That's a bit of a
provocative title for this blog, but then, I've always tried to take an
approach of 'poking a stick' at accepted wisdom and cherished institutions to
get people fired up enough to start to ask questions they should be, and not
meekly 'going with the flow'. If nothing else, I hope that in doing so I can
encourage people to think more for themselves and seek out what the right
options might be for their enterprises and ideas, rather than simply accepting
what they're offered by 'a professional advisor'...
But back to the topic
in hand - why I like hearing about social enterprises that fail (and there was one that was lost in Scotland recently, to much apparent wailing and gnashing of teeth locally...).
Social Enterprises are
politically in vogue (and have been for some time - apparently, every year
since 2001 has been 'the best time' for them, and the point when 'their time
has come'...). And that means with such interest from the state and investing
bodies, we need to make sure that we show a successful story and evidences of
great things happening. Heaven forbid we should let slip that just like other
businesses, we sometimes struggle, stumble, and fall, as that would run counter
to the messages that sector bodies and funders are keen to project...
And as a result we
hear a lot of case studies showing how great it can be, and hear a lot about
'good/best practice' in the sector. But I've never been a fan of 'best
practice' as it's usually based on specific people being in a specific place at
a specific time. And that's very hard to replicate elsewhere. 'Bad practice' by
contrast, tends to be a reflection of more common mistakes and erroneous
assumptions - and as a result is much more applicable universally in the
learning we can gain from it.
Only talking about
successes can also create false and unrealistic expectations amongst
communities, individuals and investors/funders. And so when they fail to
deliver, this wider ecosystem of support and encouragement gets dented and
becomes less supportive and interested in working with us.
So, lets be more
honest about the realities of social enterprise: just like any business, they
can sometimes fail. And in being more open and honest about that, we can better
learn how to make them stronger in the future, and how better-grounded
relationships with others we engage with.
Let's celebrate social
enterprises and the success stories that exist, but lets also celebrate the
learning to be had from when they stumble - it's nothing to be ashamed of, and
in the times when we've not succeeded, through the sharing of our stories we
may paradoxically better support others in their journeys that if we had
succeeded...
