Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of photos
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Section I Social entrepreneurship
- 1 Defining Social Entrepreneurship: An Overview
- 2 Dimensions of Social Entrepreneurship
- 3 Identifying Social Entrepreneurs in Practice
- Section 2 The dynamics of social change
- Section 3 Social capital built by social entrepreneurs
- Section 4 A new kind of leadership
- Epilogue The Past and the Future
- Conclusion
- Appendix 1 Becoming a Social Entrepreneur
- Appendix 2 The Process of Assessing Candidates for a Fellowship
- Appendix 3 Excerpts from Interviews
- References
- Index
1 - Defining Social Entrepreneurship: An Overview
from Section I - Social entrepreneurship
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of photos
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Section I Social entrepreneurship
- 1 Defining Social Entrepreneurship: An Overview
- 2 Dimensions of Social Entrepreneurship
- 3 Identifying Social Entrepreneurs in Practice
- Section 2 The dynamics of social change
- Section 3 Social capital built by social entrepreneurs
- Section 4 A new kind of leadership
- Epilogue The Past and the Future
- Conclusion
- Appendix 1 Becoming a Social Entrepreneur
- Appendix 2 The Process of Assessing Candidates for a Fellowship
- Appendix 3 Excerpts from Interviews
- References
- Index
Summary
One of the classical definitions of social entrepreneurship and the social entrepreneur is provided by Dees (1998), who says that social entrepreneurs play the role of change agents in the social sector by:
adopting a mission to create and sustain social value (not just private value)
recognizing and relentlessly pursuing new opportunities to serve that mission
engaging in a process of continuous innovation, adaptation, and learning
acting boldly without being limited by resources currently at hand,
exhibiting a heightened sense of accountability to the constituencies served and for the outcomes created
When we consider the cases of Munir Hasan and Steve Bigari, there can be no doubt that both acted as change agents; that they were committed to a social mission and they relentlessly were searching for, recognizing, and pursuing new opportunities to serve that mission; that they were engaged in a process of continuous learning (often prompted by failures) and innovation; and that they acted boldly against all odds, with limited resources (especially in Munir's case).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Social EntrepreneurshipTheory and Practice, pp. 9 - 13Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011