The Power of Unreasonable People

The Power of Unreasonable People: How Social Entrepreneurs Create Markets That Change the World is a non-fiction book written by John Elkington and Pamela Hartigan and published by Harvard Business School Publishing. The book is divided into three parts: building innovative enterprises, creating the markets of the future, and leading sustainable and scalable change.[1]

The first section of the book discusses in depth the process of creating successful business models and tapping financial resources.[2] The authors highlight the leveraged nonprofit venture Barefoot College, the hybrid nonprofit venture of Aravind Eye Hospital, and the social business venture of Whole Foods Market. The authors also touch briefly on the different methods of obtaining finances including personal investment, raising funds from the public, attracting help in kind, appealing to angels and foundations, tapping the government, making sales and charging fees, franchising, creating partnerships and joint ventures, pursuing venture capital, or going public (selling out.)[3]

The second section of the book looks into some of the steps necessary to create successful markets. It discusses the identification of market opportunities and raising expectations. The subject of Bonsai consumers is also written on at length.The Bonsai customer metaphor is from Muhammad Yunus’ Nobel Prize acceptance speech in which he said, “To me poor people are like bonsai trees. When you plant the best seed of the tallest tree in a flower-pot, you get a replica of the tallest tree, only inches tall. There is nothing wrong with the seed you planted, only the soil-base that is too inadequate. Poor people are bonsai people. There is nothing wrong in their seeds. Simply, society never gave them the base to grow on. All it needs to get the poor people out of poverty is for us to create an enabling environment for them. Once the poor can unleash their energy and creativity, poverty will disappear very quickly.”[4] This thought is reason why many of the new social businesses and NGOs (Non Government ) are focusing on the BOP (Bottom of the Pyramid) markets and or are creating a market in this area.

[5]

The third section of the book focuses on the ways to lead sustainable and scalable change. The chapter topics include democratizing technology, changing the system, and scaling solutions.[6] Democratizing technology ranges from making sure that books are easily accessible to everyone to having open source biotechnology on the internet. In an age where many people in developed countries are worried about whether their internet speed is fast enough it is hard for many to even imagine not having access to the basics, social entrepreneurs and non-profits are making sure that everyone has access to the basics including books, and the ability to earn a living wage. One of the more widely known in this field is, Ashok Khosla. Ashok Khosla is a social and environmental entrepreneur who created Development Alternatives[7] in 1983, which produces machines that make standardized and affordable products for rural markets, that allow small business owners and rural workers to produce a living wage and at the same times reduce the harmful effects on the environment.

The book is highly praised in a Stanford Social Innovation Review article, written by Rubicon founder and social entrepreneur, Rick Aubry. Aubry writes, “Pamela Hartigan and John Elkington have written an essential book for anyone interested in understanding the phenomenon of social entrepreneurship. Their comprehensive and thoughtful book offers a great single source for understanding the amazing variety of social entrepreneurs throughout the world. With the burgeoning of interest among scholars, students, foundations, and policymakers, The Power of Unreasonable People should join the short list of required reading on social entrepreneurship.”[8]

References

  1. ↑ John Elkington & Pamela Hartigan (2008). The Power of Unreasonable People Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing. Table of Contents.
  2. ↑ Ibid.
  3. ↑ Ibid, pp. 29-82
  4. ↑ "Muhammad Yunus - Nobel Lecture". www.nobelprize.org. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  5. ↑ Ibid, pp. 85-133
  6. ↑ Ibid, pp. 137-195
  7. ↑ "Dr Ashok Khosla". www.devalt.org. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  8. ↑ http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/the_power_of_unreasonable_people/ (Retrieved on June 29, 2014)
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, January 22, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.