Panelists Mark Moore, Nancy Barry, and Tom Tierney discuss the next decade of social enterprise at HBS. Photo by Stuart Cahill

Did you know?

10% of current MBAs come from social-enterprise backgrounds 81% of HBS alumni are involved in the social sector in some form 57% of HBS alumni serve on nonprofit boards 40 HBS faculty members are engaged in social-enterprise research and teaching 400+ MBA students enrolled in one of seven social-enterprise electives in 2003Ã2004.

In its first ten years, the HBS Social Enterprise Initiative (SEI) developed executive education programs attended by over 2,500 nonprofit leaders, published more than 200 cases, and supported some 350 summer fellows in assignments around the world. To celebrate its tenth anniversary, the SEI gathered alumni, practitioners, faculty, and students on campus in early April. The purpose of the day-long event was not merely to mark the SEI’s many accomplishments but to envision its future.

SEI executive director Stacey M. Childress (MBA ’00) began by introducing a short video that showcased specific organizations and individuals upon whom SEI has had an impact. SEI faculty members Rosabeth Moss Kanter, James E. Austin, and V. Kasturi Rangan then briefly commented on the origins and evolution of the SEI before Rangan got to the task at hand: moderating a panel discussion on the next decade of social enterprise at HBS.

“In the first ten years, the Social Enterprise Initiative has changed the School. In the next ten, I hope we can change the world,” said Nancy M. Barry (MBA ’75), a member of SEI’s advisory board who is president of Women’s World Banking. She encouraged SEI to recognize nonprofits as catalysts for social change, influencing the larger sectors of business and government. Panelist and SEI board member Thomas J. Tierney (MBA ’80), founder and chairman of The Bridgespan Group, encouraged the initiative to aim high — “to increase its impact on the world by a factor of ten” — and suggested a focus on developing leaders and adding value to nonprofits by working with other business schools to nurture and strengthen similar initiatives. Noting that we live in a world where people die of diseases that are preventable, panelist Mark H. Moore said, “Business has the capacity to provide solutions” to the world’s problems, and “individuals have the desire to create a good society,” but government needs to play a key role. He urged the SEI to incorporate more of this perspective into its work. Moore is a professor at the Kennedy School of Government (KSG) and director of KSG’s Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations.

The conversation continued as guests broke out into classrooms to discuss a case that Austin and Childress wrote (with Cate Reavis, a senior researcher) on SEI’s ten-year mark. Professors Austin (SEI faculty chair), Allen Grossman, and F. Warren McFarlan each led a lively exchange that encompassed topics such as measuring SEI’s success in 2014, ensuring that the knowledge generated is applied, and mobilizing the HBS alumni network.

“The discussions will help us frame our vision for the future,” said Childress. “As we look ahead, we will build on the success of the first ten years to increase our impact by generating and sharing knowledge that helps individuals and organizations create social value.”

For more information on the Social Enterprise Initiative, visit www.hbs.edu/socialenterprise.

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