Social entrepreneurship
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The document discusses the concepts of the "head" and the "long tail" in relation to social entrepreneurship. The head refers to large, scaled organizations, while the long tail refers to many smaller, niche social enterprises. While there is a focus on scaling up head organizations, the long tail has great potential aggregate impact due to the large number of small enterprises. Both the head and long tail approaches have benefits and risks, such as generic vs. niche solutions, and there is a question of how to effectively support the long tail while allowing for cooperation between the two approaches.
![Long Tail theory “ The theory of the Long Tail is that our culture and economy is increasingly shifting away from a focus on a relatively small number of "hits" [or stars] at the head of the demand curve and toward a huge number of niches in the tail.”](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/socialentrepreneurship-101204171516-phpapp02/85/Social-entrepreneurship-3-320.jpg)
Social entrepreneurship
- 1. ?
- 2. individuals creating community-engaged, community-shaped organisations rooted in personal and particular: for sustainable, real, radical, long lasting change hardwiring diversity in leadership generating robust, responsive and sustainable solutions combining resourcefulness, opportunity and innovation in practical action developing business and skills for life through practical learning outcomes, not process Social entrepreneurship:
- 3. Long Tail theory “ The theory of the Long Tail is that our culture and economy is increasingly shifting away from a focus on a relatively small number of "hits" [or stars] at the head of the demand curve and toward a huge number of niches in the tail.”
- 4. Long Tail numbers “ The potential aggregate size of the many small markets in goods…may rival that of the existing large market in goods” Sales / ?
- 5. Long Tail of social entrepreneurs The debate around social entrepreneurship is increasingly focused on the “Head”, on scaling up particular ‘star’ organisations or initiatives, whilst the Long Tail’s potential aggregate impact is relatively ignored. Scale Social Entrepreneurs / Enterprises Social Impact The Social Marketplace?
- 6. Benefits of the Tail Local, niche and fit-to-purpose solutions Empowering many people: a movement Additional benefits beyond direct impact ‘ 1000 flowers’: new innovations, entrants and ‘stars’ Inefficient use of resources : funding and expertise Duplication of activity, rather than multiplication Slower in delivering desired impact? More expensive in the long term Inappropriate to the scale of problems /needs? Risks / critiques of the Tail
- 7. Risks / critiques of the Head Generic solutions imposed from above/outside Smaller numbers involved : risk of elitism? Additional benefits not multiplied Fewer new innovations and leaders emerging Pressure to scale (model unproven / org’n unready) Avoidance of duplication / reinvention of wheel Promotion of the movement through stars/hits Effective maximisation of social impact… ...and through accelerated development (efficient) Benefits of the Head
- 8. How far can we apply the theory? internet: democratised production & distribution access and architecture/infrastructure what are the bottlenecks and barriers? filters: how to find quality or “who are the tastemakers” (pre and post) amplification of gap between winners and others can’t be only Long Tail
- 9. Responses and questions How can we effectively support the long tail? How can the Head and Tail co-operate, interact and bridge the gap? How big a problem is duplicated effort and delivery (and how do we tackle it)? What is your 2020 vision of the long tail effect? How far can we mainstream the mavericks?