The secret of social enterprises is an artful balance between being aspirational and operational Design : AKKA Architects
In Synergie ’ s study , the top 3 most inspiring organisations of 2016 are Tony ’ s Chocolonely , Tesla and Dopper . Tony ’ s Chocolonely is an Amsterdam-based company aiming for 100 % slave-free chocolate . Tesla is a company founded in 2003 in Silicon Valley aiming to accelerate the world ’ s transition to sustainable energy . Dopper ’ s mission is to eradicate plastic waste and give everyone access to safe drinking water . These social enterprises tackle very large global challenges and yet they bring the solution down to a very concrete and tangible product . Plastic-free oceans come down to a water bottle , eradicating slavery comes down to a chocolate bar and the world ’ s sustainable energy comes down to motors and batteries .
Even though the study is made from a Dutch perspective and with the Dutch public , the lessons we learn from it are universal and transferable . There are four qualities that all of the top organisations show : 1 . they offer a future vision , 2 . they innovate as a tool , not a goal , 3 . they tell stories with - not about - their products and 4 . they focus on connections with their clients rather than client loyalty . Here ’ s what we can learn from social enterprises :
Offer a future vision , a new perspective
A striking feature of the top three most inspiring organisations in 2016 is that they focus on large , global issues . Whether it is a slavery-free chocolate industry , accessible electric driving or plastic-free oceans : the ambitions are high . However , the solutions are close , tangible , concrete . With a chocolate bar , a car or a bottle , these enterprises show that the road to improvement is an accessible reality . A better world is possible , and even better , you as a consumer can now do something about it . Successful social enterprises are often ‹ single issue ’ organizations and they democratize the solution to make it accessible to everyone . The inspiring organizations find their raison d ’ être in improving the world and people ’ s lives . They see no competitors , but possible partners .
Use innovation as a tool , not a goal
For inspiring organisations , innovation is a means , not an end in itself . A simple solution to a global problem in itself requires new answers , so innovation is simply needed as a tool to get to a solution . Innovation is not the goal for these organisations , in fact the organisation itself is not a goal either , it is vehicle to make the solutions reality ; it is a vehicle to create a better future . So , in comparison with conventional organisations , in social enterprises , less time is spent on asking ‘ how do we organise this ’ and more time is figuring out ‘ how do we make this happen ?’ or ‘ how do we maximise this ?’
Tell stories with , not about your products
For all these successful social enterpris-
The story is in the product . Tony ’ s Chocolonely ’ s chocolate bars are unequally divided to hints at inequalities in the world .
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