyresolvingtheissuessurroundingsustainableandaffordablehousingandhelpingpeoplemakethemovefromslumareastohousesoftheirown.Ifmakingasocialand/orecologicalcontributionisabasicprincipleofaneweconomyandsustainableentrepreneurship,itmakessensetoextendthebasicdefinitionsofeconomyandentrepreneurshiptoencompassdefinitionsofanewformofeconomyandsustainableentrepreneurship.Thiscouldbedoneasfollows:Neweconomy:Aneconomyisthesystemofproduction,distribution,circulationanduseandconsumptionofscarceandabundantresourcesandideasinasociety.Aneweconomycombinesthetradingofquantities(goods,services)withtheexchangingofqualities(talents,ideas,knowledge,experience).Besidesbeingfoundedonbasicfreemarketprinciples,aneweconomicsystemisalsobasedonthefundamentalideathatallparticipantsinanopenandtransparent(local)marketworktogethertoensureapositiveimpactontheoverallsystemofecological,social,culturalandeconomicvaluesinordertopromotefairpricingandinnovationsforthebenefitofpeople,natureandsociety.Thestateplaysafacilitatingroleinthisprocess.Sustainableentrepreneurship: Anactivitywiththeaimofachievingecologicaland/orsocialdevelopmentbyrunningormaintainingabusinessorcorporationwithaparticularcombinationofentrepreneurialacumen,social,cultural,ecologicalandeconomiccapital(labour,knowledgeandvalues),inpartnershipwithstakeholders,andtherebyacquiringasustainablesourceofincome.Bothdefinitionsrepresentabroadeningoftheexistingdefinitionsandexplicitlycreatespaceforcombinationsofvalues,activities,productsandideas.Alloftheorganisationsstudiedhereareadaptingandcontributingtowaysinwhichthesebasicprinciplesofaneweconomyandsustainableentrepreneurshipareimplemented.
SummaryThereisnosingleneweconomyoronesinglemethodofsocialandsustainableentrepreneurship.Botharecontinuallyevolving.Organisationsinaneweconomyconsciously(helpto)shapedifferentmethodsofsustainableentrepreneurshipandadapttoaneweconomyinwhattheywanttoachieveandthewaysinwhichtheyaimtoachieveit.Aneweconomyandsustainableentrepreneurshiparehybridformsandarecharacterisedbythecombiningofdifferentvaluesystemswithintheireconomicandentrepreneurialplayingfield.
• Economy:isthesystemofproduction,distribution,circulationanduseandconsumptionofscarceandabundantresourcesandideasinasociety.
• Entrepreneurship:anactivitywiththeaimofachievingecologicaland/orsocialdevelopmentbyrunningormaintainingabusinessorcorporation,inpartnershipwithstakeholders,andtherebyacquiringasustainablesourceofincome.Tothatend,thebusinesscombinesentrepreneurialacumen,social,cultural,ecologicalandeconomiccapital(labour,knowledgeandvalues)initsownparticularway.
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4.Resultsofthestudy
"Weneedtoseeknowledgeasamatterofconversationandofsocialpractice".RichardRorty,philosopher33
Theresultsofthestudylead,atdifferentlevels,toanunderstandingofwhataneweconomyandsustainableentrepreneurshipare,andcanbe.Basedonthestudy,wecanidentifythewaysinwhicheachorganisationbroadenstheplayingfieldoftheeconomyandentrepreneurship.Together,thesedifferentpicturestellastory,onethatidentifiesthedevelopmentofaneweconomyandsustainableentrepreneurshipasamorebroadlyrecognisabledevelopmentinmodern‐dayentrepreneurshipandeconomy.Inbothareas,atrendisemergingthatcanberecognisedonthebasisofanumberofgenericcharacteristicsthatcanbefleshedoutindifferentways.Withintheresultingframework,thedynamicdevelopmentofaneweconomyandsustainableentrepreneurshipcanbeidentifiedandshared.
4.1 Neweconomy–adynamicframework
“Inaneweconomy,learning,earningandreturningcoincide.”CornelisdenBoer,Enviuconsultant
Thereisnoconsensusonhowthingsshouldbedonedifferently.Butthereareplentyofexamplesofhowthingscanbedonedifferently.Aneweconomyisemergingnotasasinglenewform,butratherasaseriesofvariationsonatheme.Sometimesclosetothecurrenteconomy,sometimesfurtheraway.Butalwaysconnectedwiththecurrenteconomy.Diversityincreasesand,withit,theresponsibilitytomakedecisionsoneself,toimposeone’sowndesign.Thereisnolongerasingleformofentrepreneurshiporasingletypeofeconomythatistherightone.Aneweconomyandsustainableentrepreneurshiparecontinuallyevolving.However,theorganisationsinthisstudydohaveseveralfeaturesincommon.Notsomuchintermsofhowtheyoperate,butintheareaswheretheymakeconsciousdecisionstoadoptdifferentformsoforganisation,activitiesoroperation.Aneweconomyisaboutsustainableactioninaneconomythatcontributestosustainabledevelopment.Inparallel,twoareasofdevelopmentcanbeidentifiedintheorganisationsstudied:
1 theentrepreneurialactivitiesoftheorganisation2 theorganisation’sactivitiesonthemarket
Thedevelopmentaldirectioncanbedescribedasmoreinterwovenwithsocietyandnature,resultinginorganisationandmarketbecomingmorehybridised.Entrepreneurshipisbasedonacombinationofgoalsthatseektoachieveasustainableimpact.Itsperspectivesbecomebroaderasaresult,asdoestheplayingfieldofthemarket.Theentrepreneurialperspectiveisbroadenedbythevarietyofgoals(social,ecological,economic),resultinginanincreaseddynamicwithintheorganisationandgreatermutualdependencewiththeenvironment.Theecologicalplayingfieldisexpandedbymakingspaceforexchangeaswellastrade,whichalsoincreasesthevarietyofplayersonthemarket.Thefollowingsectionsexaminethedevelopmentsinbothareasinmoredetail.
33http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rorty/
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4.1.1. Broadeningtheeconomicplayingfield
“Aneweconomyisaprocessofcollaboration.”HenkvanArkel,StichtingStrohalm34
Initsownway,eachoftheorganisationsstudiedispushingtheboundariesoftheeconomicplayingfieldtosomeextent.STRO’sapproachismoreextremeandthemostexplicit,whileSpecialisterrengoesaboutitleastexplicitly.Takentogether,thestoriesofeachorganisationgiveapictureofhowtheyarehelpingtoshapethatplayingfieldandmakeitamorehybridform.ThemainaimforTapworld’sinitiatorsiscontributingtotherepairofthenaturalenvironment.Theyaimtodothisinaprofitablewaybyassigningvaluetonatureinthelongtermaswell.Thenaturetheycreatehastogenerateanincome.Butthereisalwaysapartofwhattheydothatdoesn’tgenerateanincome,thattheydon’tgetpaidfor,thattheygivefreelytonatureandhencetosociety.Tapworld’seconomicmodelinvolvessellingproducts,servicesandideas(inexchangeformoney)andgivingproducts,servicesandideasawaytonatureinordertohelprepairit.“Ifwhatyoumakeanddoisquantified,youcanexchangeit.Ifyouwanttomakeitsustainable,thesugarneedstobeexchangeable,tohaveaprice.Andyou’llstarttogetcompetitiveprices.Thebitthatwedofreeofcharge(thatcan’tyetbequantifiedbutisdoneanyway:e.g.long‐termimpactontheenvironment),isalwayspartofit,soifcompetitorscomeonthescenethatisagoodthing.”JurcellVirginia,TapworldOpenSourceHouse(buildingaffordable,sustainablehousingforthelowermiddleclassesinGhana)doessomethingsimilar:“Theideawastoputtheideasoutintotheworldfreeofcharge.Togettheplatformright,ontheInternet,weneedmoney,sowegotagrantforthat.Ultimatelyweaimnottorelyongrants.Ifyouwanttohaveanimpactyoushouldn’tbedependentongrants.Nofreehousebuildingandalwayswithscalabilityinmind.Apercentagefromtheuseofadesigngoestothearchitect.Adesigncanbeusedoverandoveragain.”VincentvanderMeulen,conceptownerofOpenSourceHouseEnviuInthisexampletoo,thesellingofproductsandservicesisaraisond’êtreincombinationwiththesharingofideas.Alldesignsareaccessibletoall,canbeusedbyall,freeofchargeorforaminimalfee.Thenicethingaboutideas,likeknowledge,isthattheycanbesharedwithoutlosingthem.Bysharingideas,theybecomericher,morevariedandusedmoreoftenthantheywouldbeifyoukeptthemtoyourself.Besidesexchange,OSHouseaddssharingtothespectrumofeconomicactivities.
34HenkvanArkel,attheDOENneweconomyeventon14March2012
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Andsharinghasitsbenefits.AskedwhySTRO’sinitiatorsmaketheirknowledgeandICTapplications‘opensource’,JaapVinkreplies:“Itworksbothways.Peoplestarttouseit,starttotestitforyou,findsolutionsandsharethemwithyouinturn.Thesoftwareimprovesasaresult.”StefvanDongen(founderofEnviu)takestheideaofsharingastepfurther:toavoidover‐burdeningtheecosystemyouneedtochangesomethingfundamental.“Thekeymotivatorforchangingthatisspiritualityineducation.Insteadofworkingonapurelyfunctionallevel,youalsoneedtodiscoveryourpassion.Thenpeopledevelopdifferently,moreorganically.Thenyouseethingsholistically,moneyisonlyoneofthefactors.Ifqualityismoreimportantyoudon’tneedtohaveproperty,justaccesstoit.”Itisnotonlyknowledgeandideasthatcanbeshared:tangiblethingscanbesharedaswell,bysellingnotownershipbutaccess.AsinthecaseofWheels4All35,whereseveralpeoplesharetheuseofacar.Thesetwoexamplesshowhowtheeconomicplayingfieldisbroadenedbyaddingrulesofplay:waysofactingthatstemfrombothvalueandthedesiretoaddvalue.Byaddingvaluethatcanbetranslatedintofinancialterms,butalsoaddingqualitativevaluetonatureortosociety.Valuesthatcanbeexpressednotjustinfinancialtermsbutcanalsobedescribedinmoreorlessspecificorveryglobalterms.Addingtosocietymeansthatwaysofactingfrombothdomainsbecomepartofthemarket:fromthedomainofthecommunitycomessharing:havingcommonownershiporknowingthingsincommon;andfromthedomainofnaturecomesgiving:naturegivesofitselfonthebasisofdiversityandabundance.Trading,primarilyaneconomicterm,iscombinedwithsharingandgivingandtaking.Therangeofpossiblerulesofplayonthemarketisexpandedasaconsequence.ThestoryofColetteTraoré,co‐founderofawomen’sweavingcooperative36,showshowsharingcanbringadifferentmeaningtocompetingwitheachother:“Withtenlocalwomenweputourmoneytogethertobuyaloom.That’showwestartedourcooperative.Thereweretwomainreasonsforstartingit.Thefirstwastoreestablishthetraditionalformsofweavinginacontemporaryway.Andthesecondwastohelppeoplemakealiving.FortheFestivalsurleNiger,weworktogetherwithalltheotherorganizationsinthefieldofweaving,dyeing,sewing,andsoon.Togetherweensurethateverybodygetsafairshareoftheworksothatnobodyisexcludedfromthebenefitsofthefestival.”WillieSmitsfromTapworldalsoworkswithincomeforthecollectiveinadditiontothatfortheindividualentrepreneur.Each‘Hub’(localproductionunitforsugarsap)ispart‐ownedbythecommunityoffarmers.SmitsdescribestheprofitmadebytheHubasfollows:“Itiscommunitybasedprofitandcommunityspentprofit,becausethevillagerswillbeco‐ownersoftheHub.”Intheseexamples,givingandsharingtaketheirplaceamongeconomicactivitiesalongsidetradeandbarter.SiegfriedFinserexpressesthisasfollows:“Therearethreetransactionsandonlythree,andtheyallinvolvetwoparties.Allconstituteagreementsvalidatedbytangibleevidencebutmotivatedbydifferentaspectsofoursoul.Eachaffectspeopleandtheworlddifferently.Buying/sellingdrawshumanbeingsintothematerialworldandstimulatesthewholeworldtoproducewhatpeopledesire.Lending/borrowingdrawshumanbeingsintoconnectionwithoneanother,enablingpeopletoaccomplishtheirintentions.Itmakestheworldintoacommunityofstrivinghumanbeings.Giving/receivingenticesthespiritintomaterialexistenceandcanelevatehumanbeingstogreaterdevelopment,wisdom,andloveinshapingthefuture.Basedonmyobservationsandexperiences,Ihaveconcludedthatthesethreetransactionsarerootedinthearchitectureoftheuniverse.Theycontainalltheingredientsweneedtobecomehealingforcesinthelifeofthesociety.Thesethreetransactionsareallweneedtotransformtheworld,unfoldhealthyrelationships,andreconnectwiththeactivespiritofourtime.”37
35www.wheels4all.nl36AssociationdeFemmesArtisanesetTisseusesTraditionelles(AFATT),Mali,associatedwiththeFestivalsurleNiger. 37SiegfriedFinser,MoneyCanHeal,EvolvingOurConsciousness,TheStoryofRSFandItsInnovationsinSocialFinance,SteinerBooks,January2007
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WhereorganisationssuchasEnviuandTapworldoperatedifferentlyonthemarketoftheirownaccord,addingdifferentrulesofplay,STROworkstodevelopconditionsinvitingpeopleandorganisationstoactdifferentlyonthemarket.STROexperimentswiththisbyaddingcomplementarymoney.“Yougetadifferentsortofmoney,asortofcreditnote,bearingthedatewhenitwillbepaidout,ayearlater.Youcanexchangeitearlieraswell,accordingtoacoststructure.Andyoucanspendit;thepersonyougiveittoknowshecancollectitinayear’stime”,explainsHenkvanArkel,directorofSTRO.Thespendingofmoneyisdemocratised.Anyonewhomakesordoessomethingcanexpressitsreturninvaluetermsinadvancebyissuingasecurity.Byworkingonlocalmarketswithcomplementaryformsofmoney,byloweringinterestasclosetozeroaspossibleandbydefiningmoneyasaninformationflowintheeconomicsystem,differentformsofbehaviouremergeonthemarket.Onceyourealisethatmoneyflows,thatitenablesotherstoliveanddobusiness,thenyouspendit.Especiallyiftheinterestissolowthatthereisnopointinsaving.Theresultisthedevelopmentonlocalmarketsofaneconomyinwhichmoreandmorepeoplecanparticipate,aneconomybasedoncollaboration.Itisnotjusttherulesofplaythatincrease:thenumberofplayersincreasesaswell.Morepeoplecanstarttoproduce,asoutlinedabovebyArkel.Butdifferentinterestsanddifferentpartiescanalsostarttoplayaroleonthemarket.IfPaddyWalkeroftheWaddenAssociationhadherway,shewouldgoastagefurtherthanjustallowingentrepreneurstosharewitheachother.Ifitwasuptoher,allpartiesassociatedwiththeWaddenSeawouldconcludeagreements(suchasStichtingGeïntegreerdeVisserij).Undersuchagreements,entrepreneurs,natureconservationists,authoritiesandcommunitiescouldexplorethebestsolutionsforallconcernedanddevisefishingschedulesaccordingly.Theagreementswouldfocusnotonlyoneconomicprofitabilitybutalsooncontributionstonatureandsociety.Thevariousorganisationsstudiedhereareexpandingtheeconomicplayingfieldbyplayingwiththeconventionalrulesofplayonthefreemarket,andbyaddingextrarulesfromthesocialandnaturaldomain:sharingandgiving.Theyarealsoaddingplayers,andhenceagreatervarietyofinterests.Collaborationanddialoguearegainingaplacealongsidecompetition.Theaimisnotjusttoachieveanindividualgain,butgainsforthecollectiveornatureitself.Theexpansionoftheeconomicplayingfieldbyentrepreneursistakingplacemainlyintheareaofthemarket.Thatdevelopmentcanbeillustratedasfollows:
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Inaneweconomy,themarkethasthenatureofaforum.Itbecomesaplacewherepeopleandorganisationscanshareandexchangeknowledge,products,services,ideasandtalentsandtherebycreatevaluesthatcontributetosocietyandnature.
4.1.2 Characteristicsofabroaderplayingfield
Characteristicsofagreatervariationinrulesofplay• Pricesettingonthebasisofsupplyanddemandincombinationwithsocialand/orecological
costsandimpact• Marketforcesbasedoncompetitionandcollaboration
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• Assigningvalueonthebasisofquantifiableandqualifiedvalues• Tradingandexchangingofproducts,services,ideas,talent,knowledgeandexperience• Exchangeonthebasisofdifferentunitsofmeasurementinadditiontomoney• Products,services,ideas,knowledge,talent,experienceandnetworkscanbetradedand
exchangedbyacombinationofgiving/taking,exchangeandsharing,forexample:o Products,servicesandideasareofferedindifferentways:
Forpayment Freeofcharge Forcommonuse(‘opensource’)
o Jointlycreatedproducts,servicesandideascanbeofferedjointlyinamarketplaceo Products,servicesandideascanbeobtainedbynetworksorcollectivesofcustomers
Characteristicsofagreatervariationinplayersonthemarket• Themarketisameetingplacewhereplayersofallkindscometogethertotradeproductsand
servicesandexchangeproducts,services,ideas,knowledge,experienceandtalent.• Playersonthemarketarelikeapplesandpears.Eachplayerhasitsownspecificcontributionto
makeintermsofinformation,creationor(representationof)interests.Andcanthereforeoperateforreasonsotherthanbuyingorselling.Thevarietyofplayersishuge:
o Profit‐makingandnon‐profito Largeandsmallo Localandglobalo Fromdifferentsectorso Differentregionso Differentcultures
• Values,valueandpriceofproducts,servicesandideasareinfluencedbydifferentcombinationsoforganisationsandpeople
• Differencesininterestsareexplicitandrelevant• Thereisdialoguebetweentheplayers
4.1.3 Broadeningtheentrepreneurialperspective
“IfthereisabiggapinthemarketwhereIcanmakeamark,Iwoulddoitmyself.Ifsomeoneelsecandoitbetter,thatismoreimportantthanmemakingmoneyfromit.Thenit’sbettertoencourageit,it’llcomebacktomeinanotherway(…)You’repartofaneconomyandacommunityhere,youhavetorelyonandhelpeachother.”JanMichielvanderGang,aDokkum‐basedentrepreneurwhoisalsoinvolvedinSGV
SummaryTheneweconomicplayingfieldischaracterisedby:
• Greatervariationinrulesofplayinwhicho Exchangingo Sharingo Andgiving&taking
haveaplaceandarecombinedwitheachother.• Greatervariationinplayersreachingagreementbasedbothoncompetitionand
onchangingalliances.
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Sustainableentrepreneurshipmeansadifferentmodelofentrepreneurship.Whatyouaimtoachieveisdeterminednotonlybyyourresultsbutalsobythewayinwhichyouobtainthoseresults,andwithwhom.Therearethreedifferentareasinwhichmethodsofentrepreneurshipandorganisationarechanging:
a. Responsibilityisshiftingfrompurelyeconomictosocial,ecologicalandeconomicintentionandimpact:entrepreneurshipbasedonamoralcompass.
b. Connectionwiththeenvironmentofshareholdersandcustomersandtheoverallsystem:entrepreneurshipbasedonsensitivitytoenvironment.
c. Achangeofemphasisintheorganisation,fromefficiencytodiversity:entrepreneurshipbasedonresilience.
Theorganisations/initiativesinthisstudyarebroadeningtheentrepreneurialplayingfieldineachofthesethreeareas.
a. Moralcompass
“Impactfirst.Socialand/orecologicalgoalsforemost.”StefvanDongen,Enviu
Liketheeconomy,entrepreneurshipisinfluencedbyvaluesandpracticesfromthesocietalandecologicaldomain.Everyentrepreneurandorganisationispartofsocietyandassumesanappropriatedegreeofresponsibility.Thismeansthatyouadjustyourstyleofentrepreneurshipinlinewithwhatyouaimtoachieveasanorganisation,foryourselfandforthegreaterwhole,societyandnature.HenkBuiltjes,afishermanwithSGV,expressesitclearlyandconciselyasfollows:“Youhearitallthetime,'profitsaredown',butthere’sstillanawfullotofprofitbeingmade.Isn’tthatgoodenough?We’remakingenoughprofit;we’redoingwell;wehavetimeforourfamilies.Wedon’tneedanymore.”Bynotputtingprofit(andindeedever‐increasingprofit)firstandforemost,theintentionbehindentrepreneurshipchanges.InBuiltjes’words:“ButIdon’tjustthinkintermsofmoney,peopledothattoomuch.Youhavetothinkinvalues.Myfamilyhasbeeninfishingsince1600andIwanttopassonsomethinggood.It’sabusinessthatdoesn’tmakealotofprofitinitself,butoneyoucanrunandstillleadagoodlife.”KlaasLaansma,WaddencoordinatoratGroningerLandschap,addsthefollowing:“Whatisvaluableisyourfamilyhistory,beingabletopassitontoyourchildren,yourfreetimeandhavingenoughforagoodlifestyle.Thatmakesfourvalues,whiletheeconomicsystemhasonlyone:maximisingprofit.TheWaddenSeacallsformorevaluesthansimplymaximisingprofit.Imaginethecouncilasksyoutogoandtalktothecommunityaboutfishing,moneyhastobesetagainstthat.”Laansmamakesitclearthat,ifothervaluesareprioritised,thishasconsequencesforwhatyoucanputavalueon,andhow.Orwhatvaluepeopleattributetoit.Itisnotjustthenatureandvalueofproducts,servicesandideasthatchange,butalsothewayinwhichtheyarecreated.Anentrepreneur’sintentionhelpstodeterminehisstyleofentrepreneurshipandtheformofhisorganisation.JosineJanssenofEnviudescribesthisasfollows:“Wewanttosetupimpact‐drivenorganisations,anewsortofbusinessmodelwhereweourselvesarebusylearning.Wecometogetherwiththecrowd,thecommunity,weexploitpeople’spassion,andtheirknowledge.Itisanewmethodofproductandbusinessdevelopment.Resultsaredrivenbymotivesotherthansimplyprofit.”Thecultureofanorganisationisalsocolouredbytheintention:“Anhonourableorganisationstandsorfallsonitsculture.Ifthepeoplearehonourable:youwanta‘betterquality’ofpeoplewithanintrinsicmotivationtocomeandworkhere.Peopledancebecausetheywanttodance,nottobeseen.(….)SomeinvestorsarrivehereinaPorsche;whichisgreatifthat’syourpassion,notjusttobeseen.Thechoreographers,thepurveyorsofculture,needtobepure,”saysStefvanDongen.
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Clearethicalchoicescallforethicalstaffandpartners,aviewthatissharedbyTomasFiegeVosDeWael,managingdirectorofTapworld.Hetakesthatastepfurther:“Weworkwithalotofdifferentparties.Theonlyguaranteethatletsusbesureinthelongtermthateachofthemwillcontinuetoputsocialand/orimpactfirstliesinthesharingofourvalues.Ifwedon’tclickonthatlevel,wedon’tdobusiness.”Theorganisationsinthisstudydescribesustainabilityandsocialdevelopmentastheircoreactivity,andtheydoitbasedonsocialorecologicalintentions.Theyaddtotheworldaroundthem.Theethicalchoicetheymakeistooperateintheserviceofnatureandsociety.Thatchoiceisamoralchoicebasedonsocietalandecologicalvalues,alongsideeconomicones.Inasense,theyhaveamoralcompassthattheysteerbyandthathelpsthemdecidehowtoactandwheretobeunconditional.ThewayinwhichCorKloet,CEOofSPIE,apartnerofTapworld,expresseshismoralcompassisfirmandclear.Itisclearwhathestandsfor,andwherehisboundarieslie.“Ideologyisthedriverincommerce,weneedtodeliverquality.Ifmoneyistheonlymotivatoritdoesn’twork.Wehavearesponsibilitytosociety.BuyingeverythinginChinaischeap,butnotthebest.Wedon’twantslavelabour,corruptionandbribery.”Themoralcompasstranslatesdirectlyintodecisions,actionsandviewsaboutwhatfitsandwhatdoesn’tfitwithinthecontextofaspecificorganisation.Makingone’smoralcompassexplicitisapreconditionforenteringintocollaborationwithlike‐mindedemployeesorpartners.Sustainableentrepreneurshipisentrepreneurshiponthebasisofecologicalandsocietalvalues,inadditiontoeconomicones.AccordingtoArjoKlamer38,peopleandorganisationsinaneweconomyaredrivenbythewishtocontributeto:
1. Societalgoals(contributingtoabetterworld)2. Socialgoals(contributingtoordevelopingrelationshipsofthecommunityofwhichyouarepart)3. Personalgoals(personaldevelopmentorsecurity)4. Transcendentalgoals(contributingbasedonspiritualmotives)
Thevaluesystemofanorganisationinaneweconomystartswiththesesocial,societal,transcendentalandpersonaldriversandleadstoeconomic,socialandecologicaleffectsandimpact.Thisintentioninfluencesallaspectsoftheorganisation,fromgoalstoresults,andfrompeopletostructure.Contributingtosocietyandnaturemeansthatthegoalsoftheorganisationarealwaysacombinationofeconomicandsocialand/orecologicalgoals.Themorethesegoalsareinterwoven,andthemoretheyreinforceeachother,themoreeffectivetheyare.Theartisnottomakeanyonegoalsuperiororsubordinatetoanother,butrathertomakethemworktogetherbyeffectivelyensuringthattheyarecombinedgoals.Forexample,OpenSourceHouseaimstobuildsustainablehousingforlower‐incomefamilies.Inpractice,thesetwogoalsarenotalwayseasilycombined.Thematerialsusedinsustainableconstructionarealsousedintheslumareas.MostpeopleinGhanadon’tassociatesuchmaterialswithreliableconstruction.Butthatiswhattheywant–ahousethatisrobustenoughtowithstandtheravagesoftime.Sourcingothermaterialsmightbeonesolution,asmightbuildinglesssustainably.OnbehalfofOSHouseGhana,SamuelBiitirandAbrahamYenuLambonmadeadifferentchoice.Theyaddedanobjective:involvingthecommunityasaco‐creatorinthedevelopmentoftheirplans.Bygettingpeopletoshareinthethinkingprocessandatthesametimeteachingthemaboutbuildingmaterials,energyuseandotheraspectsofsustainability,theyaimstepbysteptocreateaplaceforsustainablebuildinginGhana.Byaddingagoal,itbecomespossibletocombinesustainabilityandaffordability,andthegoalsstarttoreinforceeachother.“Yes,amuchdeeperinvolvementofthewould‐beownersofthehouseshouldhavetakenplaceatmuchearlierstage.Wegatheredalotofinformationandwithhindsightitlooksveryacademic.Itisnotanerrorinitselfbutyouendupnothavingtheperceptionthatdefineswhatyouneedtoputdownthere.Andthisisverycriticalinthedevelopmentofeverything.”SamuelBiitirThemoresynergythereisbetweenthegoals,themoreeffectivelytheorganisationcanwork.
38ArjoKlamer,attheDOENneweconomyeventon14March2012
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“Underafullmoonallthechildrenareplaying,thegirlsdancing,theboysplayingallkindsofsports.Whenitiscolder,peopletelleachotherstories.Throughthat,childrenlearntolistenandtoobserve.Theyalsolearnresponsibilityfortheenvironment.Thisplayingandstorytellingisanimportantpartofeducatingourchildren,teachingthemthedifferencebetweengoodandbad.Stepbystep,theyareinitiatedincommunityvalues.TheFestivalsurleNigerhasthesamemission:initiatingpeopleinbothtraditionalandcontemporaryartandintraditionalandmodernentrepreneurialvalues.”MamouDaffé,FestivalsurleNiger
Characteristicsofthemoralcompass
• Assumingresponsibilityforthenaturalandsocialenvironment• Entrepreneurshipdrivenbysocietal,social,personalortranscendentalgoals• Operatingwithafocusonacombinationofsocialand/orecologicalandeconomicimpact• Shapingsynergybetweenecological,socialandeconomicgoals• Basedonsocial,ecologicalandeconomicvalues,statingwhyyoudowhatyoudo
o Withwhatintendedeffectandimpacto Andhowtointernalisethatinarevenuemodelandbusinessoperationso Andtogiveitshapeinorganisation(formandownership)andprocesses
• Unconditionalitywithregardtomoralchoices
a. Sensitivitytoenvironment
“Thereflectionoftogethernessinthemodernsocietyshouldconstituteasaninstitution,”H.Chandra,Pt.RekaDesa39
Itisnotpossibletocontributetothesocial,ecologicaloreconomicenvironmentwithoutbeingincontactwiththatenvironment.Socialandecologicalimpacttakesplacemainlyoutsidetheorganisationandcan
39H.Chandra,PtRekaDesa,IndonesianRuralFinanceConsultancy,doinganauditonthecooperativesofthefarmersatTapworld
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developonlyinthatenvironment.Arelationshiporconnectionwiththeenvironmentisapreconditionforthesuccessoftheorganisation.Alltheorganisationsinthisstudyworktogetherwiththatenvironmentingeneratingtheirproducts,servicesandideas,andtheireffectsandimpact.Theyenterintoarelationshipwithstakeholdersintheirenvironment.Thenatureofthatrelationshipisdeterminedpartlybytheclosenessofthestakeholder.Forexample,anorganisationcanplaceunilateraldemandsonsuppliers,butnotonanassociation.Thatrelationshipcallsforcollaborationandexchangeinordertoarriveatjointresults.Evenfurtherawayarenature,peopleandorganisationsthatareinfluencedbytheactionsoftheorganisation,andvice‐versa,withouttheorganisationactuallyhavingcontactwiththem.Natureinparticularhasmanyexamplesofthis,suchastheimpactontheworld’soceansofwastefromplasticproductsmanufacturedbyindustry.
SummaryThenewentrepreneurialperspectiveischaracterisedby:Entrepreneurshipbasedonanexplicitandunconditionalmoralcompasswithregardtoecologicaland/orsocialimpactthatgivesdirectionto:
• Mutuallyreinforcingcombinedgoals• Developmentoftheorganisation• Valuesofemployeesandpartners• Businessculture• Businessoperations• Revenuemodel• Relationshipwiththeenvironment(sensitivitytotheenvironment)
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Thesecirclesofactionintheenvironmentexistinthehereandnow,butalsointhepastandpresentofanorganisation.Yesterday’sactionscanhaveanimpactontheenvironmenttomorrow,andthedayafter,justastoday’senvironmentaldevelopmentscaninfluenceanorganisation’sscopeforactionafewyearsdowntheline.Theorganisationsinthisstudychoosetomakethecircleofinteractionaswideaspossible.Together,theyattempttomaximisetheimpactontheenvironmentandintime.Enviudoesthisbybuildingacommunity:“Therearearound8,000peopleinthenetworkwhoreceivenewsreportsandinvitationstoevents.Ourownteamisthecoreofthecommunity.Aroundthatarevolunteers,andaroundthatisalayerofpeoplewholendahandnowandthen,”saysJosineJanssenfromEnviu.Togetherwiththatcommunity,Enviudevelopsentrepreneurialsolutionstosustainabilityissues.StefvanDongendescribesthewaytheyworkasfollows:“Actionlearningisorganisingthecommunityonthebasisofaproblemandthesolutionstoit;youcreatesupportforaservice.Civic‐drivenchange,bottom‐upcommunitiesorganisetobestronger.Peopleparticipateinthestudy,butarealsostudied.”Inthisway,ideasaredevelopedintoconceptsandconceptsintobusinesses.Enviuworkswithaglobalcommunitydividedintolocalclusters.Solutionsneedtofitlocalcircumstances,butcanbeinspiredandcontributeatinternationallevel.“Thedesign(ofthesustainablehouseinGhana–gs)musthaveitseffectsatlocallevel,butasolutioncancomefromgloballevel.”VincentvanderMeulen,themanbehindtheideaofOSHouse. Enviudevelopsnotjustinpartnershipwiththecommunitybutalsowithotherentrepreneurs.“Sometimes,somestrangecombinationsoccur.Wearecurrentlyworkingwithapensionfundthathassomeverysharppeoplewithaclearperspective.Theythinkmainlyintermsofrisks.Wedothatalotless,butweclicksowellthatwewanttocontinueworkingtogether,”saysStefvanDongen.Partnershipsare
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enteredinto,ornot,dependingonwhetherEnviu’smoralcompassandthatofitspartneragreeorcomplementeachother.InEnviu,workingtogetheralsomeanssharingproceeds.“Ifsomeonehasaninterestinmakingitasuccess,youneedtolethimshareinit,”saysStefvanDongen.InoneoftheirprojectsinIndia,thecommunityhasbecomeashareholderinthebusiness.Andcommunitymemberswhohavecontributedtothedevelopmentofasuccessfulconceptaregiventheopportunitytoholdsharesinthatbusiness.Workingtogetherinfluencestheownershipsituationanddecision‐makingprocessaswell.Chandra,whosupportstheTapworldsugarpalmfarmersinsettinguptheircooperatives,describesthisasfollows:“Inourcommunitytogethernessalsoincorporatesthedecisionprocess.Itisthewisdomofthepeoplethathelpstomakeadecisionbyconsensus.Inabigcommunityyoucertainlyhavetoberepresented.Itisabouttransformingthefamilytogethernesstoanowadaysconcept.Fromthesociologicalaspect,humansaretreatedaspeersandinmodernsociety,youneedthatrecognitiontooperateinaglobalworld.”Inapartnership,decision‐makingisajointprocess.KlaasLaansma:“It’saboutmeeting,adialogueandlisteningtoeachother.Everyonehasequalworth.”JaapVegterexpandsonthisasfollows:“Sowealsotalkaboutthatinclusivesociety(…).Bringthepeoplewhoareveryeconomicallydrivenandthepeoplewhoaresociallydriventogether,andletthemworkoutasolutiontogether.Thenthesocially‐mindedoneswillsay:“ofcourse,rationally,wealsoneedtomakemoney.”Andthebusiness‐orientedonesmightsayit’sgoodtodosomethingwithabroaderfocusforonce,somethingthatultimatelybenefitsthewholeenvironment.Perhapstheycanbenefitfromitaswell.”JaapVegter’sexplanationemphasisesthehybridnatureofthepartnership.Heretoo,itisaboutcombiningsocial,economicandecologicalknowledge,ideasandvalues.Or,asJanvanGennip(StartFoundation,andinvolvedinSpecialisterren)says:“Youneedtheextremesinordertofindcommonground.”DifferentworldscometogetherintheFestivalsurleNigeraswell.MamouDaffé:“InEurope,IcouldseewhatwasmissinghereinMali.Whatcanbedevelopedinthelocalculture,toliftthingsinSégoutoanotherlevel.”AbdramaneDicko40giveshistakeonthis:“ItisabouthowtheMalianintellectualscantaketheWesternmarketrolesandconfrontthatwithourtraditionalwaysofdoingbusinesstomeettheinternationalorliberalmarketstandards.Ihaveastrongfeelingitispossible.”Workingtogetherisapreconditionforachievingsustainabledevelopment.JanBeekman41goesastepfurther:“It’snotaboutlookingattheindividualprojects.Wearenowlookingatthetypesofprojectswecanco‐financeviatheWaddenfonds42;itisimportantthatprojectsrelatingtothewholeregionscoremuchbetterthanfree‐standinginitiatives.Second,itisvitalthatorganisationsandcommunitiesworktogetherinsteadofseeingthemselvesasseparate.”Hegoeson:“Therearemanypositivesignalsintherun‐uptothoseprogrammes,goodideasandenthusiasmthatyouthencan’tdoanythingwithduetoallthoserules.Thetrickistogetallofthosepeopletogetherandbreakthroughthat.”Beekmanconsidersitimportanttoseeanorganisationaspartofalargersystemofinteractions.Thesysteminfluencestheparts;thepartsinfluenceeachotherandthesystem.Forthat,eachorganisationneedstorelatetothestakeholdersinthatsystem.Thiscallsforsensitivitytotheenvironment.Partnershipisinitiatedandenteredintoattheinstigationnotofonebusinessbutbasedonthefieldofinfluenceortheprocessinwhichmultiplepartiesareinvolvedandinteractasamatterofcourse.JaapVegteraddsthefollowing:“Ourattitudeasfishermenshouldincludeabitmoreof:‘chef,customer,
40AbdramaneDickoisaneconomistatUSAIDandavolunteermemberoftheorganisingcommitteeoftheFestivalsurleNiger.41JanBeekmanworksfortheProvinceofGroningenandcoordinatestheruraldevelopmentprogrammefocusingonprojectstostrengthentheeconomyintheGroningenregion.HeisaparticipantinadialoguewithSGVstakeholders.42TheWaddenfonds(2011)isafundtoboostinvestmentinecologicalandeconomicprojectsinandaroundtheWaddenSea.TheWaddenfondshasfundingofEUR500millionforthenext14yearsandismanagedbytheDutchMinistryofHousing,SpatialPlanningandtheEnvironment(VROM).
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natureconservationist,comewithmeandI’llshowyouwhatit’slikeinmyworld’.Mydreamisthat,aspartofthesystemitself,peoplewillcometogetherandthinkabouttheWaddenSeatogether.Whatisneededandwhatweconsiderimportant,whatusesarepermittedandwhatarenot.Setthisdownasasourceofinspirationforpolicyplansandlawsandregulations.”Enteringintoaconnectionwiththeenvironmentbasedonsensitivitytothatenvironment.Whoarepartofit?Whoarethey?Whatdrivesthem?Whatconnectsus?Itmeansrecognisingtheplayersinthesystem,boththosewhostandoutandthosewhostaymoreinthebackground.Itmeansmakingcontactwithobviousandlessobviouspartners,partnerswhoareclosebyorfurtheraway,similarordissimilar.Itmeansmovingwithinadynamicofinfluencingandbeinginfluenced.Forexample,Enviuestablishesapartnershipwithapensionfund,Tapworldworkswithcommercialandnon‐commercialinvestors,andOSHousebuildssustainablehousinginpartnershipwithprofessionalassociations.Inaneweconomy,stakeholdersareallorganisations,peopleandgroupsformingpartofthesysteminwhichtheorganisationoperates.Asecondaspectofconnectionisthenatureoftheconnection.Thiscanrangefrominformationsharing,asSpecialisterrendoesbypublishingabookabouttheorganisation’smethods,toco‐creationasaimedforbyEnviu.Thedegreesofcollaborationseeninthevariousorganisationsstudiedareasfollows:
• Informing• Facilitating• Tradingandexchanging• Co‐operation• Co‐creation
Frominformingtoco‐creation,thereisanincreaseinmutualdependenceandthecollaborationbecomesmoreapartoftheinternalorganisation,activitiesandprocesses.Inasense,thestakeholdersstarttobecomepartofeachother’sorganisationsortheorganisationsstarttodefinethemselvesmoreandmoreaspartofthesystem.
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Characteristicsofsensitivitytotheenvironmentinaneweconomy
• Social(includingcultural),ecologicalandeconomicformsofcapital(invaryingcombinations)contributetothesettingupanddevelopmentofabusiness.
• Theorganisationrecognisesandacknowledgesitspositioninthesystemandrecognisesandacknowledgesallparticipantsinthesystemaspotentialstakeholders.
• Theorganisationrecognisesandacknowledgesthemoralcompassofitspartners.• Workingwiththestakeholdersisapreconditionforeffectandimpactoftheorganisationon
natureandsociety.• Workingwithstakeholdersisbasedonsharedvalues.• Workingtogetheratallstagesofentrepreneurship:
o Takinginitiativestogethero Contributingcapital(ecological,economic,culturalandsocial)togethero Achievingtogethero Harvestingoutput,effectandimpacttogether
• Workingtogethercantakevariousformso Informingo Facilitatingo Tradingandexchangingo Co‐operationo Co‐creation
SummaryThenewentrepreneurialperspectiveischaracterisedby:Businessesoperatingonthebasisofanawarenessthattheyarepartofagreaterwholeandneedotherpeopleandorganisationsinordertohelpthemachievetheirsustainablegoals.Theyhaveahighdegreeofsensitivitytotheirenvironment,asaresultofwhichtheyare:
• Opentoothers• Abletoconnectbasedonsharedvalues• Abletooperatebasedonmutualdependence
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b. Resilience
“Saltwaterthinkingissomethingthefishermencanteachyou.Saltwaterthinkingisanawarenessthatyouarenotincontrol.Thisisincontrasttofreshwater(inland)thinkingwhereyouareabletocontrolthings.Peoplewhodon’thavesaltwaterthinkingdon’tseethingsintheirtrueproportions.”KlaasLaansma,SGV
Theinternalorganisationofsustainablebusinessesishybrid,justliketheirvaluesandgoals,andhencediverse.Thatdiversitycantakemanydifferentforms.Diversityisalsoapreconditionforbeingabletorespondquicklyandflexiblytotheoutsideworldandwithinthepartnershipwithstakeholders.Contributingtosocietyandnaturecallsforconstantinteractionwiththatenvironment.Managingonthebasisofdiversityisatoddswithmanagingbasedonefficiency.Whereefficiencystrivestomaximiseresultswithminimalresourcesandeffort,workingonthebasisofdiversityaimstomaketherightconnectionsinordertoachievecustom‐maderesultsgearedtoaspecificsituation.
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Eachoftheorganisationsinthisstudystrivesinitsownwaytostrikeabalancebetweenefficiencyanddiversity,betweenflexibilityandroutine,andbetweenlearningandbeingpredictable.Withoutdiversity,theyarenotresilientenoughtobeabletorespondtothechanging,complexnatureoftheirenvironment,andwithoutefficiency,theircontinuedexistenceisatrisk.Eachorganisationmakesitsowndecisionsfortheareasandactivitieswhereitoperatesonthebasisofdiversity,orindeedefficiency.Thosedecisionscanchangeovertime.“Thefundamentalattitudeisthatnatureisdynamicandweadapttoit.Thestrategychangesdependingonwhattheseagivesus,”saysLaansma.Sustainableentrepreneurshipmeansentrepreneurshipinrelationwiththeenvironment.JaapVegterexplainshowheseesthatwithinSGV:“FishermenwanttostartdoingnewthingsintheWaddenSeabutarenotallowedto.Thatmeansyouaredependentonthesupportofanatureconservationorganisation.Thenyouhavetodescribethoseactivitiesandtheirpreciseeffectsfullyinadvance.That’snotpossible.Butyoumightalsohaveconfidenceineachotherandinthefishermen.Anewactivityispermittedwithinagreedlimits,limitsagreedwiththenatureconservationists.Thefishermenbecomepartofthecollectivemanagementandkeepaneyeoncertainthingsthattheyreporttothenatureconservationists.Together,youlearnfromwhathappensandyoudon’tknowwhereyou’llendup.”Natureandsociety,botharedynamicandunpredictable.Asasustainableentrepreneur,youaimtoinfluencenatureandsociety;youaimtomakeapositivecontribution.AccordingtoVegter,itismainlyaboutbeingabletodealwithanunpredictableprocess.Youwanttochange,developsomethingwithoutknowingexactlyhowthatisgoingtohappenorwhattheoutcomewillbe.Asocietyornaturecan’tbeinfluencedinacontrolledenvironmentandsocannotbemadeinthewaythatyoucanmakeatangibleproduct.Contributingtonatureandsocietycallsforanopenprocessofdevelopmentinwhichyoudesignandexperimentstepbystep,lookatwhathappensandthenadjustaccordingly.Thiscallsforaflexible,adaptiveandcreativewayofworking.Thestatetoo,thepre‐eminentserviceprovidertosociety,struggleswiththesamemobility.Adifferentwayofthinkingandactingisrequired.HerwillvanGelder,analderman43fromthemunicipalityofMarne,explainsthatasfollowsinadialoguewiththeSGV:“Weneedtochangeovertoadifferentparadigmonaccountofpopulationshrinkage:theillusionofgovernmentsofbeingincontrolofthings,growth,landmanagement,development,regulation,isbasedongrowthinnumbers.Thatdoesn’tworkanymorewiththecurrentshrinkage,soadifferentwayofthinkingisneeded.Onewhereyouareawarethatyouarevulnerable,lackmoney,don’tknowwhat’sgoingtohappenandneedtorespondtowhattheoutsideworldoffers.Policyadviserssay:howdoesthatfitinwithourplans?Thatchangeoverneedstobemade.”ThechangeoverthatVanGelderistalkingaboutispreciselywhattheentrepreneursinthisstudyarecreating,eachintheirownway.Howtoorganiseinaresilientwayinordertocopewiththemobile,changingcircumstancesthatconfrontyourbusiness.AtEnviuthismeans,amongotherthings,beingtrulyopentoexternalfeedback.Listeningtowhatpeoplearesayingtoyou,andbeingpreparedtoactonit.CasparDickmannexpressesthatasfollows:“Threeorfouryearsago,agroupofconsultantscarriedoutastudyintoeffectivenessandefficiencyatEnviu.Theyheldinterviewsoverafewdaysandthenpresentedtheirfindings.Theconclusionwasthattheorganisationwasnotfunctioningproperly:notenoughwasbeingdonewiththecorecompetences,althoughalotofenergywasinvestedinthem.InotherbusinessesIknow,peoplewouldstarttoshiftintheirseats,puttheblameonotherswhotookthewrongapproach.AtEnviutheysaid,‘gosh,you’reright,thankyou!’andtwoweekslateraplanwasonthetable.Somuchenergytoimprovethings,itmakesmeenvious,suchdecisivenessandcapacityforlearning.”ThatopennessisthebasisforEnviu’shugeadaptivecapacity.Thisisalsoevidentinthewayinwhichtheyinvolveothersintheirinternalactivitiesinordertomaximiseflexibilityandcreativity.StefvanDongen:“Sometimeswedowonder,whyarewedoingthiswithsomanypeople?Andarewedoingwhatwedoin
43VanGelderisaldermanforpublichousing,ruraldevelopment,leisureandtourism.
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themosteffectiveway?Butinnovationcannotbeefficient,butitcanbeeffective.Thatiswhyweworkwithyoungmindsandaskpeopletobeflexible.Itisanorganicsysteminwhichdifferentresponsibilitiesareintermingled.Somepeoplehaveaprocessresponsibility,otherscantackleitfromotherangles.Atthestarteveryonecanparticipate,astheprocessadvancesyouneedexperts.Atthestartyouwantdiversity,attheendmaximumexpertise.”ThediversitythatVanDongentalksaboutisalsoapparentinalltheotherorganisationsinthestudy.Havingaformofdiversityisapreconditionforbeingmobile,forbeingabletorespondquickly,flexibly,creativelyandadaptively.AtEnviu,thatdiversityliesinthevarietyofpeopleandtherolestheyplayinaprocess.AttheSGV,itliesmainlyinworkingonthebasisofacontinuallyevolvingunderstandingoftheirimpactontheWaddenSeainconjunctionwiththatofothers.Theyadjusttheiractionsaccordinglyindialoguewiththeenvironment.AtSpecialisterren,thediversityresidesintheirconceptofmanagement.Theirvulnerabilityliesintheiremployees.Whattheycanhandlevariesfromdaytoday,fromsituationtosituation.“It’sveryimportant,especiallyonaMondaymorning,tolookeveryoneintheeyebriefly.Howwastheirweekend,whataretheyconcernedwith,arethereanychangesintheirmedication?Youdiscussthatinthegroup.And,wherepossible,youalsodiscusswhatyourenergylevelsareforexample.Everyoneknowswhereeveryoneelse‘isat’.Wealsohaveaten‐minuteinterviewwitheveryoneonceaweek,justtofindouthowtheyaregettingon,ifthey’rehavinganyproblemsandifthere’sanyoneinthegroupgivingtroubleintermsofconcentration.”JanvanderTuijn,chairmanoftheAcademie44Byreallylookingatandlisteningtoitspeople,Specialisterrenmakessurethateachstaffmemberisgiventasksthatsuithimintermsofvolume,skillsandsituation.Anditcanconstantlymonitorwhatworksandwhatdoesn’tandmakeadjustmentsaccordingly.Evenwhenthingsgowrong,thesituationishandledcarefully,flexiblyandinawaythatsuitstheemployee.“Yes,agoodexamplewaswithDeltaLloyd.TherewasatinythingIhadoverlooked,saidawholeblockwasreadybutsomeonewasn’tquitethereyet.ThatmistakeendeduponHans’splate(manager‐gs),whichwasawkwardforme.ButIcouldarguethatitwasn’tsobad.SjoerdandHansmakeitveryclearthatwedon’thavetosharetheresponsibility.Sometimestheyforgetthatforaminute,buttheysayoftenenoughthatsomething’s‘ourproblem’.Anditmakesmehappytohearthemsaythat.”Daan,SpecialisterrenemployeeThatdynamicapproachtomanagement,basedondiversityinmanagementmethods,exploitsemployees’skillstobestadvantage.Whattheyaregoodatleadstosuccessinthework.“WedidapilotforDeltaLloydthatshowedthatwefound30%moreerrorscomparedwiththeirregulartesters,and200%morelanguageerrors.”RonaldvanVliet45Tapworldorganisesitsdiversityinyetanotherway.Itsholisticapproachtoentrepreneurshipleadstoastructureofdifferentorganisationsallconnectedwiththesugarpalmproject,rangingfromasugarandethanolfactorytoanimalrescuecentres,afilmstudio,atheatreandauniversity.“TheITMuniversityatTomohonstartedtwentyyearsagoandtwoyearsagoWillietookovertosupportthesugarpalmprojectasaresearchcentre.”JuliusPontoh46AccordingtoWillieSmits,alloftheseorganisationscanmakearealdifferenceonlybyworkingtogether.TheimportanceofleadershipinbringingcoherencetodiversityisputintowordsbyAdamaTraoré(ActeSept)inconnectionwiththeFestivalsurleNiger:“Aleaderissomeonewhobringspeopletogether.Youhavetolistenfirsttoothers,understandthem,letthemexpressthemselvesandletthemmakethemselvesunderstood.” 44TheAcademieisatraininginstitutionforsoftwaretesterswithASD.SetupbySpecialisterren,itisnowanindependentfoundation.45RonaldvanVlietandSjoerdvandeMaadearetheco‐initiatorsbehindSpecialisterren.46JuliusPontohworksatthegovernmentuniversityinManadoasalecturerandhelpstodeveloptheITMUniversityinTomohonasaresearcher.
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Diversityinpeople,inprocesses,inactivities,indisciplines–allsortsofdiversityarepossible.Thereisalsodiversityinthewaysinwhichthesustainablebusinessesstudiedherearefinanced:oftenbyacombinationofgrants,loansandparticipations.Enviuisalsoexperimentingwithcrowdfunding. JanvanGennipoftheStartFoundationdescribeswhyacombinationofgrantsandloansworksforSpecialisterren:“ThepeoplewhosetSpecialisterrenupsoughtdonationsaswell.Alotofsocialfirmsdothat.Therun‐inperiodisveryhardfororganisationslikethese.Theydoanawfullotforthepeople,whichmeanstheyspendmuchlesstimeoneconomicprofitability,sotherun‐upismuchlonger.SoIthinkit’sonlyappropriatethattheyshouldreceiveadonation.Wedon’tgivedonations.SoitwasaloanthatSpecialisterrengotfromus.TheRabobankFoundationfellintostepwithadonation.Theiramountandourscombined47wasenoughtofundthelaunch.Wecallthattheinclusiveeconomy,whichwebelieveneedstobeamixofsocialandregular.Purelysocialcanneverbemadeprofitable;100%regularnolongersuitsthissociety.”Thatcombinationofhardandsoftmoney,asAlexanderMeijeroftheRabobankFoundationcallsit,demandscleardecisionsastowhichmoneytouseforwhichpurposes.“Ifyouusesoftandhardmoney,youneedethicstotellyouwheretheboundarylies.”Themoralcompassoftheentrepreneurcanpointthedirectiontobetaken.Copingwithmobilityandopendevelopmentprocessesmeansrecognisingandacknowledgingyourownvulnerabilityanddevelopingstrategiesfordealingwithit.InadialoguewithSGVstakeholders,thiswassummedupasfollows:“Wearetalkingabouttwosortsofuncertainty:onecomesaboutduetofixationandtheotherduetomobility.Lawsarefrozenandnatureismobile.Bothdemandactionfromyou.Buttheanswertosomethingthatisfixediscompletelydifferentfromtheanswertosomethingthatismobile.Therearetwodifferentcontrolmechanisms.Oneiswithagroupthatisinterconnectedandmaintainsthebalancethroughdiversityanddialogue.Theotheriswhereeverythingiscompletelyunderreview,undercontrol,andonepersoncandecideyesorno.”“Vulnerabilityhaseverythingtodowithhandlingadynamicratherthanafrozensituation.Asituationthatisconstantlychangingandwhereyoucan’tcomeupwithastandardoranagreement.Thevulnerabilityofoperatinginaplayingfieldwheremanyfactorsplayarole,involvingdifferentplayers,andwhereyouarepartofitandcan’tremainonthesidelinesasanoutsider.Assoonasyoutaketothesea,youwillhavetogowiththeflowandrelatetothesea.Waysofhandlingthatare:• Nottransaction‐ledbutprocess‐led;• Nothierarchy‐ledbutdialogue‐led;• Notplan‐led,butlearning‐led.”48Thebusinessesinthisstudyaredistinguishedbyanawarenessoftheneedforresilienceintheirorganisation.Eachintheirownway,theyareabletogowiththeflowandevolveaspartofagreaterwhole.Theydosobyorganisingbasedondiversityinspecificareasandbytacklingdevelopmentsinasystematic,learningandinteractivemanner.
47TheDOENFoundationwasaco‐funderofSpecialisterren.48SummarygivenbyGodelieveSpaasduringthedialoguewithSGVpartnersaboutvulnerability.
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Characteristicsofresilience
• Themorevariedtheplayingfield,thegreaterthevulnerabilityduetomoreuncertaintyandambiguity:
o Doingsomethingdifferentfromotherscallsforanorganisationwithquickandflexiblereactions
o Beingabletoreactquicklytotheoutsideworldcallsforadaptivecapacity,flexibilityandcreativity
• Contributingtosocialand/orecologicalgoalsincombinationwitheconomicgoalscallsforanorganisationbasedondiversityinoneormoreareas:
o Anorganisationgainsinflexibilityandbecomesmoremobilebybuildingpartsofitselfondiversity
o Openprocesseswithoutafixedrouteoroutcomeareapreconditionforbeingabletoshapethingsinachangingenvironment
o Socialand/orecologicalgoalscallfordiversityindisciplinesinadditiontothecommercialone
o Socialand/orecologicalgoalscallforvariationinattitude,knowledgeandskillso Resilientorganisationsseekabalancebetween:
Diverseandefficient Learningandpredictable Flexibleandroutine
SummaryThenewentrepreneurialperspectiveischaracterisedby:Resilientorganisations:
• Withenormousadaptive,creativecapacityandahighdegreeofflexibility• Developinginandwiththeirenvironment:
o Inopenprocesses• Organisedonthebasisofdiversityintheareaswheretheyarevulnerablebystrikinga
balancebetweeno Diverseandefficiento Learningandpredictableo Flexibleandroutine
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4.1.4 Theentrepreneurialperspective:amodel
Sustainableentrepreneurshipleadstoabroadeningoftheentrepreneurialplayingfieldthatbuildsonageneralbasisofentrepreneurship.Anorganisationachievesitsgoalsbyorganisinglabour,capitalandknowledgeefficientlyand,wherenecessary,innovatively.
Moreandmoreentrepreneursaimtoachievetheirgoalsinasustainableway.Asaresult,theyexpandtheirsphereofactionandinfluenceandmakedemandsontheproductionprocessanditsoutputandeffectsontheenvironment.Thatalterstheillustrationasfollows:
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Organisationswiththeprimarygoalofcontributingtothedevelopmentofsustainabilityandsocietybroadenthatplayingfieldstillfurther.Andmaketheplayingfieldmorehybridisedandseetheirorganisationaspartofalargersystem.
4.2 Neweconomy:byorganisation
Organisationsinaneweconomycontributetosustainabledevelopmentbystrivingexplicitlyforacombinationofsocialand/orecologicalwitheconomicgoals(combinedgoals).Thedynamicframeworkforidentifyinganddescribingthatorganisationinaneweconomyisdistilledfromthecharacteristicsoftheorganisationsandtheideasoftheinitiatorsandtheirstakeholdersabouttheirentrepreneurialperspectiveandtheirwayofoperatingintheeconomicplayingfield.Theframeworkservesasaguideindiscoveringaninitiative’sowncustom‐madeinterpretationofaneweconomywithintheorganisationandonthemarket.Bydescribingthefivequalities:
• Variationinrulesofplay• Variationinplayers• Moralcompass• Sensitivitytoenvironment• Resilience
asareasofdevelopmentforaneweconomy,alanguageemergesinwhichuniqueorganisationalandmarketdevelopmentscanbecomparedandlinkedtogether.Theframeworkofferstheopportunitytoshareknowledgeandtoreapthebenefitsatahigherlevel.Eachorganisation(consciouslyorunconsciously)createsitsownmosaicofthesefivequalitiesbyassigningmoreorlessimportancetoeachandinterpretingtheminitsownway.
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Placingtheorganisationsstudiedbackwithintheframeworkclarifiestheworkingoftheframeworkandextendsitfurther.Eachorganisationinterpretsthesefivequalitiesinitsownway,onewithmoreemphasisonresilience,anotherwithmoredevelopmentofsensitivitytoitsenvironment.Sometimestheseareconsciousdecisions;somethingstheyarethingsthatarestillevolving.Theframeworkemergesfromtheirexperimentsand,takentogether,theygenerateasharedideaofthesituationasitisandcanbe.Thisdoesnotmeanthateveryorganisationhasalreadymodelledeverythingonallfronts.Theyareallstillinterpretingmostofthequalitiestoagreaterorlesserextent.
4.2.1 Tapworld
"Ourgoalislifeinharmony.Nature,theland,isthekey."WillieSmits,Tapworld49
MoralcompassJurcellVirginia50describestheoriginsandactivitiesofTapworldasfollows:"Itstartedwithabiologist,WillieSmits,whodiscoveredallsortsofthingsaboutsugarpalm,includingthefunctionofthepalmintheenvironment.Oneoftheproblemsisthatyoucan’ttransportthesugarsap.Reducingthesapallowsyoutotransportit.ThevillageHub(alocalsugarsapprocessingunit)makesthispossible,sotheproductcancompete.Wehaveprovenamplythattheuseofsugarpalmsbringmanybenefits.Iftheendproductfindsamarket,youcanhelpmorecommunities."Inthesefewsentences,VirginiaoutlineswhatTapworlddoesand,implicitly,whatitsintentionsare:todevelopnaturethatiseconomicallyprofitableandhencetomaketherepairofnaturefinanciallyattractiveandstrengthenlocalcommunities.Thesugarpalmplaysavitalroleinthis.EverythingthatisdoneandundertakenwithinTapworldstartsandendswithnature.Byseeingtheeconomyaspartofnature,naturebecomesthesystemwithinwhichtheorganisationoperates.Sonaturedetermineswhichcropisgrownwhere,andhow,allowingnatureanditsecologicalbalancetorecoverordevelop.Natureistheecologicalandeconomiccapital.Everythingstemsfromit.InTapworld’sconception,thecropisnotasingleplantbutavarietyofplantsthattogetherformanaturalhabitat.Tapworld’smoralcompassisentrepreneurshiponthebasisofnature.Itisunconditionalinthat.Ineverydecision,theimpactonnatureistothefore.ThisbasicprincipleisalsoattherootofitsbusinessandrevenuemodelandthevaluesthatTapworldhasformulated.
49WillieSmitsisascientist,andthefounderandinitiatorofTapworld.50JurcellVirginia,finance/investmentadvisortoTapworld
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SensitivitytoenvironmentBecause,forTapworld’sinitiators,natureisacrucialfactorindecidingwhattotackleandhow,theirsensitivitytotheenvironmentislargelyfocusedonnature.WillieSmitsiscontinuallystudyingwhatnaturecanandcan’tdo,strengthenedandrestoredbycombiningasmanyvariablesaspossible.Hisconnectiontothenaturalenvironmenthasbecomepartofhim:“Iusedtospendalotoftimeintheforestasachild,andwantedtoworkwithanimals.(….)LaterIbecameatropicalforestteamleaderinKalimantan,theirgoalswereverysimilartowhatwearedoing:plantingtrialforeststoseehowwecanultimatelyplantnewforeststhatarealsoeconomicallyprofitable.(….)Wedevelopedmethodsformonitoringtheforest,carriedoutscans(….)Ihavetriedeverysystemforplantingforests,dependingonavarietyoffactors.Youcanfactorinthevillageyou’redoingitfor.There’samodelbehindit.Theknowledgeisnowextremelyspecialised.”Tapworldshapesitsorganisationandapproachbasedonthenaturalandsocialqualitiesofanareaanditsinhabitants.Forexample,inoneregiontheplantingofsugarpalmwillbecombinedwithfruitcrops;inanotherwithrubbertrees.Ineachcase,plantingiscombinedwithcropsthatarenoteconomicallyprofitableinordertoensuresufficientbiodiversity.Inaddition,Tapworldstrivesforclosecollaborationwithalargenumberofstakeholdersinthesystem.Theinitiatorsholddiscussionsallround,identifymutualcontributions,andintheprocesstrytoshareanddeveloptheirbodyofthought.BecauseTapworldworksonthebasisofaholisticvision,ithasafairlybroadspectrumofpotentialpartners.Thismeansthattheytalktoalotofparties,allofwhomcancontributetoindividualaspectsofTapworld.Thatvariationintypesandsizesofpotentialpartnersisnoteasytomanageandkeepagripon.Tapworldstrivestofindabalancebetweenprescribingwhatshouldhappenandlettingthingstaketheircourse.ResilienceAsanorganisation,Tapworldhastoconstantlyanticipateawidevarietyofsocialandecologicalenvironmentalfactors.Thiscallsforanorganisationwithawiderangeofoptionsinthefieldoforganisingandprocessdesign.Tapworlddoesthisbyworkingonthebasisofmodulesandmodels.Forexample,theHubhasbeendevelopedsoitcanbeputtogetherinavarietyofways.Smallorlarge,withonefunction(reducingsugarsap)orwithvariousfunctions(rangingfromethanolproduction,watertreatment,animalfeedorcompostproductiontointernetandbankingfacilities).AsidefromthemodularstructureoftheHub,Tapworldisabletodesignawidevarietyofpossiblesugarpalmforestsbasedonarithmeticalmodelsandsimulations,takingaccountofecological,socialandeconomicvariablesallatthesametime.VariationinplayersVarietyintheforestdemandsnotonlydifferentfarmingmethodsbutalsoadifferentwayofoperatingonthemarket.ForTapworld,thechallengeliesinmakingoutput,effectandimpactquantifiable,sothatthecostsandproceedsofthismethodofentrepreneurshipcanbemadetangibleorunderstandable.JustusMartens51givesanexample:“Let’stakethecaseofaregioninIndonesia.Peoplelivethere,ithassugarpalmandforest.Someofthepeoplecollectpalmsap,andsomehaveotherjobs.Firstyoulookathowmuchsapcanbeproduced.Thesapismadeintosugarorethanol,whichiseasytosell.Thereiswood,fruit,theethanolalsoproducesenergyforthelocalcommunity.Youhaveanexportmarket,andyouusepartofityourself.Youtaketheproceedsfromthewholeregion.Thatisthefirstthing,andthereareotherbenefitsaswell.”Hegoeson:“energyandcleanwaterforawholepopulation.Wehavecalculated,ifeverythingworksout,thatthegrossproductistwotothreetimeshigherinalocationwhereyoubuildaHub.Ifyougenerateincome,thenumberofpeoplelivinginpovertyisreduced.Theygetaccesstouniversities,healthcare,spiritualgrowth.We’retryingtohelptheretoo.ThankstoTapworld’sarrival,substantialbenefitscanbegained,separatefrommoney.Howmuch,wedon’tyetknowprecisely.Athirdbenefitisecological–theriskofforestfiresisreduced,waterregulationgetsalotbetter.Thequalityoftheairisimproved.Thefertilityofthesoil.Andafourthisthattheriskofnatural
51JustusMartensisasupervisorydirectorofTapworld.
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disastersdecreases.Wetrytoassignasmuchvaluetothoseotherthingsastotheeconomicbottomline.You’refightingurbanisationonalargerscale.It’sanice,directwayofdoingsomethinggood.Notjustforus,butforothersaswell.”Byinterlinkingbenefitsinthisway,theinteractionbetweenecology,economyandsocialdevelopmentbecomestangibleandyoucanactuallyseehowoneaffectstheother.Onthatbasis,Tapworldalsoattractsdifferentsortsofinvestor,fromindividualsmakingdonationstocompaniesseekingtoinvest.Together,theymakeTapworldpossible.Theholisticapproachworksbyfocusingontherelationshipbetweeneconomy,ecologyandsocialdevelopment,byfocusingnotjustontheoutputofwhatTapworlddoes,butalsohowitgetsthere.Awholerangeoforganisations,fromuniversitiestoinvestors,fromnationalauthoritiestolocalcommunitiesandfromentrepreneurstoNGOs,areworkingwiththeminvariouswaysinordertoachievethis.Allofthemhavetheirownmotivesfortakingpart.Somearemoreeconomicinnature,whileothersaremoreecologicalorsocial,buttheyareallcommittedtothegreaterwhole.VariationinrulesofplayTapworldaimstoassignvaluetoasmanybenefitsandimpactsaspossible,andtherebymakethemexchangeable.Itworksonmodelsandwaystoexpressthevalueofnaturerestorationandsocialdevelopmentandtomakethemquantifiable.Onthatbasis,Tapworldentersintoconsultationwithinvestors,government,communitiesandentrepreneursinordertoexploretogetherwhattheywanttoinvestinTapworld,orwhattheyarepreparedtopayfortheproducts.Inaddition,thereisalwaysapartoftheproceedsthatTapworldgivestonature,thatthecommunityorbuyergetsforfree.Becauseevenifitcan’tbeassignedavalue,orifno‐onewantstopayforit,Tapworldmakesthedecisiontocontributeonanongoingbasistotherecoveryofnature.
TapworldEconomicplayingfieldVariationinplayers: Differentformsandtypesofinvestors:industry,NGOs,government,
individuals–allplayingaroleindeterminingthemarketvalueofTapworldanditsproducts
Variationinrulesofplay: Assigningvaluetoandexchangingeffectandimpactonsocietyandnature
GivingtotherepairofnatureEntrepreneurialperspectiveMoralcompass Naturesetsthetoneandisthebasisforalldecisionswithinthe
organisationSensitivitytoenvironment Understandingandactinginconjunctionwithnatureandthesocial
andeconomicneedsofthelocalcommunityResilience Modularapproachtoorganisationalstructure(e.g.Hubandsugar
palmforest)
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4.2.2 StichtingGeïntegreerdeVisserij(SGV)
“Vulnerabilityinsteadofrepairability”JaapVegter,SGV52
MoralcompassJaapVegtersumsuptheSGV’sendeavoursasfollows:“Theidealistogivefishermenthechoiceoffishingsustainablyindifferentways.CleverlyplannedfishingmethodsincombinationwithknowledgeoftheWaddenSea.Weaimtobeprofitablebycatchingaquantityoffishthatisassmallaspossible,i.e.byfishingseasonallywithsmallnets.Ifthefishdisappear,afishermanisforcedtofishforadifferentspecies.Thismakesitfreer,lessplanned,withlessnegativeimpact.Basedontheresults,youcanlookathowtostructurethefishingseasonsandoperationsinpartnership.”TheSGVisdrivenbytwoprinciples:small‐scaleoperationsandbalancewiththeWaddenSea.ThefishermenarepartoftheWaddenSeaandcontributetotheecologicaldevelopmentofthearea.Small‐scaleoperationsarevital,forvariousreasons.Workingonasmallscaleemphasisestherelationshipbetweenseaandfisherman:thesealeads,thefishermanfollows.Asecondreasonisthatsmallboatsandnetscauselessdamagetothemarineenvironment,andathirdisthatiftherearemoresmall‐scaleentrepreneurialfishermaneveryonecanmakealiving,insteadoftheWaddenSeabeingdominatedbyafewlargefishingbusinessesoperatingwithlargevessels.Small‐scalefishinginharmonywiththeWaddenSea‐thatistheSGV’smoralcompass.Sensitivitytoenvironment“Sustainabilityhastobecontinuallydefinedinadialogue,itneedstobekeptunderwatchandremainasubjectfordiscussion.”JaapVegter,SGVFishinginharmonywiththeWaddenSea,withitsfloraandfauna,andwithotheractivitiesgoingoninandaroundit,suchasrecreationandresearch.Theidealbalanceisdeterminedinongoingdialogue–adialogueofequalsinwhichfishermen,natureconservationists,government,themarket,tourismandthecommunitycometogethertodeterminewhatisrightforeachofthem.Onthatbasis,thefishermendrawupafishingplan.Theotherorganisations’plansarealsodetermined(inpart)bythedialogue.Eachpartyinfluencestheothersandallparticipantsarerequiredtobesensitivetotheenvironment.ThatistheidealoftheSGVandofvariousotherpartiessuchastheWaddenSeaassociation(Waddenvereniging),thelocalprovinceandtheMSC(MarineStewardshipCouncil).Thatisnoteasytoachieve.TheSGVcontributesinvariousways:“Wearegoingtosetupourownmanagementsystem,usingWaddenfundsfornewfishingsystems,inpartnershipwithecologicalassociations.Wegatherknowledgewithfishermenandnatureconservationists,astock‐takingexercise.Thisgetsroundtheregulationsinadvance,wekeepeverythinguptodateandstayinconsultationsothateveryonecangetsomethingoutofitonthebasisofpracticeratherthantheory,”saysJaapVegter.Inaddition,theSGVparticipatesactivelyinanumberofplatformsandinitiatesjointactivitieswithotherWaddenSeausers,suchasboattripsforoysterlovers,educationaltripsforspecifictargetgroupsandtastingsessionswiththehospitalitytrade.Byworkingtogetherinthisway,thedialogueemergesautomatically.Resilience“Wechooselowoperatingcostsandmaximumemployment,closetohomeandwithasmall,profitableandsafeship.Diversitywithinthecooperative,combinedwithknowledge,makesusflexible.Thissortofflexibilityneedstobeingrainedinacommunity,that’showitwasinthepastandweneedtogetbacktothat.”JaapVegter.SGV’sresilienceisachievedbyfishingfordifferentspecies,dependingonseason,fishstocksandthefisherman’sskills,bydiversityinfishingvessels,andbydiversityinpeopleintermsofknowledgeandskills.Forexample,Westerhuisseniorandjunior,bothSGVfishermen,saythatinadditiontotheirfishingactivitiestheyarealsoinvolvedinresearchfortheDutchDepartmentofPublicWorks(Rijkswaterstaat).
52JaapVegter,theinitiatorofStichtingGeïntegreerdeVisserij
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Westerhuisjr.collectsoysters:“Icollectonrequestforrestaurants,theywantthemfresheveryday(..)Jaaphasalreadymadecontactwithrestaurantsandotherbuyers.”IntheWesterhuisfamily’sgardenisabuildingdevotedtofishprocessingandstorage.AlloftheSGV’sfishermencanuseit.Thisexampleillustrateshow,bybandingtogetherinacollective,thefishermanareabletocarryoutawiderangeofactivities.Oneworksthemarket,anotherfacilitatestheprocessing.Thisenablesthemtodoavarietyofdifferentthingsatlowcost.VariationinplayersTheSGV’saimistodevelopavigorousfishingcommunity:todevelopanentrepreneurialcommunityinwhichallactivitiesintheWaddenregionhaveaplaceandtohelpthemembersofthatcommunitytomakealiving.Thewholeenablestheindividualstoshapetheiractivitiesandmakethemprofitable.Inthisway,theycreateaneconomicplayingfieldinwhichfishermen,interestgroups,governmentandentrepreneursworktogethertomakethingsbetterforeveryone:fortheWaddenregionandforthepeopleworkingthere.VariationinrulesofplayWithintheSGV,fishermensharecatchquotasandpermitsinordertorespondasflexiblyaspossibletothesituationintheWaddenSea.Insodoing,theysharethebenefitsofthesea.Itisnotcommonpracticetosharecatchquotas,fishingdaysandpermitsintheNetherlands.Toenablethis,thegovernmenthaslaunchedapilotstudyinconsultationwiththeSGVtolookathowcatchquotas,fishingdaysandtheuseofpermitscanbereviewedonagroupbasis.Theintentionistocollectthisinformationandthenmakeitavailabletootherfishermen’scollectives.Besidessharingquotasandinformation,theSGVisalsochangingtradeonthemarketbyexpressingtheimpactontheWaddenSeainthepriceofthefish.SGVismakingitsmarkonthemarket,inwhich“VanhetWad”(‘fromtheWaddenSea’)productsarepresentedasadelicacysourcedfreshlyeverydayfromaparticulararea.AccordingtotheSGV,thepriceforproductsfromanatureconservationareacanbepitchedhigherduetotheirexclusivityandbecausethecostsofpreservingthatareaaretakenintoaccount.
StichtingGeïntegreerdeVisserijEconomicplayingfieldVariationinplayers: AllplayersinandaroundtheWaddenSeadeterminetheeconomic
playingfield,sotheseaispartoftheprocessandtheindividualentrepreneurscanmakealivingfromit
Variationinrulesofplay: AssigningvaluetoandtradingtheecologicalimpactoffishcaughtbytheSGVfishermen
SharinginformationandquotasEntrepreneurialperspectiveMoralcompass Small‐scalefishinginharmonywiththesea DevelopingavigorousfishingcommunitySensitivitytoenvironment ActingonthebasisofdevelopmentsintheWaddenSeaandtheinterests
ofthesea,andsafeguardingthemcontinuallyindialoguewithallseausersandinterestgroups
MorepeoplefishlessoverallandeveryonecanmakealivingResilience Diversityinfishermen,fishingtechniquesandknowledge,skillsand
activities
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4.2.3 FestivalsurleNiger
“MaayaEntrepreneurship:theEntrepreneurialModeloftheFestivalsurleNiger,involvesadiscoursethatisenrichedbythevaluesofourpastsocietiesandtheprogressofourtime.Itinvitesustodiscoverapathofrenaissanceinentrepreneurship,whichbasesitsorganizationonmeetingtheneedsofaunited,solidary,enterprisingcommunity,whileincorporatingthevaluesofmodernmanagement.”CheickOumarSISSOKO,film‐makerandformerMalianMinisterofCulture
MoralcompassTheFestivalsurleNiger,initiatedbyMamouDaffétogetherwithotherhospitalitysectorentrepreneursinSégou,isaculturalfestivalthatcombinescontemporaryandtraditionalformsofart.TensofthousandsofvisitorscometoSégoueveryyearforthefestival.Daffédescribestheaimasfollows:"Howtorealizeartistic,economicandsocialsustainabledevelopmentbasedonlocalvalues,incorporatingmodernmanagementprinciples.ByinitiatingtheFestivalsurleNiger,Ifoundananswertothisfundamentalquestion,inspiredbytheMalianvisionofhumanism:Maaya.”Dafféisveryclearabouthismoralcompass:asfarasheisconcerned,anorganisationinadevelopingcountrycanservenogoalotherthancontributingtosocialdevelopment.Consequently,thatisalsohismainaimfortheFestivalsurleNiger.EveninthewayinwhichDafféandhisteamseektoachieveit,theyareguidedbytheirmoralcompass.Theyseektocombinetheirtraditionalvalueswithmoreglobal,oftenWestern,valuesofentrepreneurship.SensitivitytoenvironmentBydoingbusinessonthebasisofthevaluesandcustomsassociatedwiththeconceptofMaaya,astyleofentrepreneurshipemergesthatisverycloselyconnectedwiththecustomsandvaluesofthesociety.Thecommunityhelpsentrepreneurs,andtheentrepreneurshelpthecommunity.Entrepreneurshipisengagedinwithin,withandfortheenvironment,afar‐reachingformofsensitivitytotheenvironment.“Sotheentrepreneurstepsbeyondtheboundsoftradeandfunctionsasafully‐fledgedmemberofthecommunity,actingunderthesameconditionsandwiththesameresponsibilitiesasanyothermemberofthatcommunity.Entrepreneursareinfactpartofthecommunity,likeallothermemberssuchasfathers,mothers,elders,artistsandemployees.Theyarethereforejustasresponsibleforthewellbeingofthatcommunityaseveryothermember.Entrepreneurshipbenefitsthecommunityasawhole,notjustthecompanyitself.”53ResilienceThisstyleofentrepreneurshipcallsforahighdegreeofadaptivecapacity.Movingwiththeenvironment,understandingtheenvironment,scrutinisingandconnectingwithadifferentenvironmentarevitalinordertoconnectdifferentworlds.Learningandexperimentingarethecoreofthefestival’sresilience.MamouDaffé:“InorganizingthefestivalIneedalotofdifferentkindsofexpertise,mostofthemnotinmyfield.SowhatIdoisjustfindsomebodyoragroupwhohavethatspecificknowledge.TheycanstartorexpandtheirownenterpriseindoingwhatevertheyaredoingandI’llhirethemforthefestival.Ifthereisnoexpertiseintheregion,Ijustbringitinfromoutside.Iaskthoseexpertstoteachourpeoplesotheycanstarttheirbusinessagainafterlearningthatspecificexpertise.Stepbystep,acommunityofpeopleandcompaniesevolves,thatcanrunthefestivaltodayandcansupportthedevelopmentofwhatitcanbecomeinthecomingyears.”VariationinplayersThecommunityandthefestivalareinextricablyboundupwitheachother.Thatstrongconnectionleadstothedevelopmentofavariedandcohesiveeconomicplayingfieldcharacterisedbyahighdegreeofmutualdependence.Thefestivalisacatalystforthesocial,economicandculturaldevelopmentofthe
53GodelieveSpaas,Maayabasedentrepreneurship,Ségou,EditionslaSahélienne,2012
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regioninandaroundSégou.Intheeightyearsofthefestival’sexistence,ahostofsmallbusinesseshavegrownup,encompassingrestaurants,lightandsound,traditionalfabrics,galleriesandhotels.Together,theymakethefestivalpossibleandatthesametimethefestivalformsthebasisoftheirexistence.Aparticularfeatureisthatthebusinesses,justliketheStichtingGeïntegreerdeVisserij(SGV),don’ttrytopusheachotheroutofthemarketbutattempttocollaboratewithinitasfaraspossible.Entrepreneurshipisajointactivitywithsocialimpactattheforefront.Yousetyourselfapartthroughdiversityandpartnership.Ifentrepreneurshipisajointactivity,i.e.anactivitythatbenefitsallentrepreneurs,itcallsforthesharingofmarketopportunities,ordersandwork.Thismakesitpossibletoachievesocialandeconomicdevelopmenttogetherforthecommunity.KalifaTourégivesanexampleofthis54:“Forexample,regardingthefactthatnotallvisitorscangotohotels,theyhaveaskedthepopulationtomakeroomsintheirhousesavailableforforeigners.Ofcourse,theycouldhaveaskedhotelstobuildmoreroomsaswellandthatisthecase,butthatisstillnotenoughandtheydidnotputtheemphasisonthat.Theyputtheemphasisonbroadersharingoftheincome.SomakingsurethatpeoplefromSégouwhodon’thavehotelscanalsogainanincomefromthefestival.Andthatgoesbeyondmoney,becausethesearelinks,networkscreatedbetweenthesepeopleandgueststhatevolveduringthefestival.”
54KalifaTouréisthegeneralsecretaryofreligiousassociationinSégouandamemberoftheethicscommitteeoftheFestivalsurleNiger.
FestivalsurleNigerEconomicplayingfieldVariationinplayers: Entrepreneurshipbysharingmarketandentrepreneurial
opportunities,expertise,knowledgeandorders,inordertoachievesocialandeconomicdevelopmenttogether.
EntrepreneurialperspectiveMoralcompass Entrepreneurshipiscontributingtosocialdevelopment.Sensitivitytoenvironment Thecommunityhelpsentrepreneurs,andviceversa.In
fact,theyaretwosidesofthesamecoin,andinconstantcontactwitheachother.
Resilience Continuallearningandevolutionisthebasisofdevelopment.Andtheorganisationisstructuredonthatbasis.
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4.2.4 EnviuandOpenSourceHouseGhana
“Co‐creationasEnviuseesitisactuallyquitesimilartotheGhanaianideaoftwohandsarebetterthanone,butevenstrongermaybe.Youactuallyaregoingtoworkwiththesepeople,gettheirinputandhelpthemrefinetheirinputandtogetheryoucreateauniqueproduct.”SamuelBiitir,CEOofOSHouseGhana
MoralcompassEnviuisanincubatorofnewentrepreneurialsustainableinitiatives.OpenSourceHouse(OSHouse)isoneofthoseinitiatives.InGhana,OSHouseaimstobuildahundredthousandhousesforlowerincomegroupsinthecomingyears.Housesthataresustainableandaffordable.Thiscallsnotonlyforwell‐designedhousesthatcanbebuiltusingsustainable,locally‐sourcedmaterials,butalsofororganisationofthehousingmarket.TheformerhasbeenachievedbyalargegroupofarchitectswhohavedesignedoverthreehundredhousesbasedonspecificfeaturesofGhanaiancircumstancesandculture,andmadethedesignsavailableaccordingto‘opensource’principles.ThemoralcompassofEnviuandOSHouseaimstocontribute,byentrepreneurialmeans,toqualityoflifeinan‘opensource’manner.SensitivitytoenvironmentBothEnviuandOSHouseaimtodeviseideasandbuildorganisationsonthebasisofco‐creation.SamuelBiitirexplainswhythisissoimportanttoOSHouse:“Theissuewithpeoplehavinglowerincomesisthattheycannotgetfundingfromthebank.Forme,apersonfromamicrofinancebackgroundwhounderstandsgroupdynamicsandwhatthepowerofgroupscando,Isaidwellifthesepeopleasindividualscannotwalkpersonallytothebanktogetfundingthenyoucangroupthemsothebankknowsthattheyarenotdealingwithonlyindividualswhichgivesthemakindofassurance.”“Sowetappedintotheexistingsocietalstructures.ForinstancefromGNAT,NAGRAT,bothassociationsforteachers,andbroughtitintotheeconomicparadigmsoitcancontributeinsolvingtheissueofhousingandmortgages.Soweareorganizingthemthroughunions,andothercommunitynetworkssothatthebanksandinstitutionsnoticethesegroupsaremarketableandreliablecustomers.”Itisnotonlybanksbutthepeoplethemselveswhobecomestrongerbyorganising.Together,theycanbuythelandandgetitreadyforbuilding,andhelpeachotherfindthemeanstobuyahouse.PeopleinGhanaareoftenmembersofseveralcommunities.AccordingtoFranklinTreve,amathsteacheratAggreyMemorialSchool,thishastodowiththefactthatlifeinGhanaisinsecure.Traditionally,peopleinGhanaareorganisedintofamilies,communitiesandbodiessuchasprofessionalassociationsthatlookaftereachotherindifficulttimes.Asaresult,everyoneinGhanaisamemberofseveralassociations.Theseassociationshavedevelopedslowlybutsurelyintoorganisationsthatfurnishtheirmemberswithloans,buyproductsandservicestogether,andprovideeducationandtraining.Theyalsoplayanimportantroleinmonitoringvaluesandstandards,andmediateinconflicts.HisstoryillustrateshowimportantitisinGhanatoworktogether,toshapethedevelopmentofthelandandyourownlifehandinhandinacommunitycontext.ThesecommunitiesarealsoimportantforOSHouse.Theymeanthatseveralhousescanbebuiltandsoldatthesametime,whichischeaper.Inaddition,theprofessionalassociationsofferaplatformforconsultationandcoordination,resultinginalonger‐termrelationshipofcollaborationbasedonmutualtrust.TheimportanceofthisisexplainedbyS.D.KwasiBotchway,ChairmanofNagrat(associationforteachersinhighereducation):“OSHouseinvitesustogiveourownsuggestionsaboutthehousesinworkshops.Thereiseventheplatformtogivespecifications.Theycomeupwithideashowwecouldwork.Ithinkitismorecooperativethanotherswhobuild.Theydealwiththeindividualsbuttheyalsodealwiththecollectiveincludingthecompletestructureofhierarchy,formalandinformal.Everybodyisinvolved.”TheorganisationofOSHouseisevolvingmoreandmoreinthedirectionofacommunityoranetworkoforganisations.Theyenterintopartnershipswithbanks,architects,constructionfirms,maintenancefirms,governmentauthoritiesandspiritualleadersofcommunitiesthatareresponsibleforthelandanditsownership.
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ResilienceArchitectsfromallovertheworldworkedondesignsforsustainablehousesinGhana.TofitinwithGhanaianpractice,theycollaboratedwithuniversitiesandarchitectsinGhana.ThebestdesignswereimplementedinCapeCoastinGhana.However,conversationswithpotentialbuyersindicatedthatsomeaspectsofthehouses,despitethecollaborationwithGhanaianpartners,didnotideallymatchtheneedsoffutureinhabitants.TheresilienceofOSHouseandEnviuisevidentfromthespeedwithwhichtheythenadjustedtheirstrategy.OSHouseGhanaimmediatelysetupworkshopstoexplorehowthehousescouldbeadapted.EnviulostnotimeininvestigatinghowtoadjusttheapproachforOShousesinothercountries.Bothorganisationsarecharacterisedbyahighdegreeofflexibilityintheirprocesses.Theytacklethingsalwaysinamobileandlearningmanner,basedonanever‐evolvingunderstandingandacustom‐madeapproachtoeachproject.VariationinrulesofplayThebasicprincipleofworking‘opensource’meansthatEnviuandOSHouseparticipateinaddingtotherulesofplayonthemarket.Theyshareknowledgeaboutprocessesandmethodsandsharedesignsforsustainablesolutionsandinformationtohelpachievethem.ForEnviu,addingtoqualityoflifemeansasmanypeopleaspossiblehavingaccesstoandbeingabletousethosesolutions,sothattheworldasawholecaneffectivelybecomemoresustainable.Foreachideaorconcepttheydevise,Enviudevelopsarevenuemodelinwhichsharingandexchangingarecombined.
EnviuOSHouseEconomicplayingfieldVariationinrulesofplay: Seekingtheoptimumsynergybetweenexchangingand
sharinginordertoachieveasustainablesolutionbyentrepreneurialmeans.
EntrepreneurialperspectiveMoralcompass Contributingtoqualityoflifeinan‘opensource’wayby
entrepreneurialmeans.Sensitivitytoenvironment Allideas,conceptsandbusinessescomeintobeingin
co‐creationwiththeenvironment.Resilience Developingprocessesonthebasisofevolving
understandingbyevaluating(isthiswhatandhowweintended?),learningandquicklyreadjustingorthrowingthewholethingaway.
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4.2.5 StichtingSTROhalm
“Ourdreamistomakearivalformofmoney.Toachievethat,wefirstneedaprojectthatislargeenoughtofinanceitself.Oncetheprojectisthere,youneedtomaketheexperienceavailable.”JaapVink,STRO
MoralcompassTheideaofmakingacomplementaryformofmoneystemsfromthedesiretochangeeconomicgrowthfromexponentialtonatural.HenkvanArkelofSTRO:“Thateconomicgrowth,exponential,isfatalfortheenvironment.”Originallyanenvironmentalorganisation,STROisconcernedwithchangingtheeconomicplayingfieldinordertosafeguardsustainabilityinorganisationsandtoenablemorepeopletoprovidefortheirownneedsinanindependent,entrepreneurialmanner.“IntheWesternworlditisoftenmoreefficienttoexploittheenvironmentinanon‐ecologicalwaythaninanecologicalway.Manysustainableinvestmentsareprofitable,ifinterestdoesn’tcomeintoit.Thecombinationoftheurgeforgrowthandthelackofopportunitiesforsustainableinvestmentistheproblem”,accordingtoJaapVink.STRO’smoralcompassaimstocontributetothedevelopmentofadifferent,naturalformofeconomicgrowththatenablesustoexploittheplanet’sresourcesinasustainablemannerandgivespeoplewithoutanincomeaccesstothemarketassuppliersandcustomers.STROdoesthatbychangingtheconditionsonthemarketinsuchawaythatentrepreneursstarttooperatedifferentlyonthemarket.STROinvestigatestheimpactofthefollowingthreeconditionsontherulesofplayandplayersonthemarket:
• Loweringinterestasclosetozeroaspossible• Democratisingtheissuingofmoney
Thecirculationofmoneyisaflowofinformation:themovement/circulationofmoneygivesinformationabouteconomicdevelopment.Byworkingwithcomplementarymoney,STROisableinpracticetoexperimentwiththeseconditionsandtoseehowentrepreneurs’behaviourchanges.SensitivitytoenvironmentSTROisdevelopingcomplementarymoneyinpractice.Togetherwithgovernment,localentrepreneursandthecommunity,theyarebuildingalocaleconomywithitsownmonetaryunitinaco‐creationprocess.Bydemocratisingtheissuingofmoney,i.e.inadditiontothemoneyissuedbythestate,everyoneinprinciplecanaddmeansofexchangetothemarket.Avitalrequirementisthatthecommunityshouldreachagreement,sothatallpartiesinvolvedhaveconfidenceabouttheuseandvalueofthealternativemoney.Developingasystemtogetheronthebasisofsensitivitytotheenvironmentisavitalprecondition.VariationinplayersForSTRO,entrepreneurshipmeansexploitingthecapabilitiesofall,enablingpeopletoprovideforthemselves,withoutrequiringconstantexponentialeconomicgrowth.Tothatend,itisnecessarytostructuretradeonthemarketinsuchawaythateveryonecanparticipate.Complementarymoneymakesinvolvementpossibleforeveryone,bothascustomerandsupplier.Thisallowspeoplewithlittleornomoneytobegintoparticipateinthateconomyandsoprovideforthemselves.“SantaCruz,CidadedeDeus,anenormousslumdistricttothewestofRiodeJaneiro,hasopenedacommunitybankthatiscirculatingitsowncurrencyforthedevelopmentofthelocaleconomy(…)‘theideaofasolidaryeconomyisspreadingworldwide.Withcommunitybanksandourowncurrencieswecanbreakdowntheisolationofthelowerclasses,”sayscouncilmanDaCosta.55HenkvanArkel:“Ifenoughpeopletakepart,asystemdevelopsinwhichupto85%ofpeoplecaneffectivelyaccesstheglobalmarket.”
55FromtheVolkskrantnewspaper.FormoreinformationonBancoPalmascommunitycurrency,see:http://www.strohalm.nl/projecten‐wereldwijd/brazilie/73‐‐bancopalmas.htmlandhttp://www.strohalm.nl/actueel/174‐banco‐palmas‐2011.html
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4.2.6 Specialisterren
“Wearesousedtolookingatpeople’sshortcomingsthatweforgettolookattheirtalents.Wefocusondevelopingwhatisn’tsogood,ratherthanonreinforcingtheirstrengths.”SjoerdvandeMaade,Specialisterren
MoralcompassSpecialisterrenisasoftwaretestingcompanythatemployspeoplewithanautisticspectrumdisorder(ASD).PeoplewithASDturnouttobeextremelytalentedattestingwork.Despitetherepetitioninvolved,theystayalertandsharpintheirobservationsandassessments.ByadaptingtheworkingenvironmentinsuchawaythatpeoplewithASDcanworkeffectivelywithinit,Specialisterrenaimstoshowthatproductionbasedontalenthaseconomicandsocialaddedvalue.Theychoosetocreateabusinessthatfitsinwiththeiremployees,nottheotherwayround.ThismoralcompasshasitsoriginsinthefactthatbothinitiatorshaveasonwithASD.TheyknowfromexperiencethatpeoplewithASDaregaugedmoreontheirhandicapthanontheirtalent,whichreducestheirchancesofapleasantandappropriateworkplace.ThatisasituationthatRonaldvanVlietandSjoerdvanMaadeaimtochange.SensitivitytoenvironmentWiththisstyleofentrepreneurship,Specialisterrenalsoaimstocontributetothedevelopmentofcorporatesocialresponsibility.Initiallybyadoptingasocialstyleofentrepreneurshipthemselves,butalsobygivingotherorganisationstheopportunitytodobusinesswithapartnerthatlooksoutforavulnerablegroupontheemploymentmarket.IttakesagreatdealofexplanationandpersuasiontoconvinceorganisationsthatpeoplewithASDmakeexcellenttesters,andindeedthatitistheirforteandthequalityoftheirworkisparticularlyhighasaresult.Specialisterrenalsoaimstoencouragethosearoundittoadopttheattitudeshiftoflookingattalentratherthanatlimitations.ResilienceEverythinginthebusinessisorganisedwithaviewtoenablingeachemployeetoworkinhisorherownwayinordertoachievethebestresults.“Everymorningweholdashortmeetinginwhichweanswerthreequestions:whatdidyoudoyesterday,whatareyougoingtodotoday,andisthereanythingstandinginthewayofyourwork?”saysMartijn,oneoftheemployees.“Andifthereissomethinggivingmetrouble,Icanjustsayitandtheywillsortit
STROEconomicplayingfieldVariationinplayersandrulesofplay
Bychangingtheconditionsonthemarket,STROcontributestothedevelopmentofnewrulesofplayonthemarketandhelpstomakeitaccessibletonewplayers.
EntrepreneurialperspectiveMoralcompass Makingsustainableentrepreneurshippossibleandmakingthe
marketaccessibleforpeoplewithnomoney,bydemocratisingtheissuingofmoney.
Environmentalsensitivity Buildingalocaleconomicsystemtogetherwithlocalauthoritiesandpartners.
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outforme.PlustheworkisdividedupintolittlepiecesthatIcankeepgoodtrackofandareeasytofinishinaday.Thatlastoneinparticularsavesmealotofstress.”“Wetrytodothework100%stress‐free.Theterm‘pressureoftime’isnotusedhere.Wereinforceandempowerandtrytostrikeabalancebetweenclarity,focusandspace,”explainsSjoerdvandeMaade.Thatbalancebetweenfocus,clarityandspaceformsthebasisofthemanagementstylewithinSpecialisterren.Tothatend,SjoerdvandeMaadeandRonaldvanVliethavedevelopedthreemanagementprinciplesthatcanbecombineddifferentlyforeachperson.Thefirstprincipleiscoachingaccordingtotalent:makingsurethatpeoplelearntofunctionindependentlyintheirownway.Thesecondprincipleisacombinationoftwomethodsofsoftwaredevelopment(scrumandagile).Thisamountsinpracticetoaclearoverallconcept,continualmonitoring,andadjustingquicklyandflexibly.Andthethirdprincipleisjobcarving,amethodofdividingjobsupintosmall,manageablechunks(differentforeachperson)forwhichanindividualcantakeresponsibility.Thecombinationofthesemanagementprinciplesensuresthatpeopleandworkmethodscanbedeployedflexiblyanddependingonthesituation.Asacompany,Specialisterrenaimstodeliverqualityandtomeetitsdeadlines.Thankstothisresilientstyleoforganisationandmanagement,eachassignmentcanbecarriedoutinamannerthatguaranteesqualityanddeliverytime.VariationinrulesofplayThisapproachmakesSpecialisterrenunique.Becausetheyconsideritimportantthatasmanypeopleaspossibleshouldbeabletotakepartinthelabourmarket,theymaketheirexperienceavailabletoother(social)entrepreneurs.Forexample,theyhavewrittenabookabouttheirmethods.“Init,theytakeaverysocialstanceandsay:wearesharingwhatweknowandwhatwehavedeveloped,andanyonewhocanmanageitwiththebookcanjoinin.It’sallonthewebsiteaswell.”JanvanGennip,StartFoundation
SpecialisterrenEconomicplayingfieldVariationinrulesofplay Sharingknowledgeaboutsocialentrepreneurshipand
workingwithpeoplewithASDinparticular.EntrepreneurialperspectiveMoralcompass Managingaccordingtotalent,givingpeoplewithASDa
fulfillingplaceinthelabourmarket.Resilience Flexibilityandadaptivenessbyacombinationof
managingaccordingtotalent,conceptdevelopmentandjobcarving.
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5.Conclusions
“Weneedtodoitnow;weneedtostarttochange.”JaapVegter,SGV
Theentrepreneursinthisstudyshowthataneweconomyandsustainableentrepreneurshiparecharacterisedbyabroadeningoftheeconomicplayingfieldandtheentrepreneurialperspective.Anew,morehybrid,constantlyevolvingeconomyisemerging,onetowhichthebusinessesstudiedherearemakingaconsciouscontribution.
Becausethesebusinessesaimtobringaboutecologicaland/orsocialdevelopmentsandalsoseethatastheirprimaryobjective,theybasetheirwayofworkingaccordinglyonauniquecombinationofsocial,ecologicalandeconomicvalues.Asaconsequence,organisationsandeconomybecomemorehybrid.Socialand/orecologicalvaluesstarttoassumegreaterimportanceinorganisationsandeconomy,inadditiontoeconomicvalues.
Broadeningtheeconomicandentrepreneurialplayingfieldisadynamicandcontinuingprocess.Asaconsequence,thisstudycannotsayanythingabouttheformofthatplayingfielditself.Butitcancommentonthewayinwhichthatplayingfieldisbeingextended.
Initiativesinaneweconomyarecharacterisedby:1. Contributingtosustainability:ecologicaland/orsocialdevelopmentisthe
coreactivityofanorganisation.2. Socialand/orecologicalvaluesformpartofeconomicactivity.3. Entrepreneurialstyleisaconsciousdecisionbasedonthemoralcompassof
theorganisation.4. Helpingtoshapethedevelopmentoftheentrepreneurialperspectiveand
economicplayingfieldispartofwhattheorganisationaimstoachieve.
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Theeconomicplayingfieldisexpandingmainlyduetoadifferentdynamiconthefreemarket.Givingandsharingaregainingaplacealongsideexchanging.Andalongsidecompetition,collaborationisbecomingabasisfordeterminingthepriceandvalueofproducts,servicesandideas.Partiesotherthancustomersandsupplierscanplayaroleinthatcollaboration,suchassocialandecologicalinterestgroups.Theentrepreneurialplayingfieldisexpandedbecauseentrepreneursseethemselvesnotasseparatefromtheworldaroundthembutasanintegralpartofit.Thatbringssocialandecologicalvaluesandneweconomicvaluesintotheorganisationand,basedonthem,theentrepreneurmakesdecisionsaboutwhatandhowhecreates,andwithwhom.Theentrepreneur’sintentionregardingwhathewantstoachieveinsocietyandnaturedetermineshisentrepreneurialapproach.Aclearmoralcompassisavitalprecondition.Beingpartofalargersystemmakesyouvulnerable.Itmeansthatsometimesyouhavetofollow;sometimesyoucanlead.Ontheonehand,theorganisationhelpstoshapetheenvironment.Atthesametime,theenvironmenthelpstoshapetheorganisation.Thismeansthatyouneedtobeabletorespondquicklytodevelopmentsanddynamicsintheenvironment,whichdemandsflexibility,creativityandadaptivecapacity.Whatyoumakeisproducedinthatenvironment.Afterall,theorganisationseescontributingtosustainabledevelopmentasacoreactivity.Whatworksbecomesvisiblewithinthatpracticeandconstantadjustmentisrequireduntilitworks.Themoreresilienttheorganisation,thebetteritcananticipatemobilityinthesystemorpeople,andthemoreeffectiveitcanbecome.Inaddition,theentrepreneurisawarethatachievingsustainableorsocialimpactrequiresco‐operationfromandwiththatsocietyornature.Thatcallsforknowledgeandunderstandingoftheenvironment.Whoaretheplayers?Whatdrivesthem?Whyandhowtoconnect?Whatisthenatureandstrengthofthatconnection?Observingandunderstandingallofthisdemandsahighdegreeofawarenessoftheenvironment,inordertoarrivejointlyatthebestproducts,servicesandideas.
Thebroadeningoftheeconomicplayingfieldinaneweconomycallsforacustom‐madeinterpretationof:
1. Variationinrulesofplay:themarketwhotradeandexchange(scarce)goods,servicesand(abundant)ideasandtalentsbyexchanging,sharingandgiving.
2. Variationinplayers:whocompetewitheachotherandworktogether,withno‐onebeingautomaticallyexcludedfromparticipation.
Thebroadeningoftheentrepreneurialperspectiveinaneweconomycallsforacustom‐madeinterpretationof:
1. Moralcompass:takingresponsibilityinentrepreneurshiponthebasisofecological,socialandeconomicvaluesandcombinedgoals.
2. Resilience:securingtheadaptive,flexibleandcreativecapacitytoreacttomobilityofpeopleandenvironment.
3. Sensitivitytoenvironment:connectingwiththestakeholdersinthesystembyorganisingandactingtogether.
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5.1 Oldandneweconomy
Theorganisationsinthisstudyshowthatadifferentstyleofentrepreneurshipispossible:astyleofentrepreneurshipthatcontributestonatureandsociety,workstogetherwithnatureandsociety,andadoptselementsfromthemwhichitthentransposesintoentrepreneurialactivity.Lookingattheseorganisations,wecanseeashiftintheformsthatentrepreneurshipcantake,inwhichthedomainoftheeconomyisincreased.Thethreemainareasofexpansiondemonstratedinthisstudyare:Fromautonomousorganisationtocollectiveorganisation
Organisationsasautonomousunitsareincreasinglyandmoreexplicitlyconnectedwiththeirenvironment.Organisationsareshapedinandtogetherwithanenvironmentandcontributetothedevelopmentoftheenvironmentofwhichtheyarepart.Organisationsarealsobecomingmorethanone(legal)entityanddevelopingintoanetworkofmutuallyreinforcingorganisationsinwhichprofit‐makingandnon‐profitactivitiesarecombined.
FromcreatingvaluetorealisingvaluesOrganisationscreatevalueonthebasisofvalues.Itisnotjusttheproductorserviceitselfthatdeterminesitsvalue;increasingly,the(socialandecological)valuesrealisedalongwiththeproductorservicecontributetoitsvalue.
FromtransactiontointeractionProducts,services,ideasandknowledgeareexchangednotonlyintransactions,butalsoonthebasisofgivingandsharing.
Thecurrentdomainoftheeconomyispartofaneweconomy.Inasense,theboundariesoftheeconomyarewidening.Activitiesthatcurrentlyliemainlyinotherdomainssuchascommunityandnaturearebecomingpartoftheeconomicdomain.
5.2 Scalingup
Alloftheorganisationsinthisstudyarestillfairlysmall‐scaleatpresent.Whethertheapproachesdescribedherewillactuallyworkonalargerscalecannotbedemonstratedonthebasisofthisstudy.WhatisclearisthatTapworld,Enviu,SpecialisterrenandtheFestivalsurleNigerhaveambitionsintermsofscalingup.Enviuaimstodosobysettingupcommunitiesindifferentcountries,Tapworldbybuildinganetworkofhubsandcooperativesandbycreatingalargedistributionandprocessingorganisation,andSpecialisterrenbyworkingonmultiplebranchesandbysupportingsimilarinitiatives.FestivalsurleNigeraimstoexpandthenetworkofentrepreneurssurroundingthefestivalstillfurther.
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Whatisstrikingisthatalloftheorganisations,intheireffortstoachievegrowth,areworkingtoexpandnotonlytheirownorganisationsbutalsothoseoftheirstakeholders.Thismeansthatthescalingupofentrepreneurialorganisationsgoeshandinhandwithascaled‐upinvolvementoftheirsurroundings.Thescalingupoftheseorganisationstakesplaceinandwiththeirenvironmentandleadstothescalingupofacohesivesystem.
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Annex 1 FactsheetsabouttheorganisationsinthestudySTRO(www.strohalm.nl)SocialTRadeOrganization(STRO)developsregionaleconomicsystemsthatcreatefairopportunitiesforpeoplelivinginpoverty.STROdeviseslocalalternativestoexistingglobalmonetarysystemswiththeaimofdevelopingthecapacitiesoflocalpeopleandthelocalarea.Itsguidingprincipleistoreducemoneytoitsessence:ameansofexchangeandaunitofmeasurement.Bynothoardingmoney,investmentstartswithpeopleratherthancapital.Andbynotcharginginterestonloans,abusinessdoesn’tneedtogrowatallcoststobeabletorepaythemoneyborrowed.STROtestsneweconomicmethodsinpilotprojectsinplacessuchasSouthAmericaandCentralAmerica.Thenewmethodsareputintopracticeinconjunctionwithlocalpartnerorganisations.NeweconomySTRO’saimistodesignanalternativeeconomicsystem.Itassumesthataneconomybasedonconstantgrowthinturnoverisnolongerviableatatimewhenrawmaterialsarebecomingscarcerandscarcer.Constantgrowthputstoogreatastrainonourenvironment.STROdoesn’tquestionthefreemarketitself,buttheeconomicrulesofplaythathavedevelopedwithinit.Moneyisacrucialfactorinthat.Withoutmoney,youcan’trunabusiness.Andconversely:withmoney,youcangrowyourbusiness.STROaimstoshowthatthereisanotherway.Byreplacingmoneywithacomplementaryunitofcurrencyownedbythelocalpopulation,STROdemonstrateshowabusinessmodelbasedonthecapacitiesofpeopleandtheregionleadstoentrepreneurshipinharmonywithmanandtheenvironment.Enviu(www.Enviu.org)Enviudevelopsworld‐changingbusinessesthathaveapositivesocialandenvironmentalglobalimpact,seeingthemthroughfrominitialideatolaunch.Indevelopingastart‐up,Enviuworkswithalargegroupofinternationalentrepreneurs,professionals,universitiesandmultinationals.Onlybyjoiningforcesisitpossibletodevelopsuccessfulbusinesseswithahugepositiveimpactonoureverydaysurroundings.OneofthesebusinessesisOpenSourceHouse(www.os‐house.org),whichaimstodevelopsustainableandaffordablehousingforpeopleinlowincomecountries.OSHouseiscurrentlydevelopingaprojectinGhanatobuildahundredhomesforpeopleonlowincomeswithoutincreasingtheirfootprintsignificantly.Thedesignsforthesehousesareavailabletoanyonewhoaimstobuildsustainably.NeweconomyEnviu’saimistodevelopadifferentbusinessmodel.Thebusinessesitstartsupaddtoratherthantakefromtheirenvironment.Enviuisabodythatbelievesinthe‘economyofthecrowd’andanopenorganisationthatdevisesideasincooperationwithsocietyanddevelopsthemintofully‐fledgedbusinesses.Itsprimaryobjectiveistostimulatetheeconomicplayingfieldbycontributingbusinessesthatimprovequalityoflifeforasmanypeopleaspossiblebutarealsorobustthankstosustainableeconomicperformance.Onthatbasis,Enviusetsouttoprovethatthereisanotherwayofdoingbusiness.Specialisterren(www.Specialisterren.nl)Specialisterrenisabusinessthattestssoftware.Whatisspecialaboutitisthatitworkswithpeoplewithautistictraits.Theirabove‐averagepowersofconcentration,eyefordetailandlogicalthinkingareextremelyusefulskillsthatmakesomeonewithautismbetterandfasterattestingsoftware.Specialisterrenoffersbusinessesthechancetooperateasasociallyresponsibleenterprisewithouthavingtocompromiseonquality,efficiencyorcompetitiveness.NeweconomySpecialisterrenoriginatedfromtheideaofcreatingabusinessbasedonpeople’stalents.Thestartingpointwasnottheproductbuttheabilitiesofpeoplewithaformofautism.Whatcantheydothatother
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peoplearenotsogoodat?Aproduct‐marketcombinationwasalsoidentified.Thentheorganisation,managementandworkprocessesweredesignedinsuchawayastodevelopthetalentoftheindividualemployeestotheutmost.Everythinginthebusinessisrelatedtoitsstaff.Beitproductivity,marginorbreakevenpoints,everythingstartsandfinisheswiththeemployees.TapworldTapworldisapilotprojectthataimstocontributetotherecoveryandadvancementofnatureandsocialdevelopment,basedontheproductionofsugarandethanolfromsugarpalm.Sugarpalm,acropthatgrowsonlyinamixedforestsetting,producessapthatisharvestedbylocalfarmers.LocalvillagecommunitiesinremoteareasofIndonesiaprocesstheirsugarpalmsapintinyfactories.Eachoftheseminifactoriesisalocalsustainableproductionsystemwhichsuppliestherawmaterialtoalargecentralfactorysitedinaneasilyaccessiblelocation.This‘hub’alsoprovidescleandrinkingwater,biofuelandbiofertiliserforlocaluse.Theresultisasysteminwhichnature,manandeconomysupporteachotherthroughamutuallyprofitablecombinationofproductionandprocessing,employment,decentralisedenergysupplyandforestmanagement.NeweconomyAboveall,Tapworldisacompletelydifferentbusinessconcept.Itsmainprincipleistakingitsleadfromnatureratherthanattemptingtobendittoitswill.Natureholdsanswerstosomemajorissuesofthecurrentage.Sugarpalmisoneofthoseanswers.Thiscropprovidesmanwithsugarandenergy,theforestwithbiodiversity,farmerswithanincome,andthecommunitywithsocialdevelopment.Byassumingoverallresponsibilityforthewholesystemsurroundingthiscropinthenaturalandsocialenvironment,Tapworldasabusinessaimstoshowthataholisticentrepreneurialmodelispossible–andprofitable–forman,natureandeconomyalike.FestivalsurleNiger(www.festivalsegou.org)FestivalsurleNigerisatheatre,musicandvisualartsfestivalheldannuallyinthetownofSégouinMali.Itsaimistofosterthesocial,culturalandentrepreneurialdevelopmentoftheregion.Thefestivalwasfoundedin2003.Inarelativelyshortspaceoftime,theFestivalsurleNigerhashadahugeimpactontheculturalandeconomicdevelopmentofthetownofSégou.ExamplesincludetheCentreCulturelinKoré,anumberofcooperativesinthefieldofartandappliedart,thedevelopmentofcateringestablishmentsanddialogueonsocialandeconomicdevelopmentinsynergywithMalianculture.Thefestivalhassuccessfullycombinedentrepreneurialobjectiveswithsocialandculturalgoals,andhasmanagedtointerweavethosegoalsinsuchawaythatnoneofthemhasbeenleftweakened.Indeed,allthreegoalssupportandenhanceeachothertoincreasetheoverallimpactofthefestivalonSégou,thelocalregionandMaliasawhole.NeweconomyTheFestivalsurleNigerisanentrepreneurialinitiativethatissupportedandencouragedbythelocalcommunity.Itisnotaboutdevelopingonelarge,successfulbusiness,butlotsofsmallonesallhelpingtosupportpeopleandfamilies.Workingtogether,sharingworkandcontributingtogethertothedevelopmentofthewholecommunityarethelocaltraditionalvaluesonwhichthefestivalisfounded.Interweavingmodernentrepreneurshipwithlocaltraditionsleadstothedevelopmentofasustainablelocaleconomyinwhicheveryonecanparticipateandfromwhicheveryonecanderivealiving.StichtingGeïntegreerdeVisserij(www.geintegreerdevisserij.nl)StichtingGeïntegreerdeVisserij(SGV)isacoastalfishingventurethatoperateswithrespectfornature,employmentandfishingculture.SGVisacooperativeoffishermenworkingtogethertodevelopapracticalandachievablefutureforcoastalfishingusingsmallvesselssailingfromlargeorsmallharbours,islandsorthebeachintheDutchWaddenSea.Thefutureliesnotinlargercatchesbutinqualityandinofferingawidervarietyoffish,crustaceansandshellfish.Workingflexiblyinpartnershipwithnature,theseaandtheseasonsandtakingaccountofsociety’sneedsandwishes.Livingportsandharboursarethepictureofthefuture,withactivitiesintunewiththecoastallandscapeandemploymentforlocalinhabitants.
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NeweconomyBadweathermeansnofishing.Asasmall‐scalefisherman,youaredependentonthesea.Whenitreallycomesdowntoit,theseaisstrongerthanyouare.Doesthatmakefishermenvulnerable?Perhaps,butcopingwiththatvulnerabilityiswhatcharacterisestheworkandlifeofsmallfishermen.Itisthebasisonwhichtheyoperate.Inpractice,thatmeansfindingwaysofoperatingandorganisingthattakeaccountofthevariableandficklenatureoftheenvironment.Andmakingchoices.SGVprefersfishingwithalargernumberofsmallervesselsoverfishingwithacoupleoflargevessels.ThismakesthefleetmoremobileandresilientinrespondingtothevariabilityanddiversityoftheWaddenregion.Fishingflexiblyandonasmallscale,forseveralspecies,isthebestwaytofishsustainablyintheWaddenSea.