Typology of social entrepreneurs. Fourth type.
Hi, friends. Today I want to introduce you the last, fourth type of social entrepreneur. The previous three — “Savior”, “Merchant” and “Hobbit” — are only the result of my observations in Russia and Eastern Europe. But since readers willingly accepted them, then I am not too much mistaken. The last hero left is maybe the most non-obvious and contradictory, but equally important.
Meet the Producer.
The producer is the person organizing the production of a social project: from the idea to the evaluation of the results. At the same time he rarely gets his hands dirty in terms of managing the project. His business is communication and social connections, but unlike Hobbit’s altruist, the Producer tries in every way to expand and monetize them. He tries different combinations between the Savior, the Merchant, the Hobbit and the outside world, organizes creative experiments and provocations. The goal to bring together the right people at the right place.
There are few producers, but they have a lot of influence in the community. They include experts on the topic, people who organize events for social entrepreneurs, people who are engaged in social advertising, people who launch online projects, conduct educational initiatives, work in infrastructure organizations, recourse centers, or those who create associations and unions. Lobbies interests of social entrepreneurs in authorities, large business corporations, academic environment, mass media, helps to build strong business relations with foreign partners.
It is difficult to say what exactly the Producer does. He regularly changes the type of activity. His most common and vague answer is “I implement the project,” usually there are two or three at the same time. Some Producers have sustainable business “on earth,” others work as freelancers, some of them in HR, but still regularly they like to challenge the world with their initiatives.
The Producer connects the community with the outside environment. It is the most convenient way for social entrepreneurs to learn about projects of their colleagues in USA, Europe, Asia and other distant parts of the world. The Producer explains to large businesses why it is necessary to include social entrepreneurship in corporate social responsibility programs. He accumulates and promotes amendments to legislation. He helps to collect interviews and questionnaires for academic research. He represents certain community in working groups and deliberative assemblies of different institutions. He establishes international cooperation, provides import of social technologies and represents his country abroad.
The Producers are widespread in the society. They communicate with politics and unemployed, negotiate with top managers and entrepreneur’s beginners, give lectures to students and open international conferences, visit children’s centers and boarding houses for the elderly. This requires advanced communication skills, knowledge of slang and audience imperatives.
While the Savior has been fighting the problem for years, the Producer can reach out to the right people, increase public resonance and move the case from a deadlock. After all, the popularity of social entrepreneurship depends on the ability to attract the attention of society, which is a separate and large work (no that easily accessible for the first three types). Critics will call the Producer an “air seller,” supporters — an ambassador of the community.
Sometimes it is really difficult to consider as an entrepreneur a person without an office, production line, large staff and all other business accessories. True Producer considers corporate cult to be something of industrial fundamentalism and atavism. Therefore, he does not particularly like bossy and tied to bureaucracy Merchants. He rather prefers network interactions and horizontal connections with close people. Languages, statuses and territorial barriers are not an obstacle. Everything necessary can be extracted from the outside, inter alia to conclude tactical alliances, to automate, to outsource, to subcontract. The world is changing too quickly, so don’t hold on old approaches and principles. Digital social economy is getting more attention.
While Hobbit patiently develops one of his communities, the Producer announces ten, launches five, will promote two and the best one will be sold. He avoids any forms of dependency, preferring sliding contacts and contracts. Laptop, phone, cup of coffee and stable Wi-Fi are his work tools. All the extra attributes can be skipped.
The Producer appreciates mobility, lack of bureaucracy and fresh ideas. He is an adept of project thinking, fan of the cult of novelty, without complexes and stereotypes. Some of the Producers are limited to their region, but most of them live in airplanes. Such a way of life may be attractive from the outside, but it can be really overwhelming as well. Producers should constantly keep tabs on the latest news from their area, switch between projects, track checkpoints. Night flights, lack of sleep, negotiations, new contacts — at some point merge into a flashing cycle. But eventually you get used to it and can’t imagine to operate differently.
The Producer is an innovator, dared to use his imagination to set new horizons for other social entrepreneurs. He most vividly embodies the image of an inquisitive dilettante, who finds the right connections and turns them into a strong idea.
Did you, dear readers, know in your surroundings such Producers? As always, write in comments what you think of typology. If you haven’t read yet, meet the three other types on my page. I would appreciate comments and reposts.
And welcome to our community of social entrepreneurs and impact investors — Galileo www.iiic.ch
