OBGP 3250 - Introduction to Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship

In the face of persistent social inequalities, increasing vulnerabilities and environmental crisis, the responses provided by public policy, traditional collective action and market mechanism appear more and more inadequate or ill-suited. Social innovation, and especially social entrepreneurship, offer concrete and creative responses to the challenges currently facing our societies. They act as a catalyst for social transformation and call for a rethinking of models of value creation and collective action.

But the question remains as to whether these new models can avoid remaining a marginal phenomenon—a mere drop in the ocean—and instead become a lasting catalyst for transformation in the service of the common good.

This course provides the students with the social innovation and entrepreneurship fundamentals and with tools of project management. It follows a very concrete approach, based on field experiences and case studies. The course gives an international perspective, based on diverse case studies.

The students also work closely with social innovators in a strategic group work. This offers them a deep dive in the real life of a social venture and direct application of the project management

Learning Outcomes

• It will give the students analytical, creative and strategic skills
• Build knowledge and understanding of the history, the diversity and key pillars of social innovation and entrepreneurship: circular economy, access to finance, access to energy, health and education, social cohesion
• Apply project management tools and good practices to develop social innovation for sustainable development, (ex:theory of change design and impact business model canvas, scaling up strategies, financing, impact management) and governance
• Build knowledge and understanding of key pillars of social entreprise and impact investing
• Understand the social innovation eco-system and the collective impact dynamic

Professional Skills

• Creative thinking
• Project Management , team management, notably through team work on strategic projects and case studies
• Partnership management, facilitation skills of collective intelligence
• New leadership skills

None

Feedback to students:

• working group: feedback based on individual and collective criteria, given back after the deliverables, to the members of the group. Grading by the instructor following closely the group work . Oral presentation (and clarity and creativity) are included into the assessment criteria
• essay: feedback given on an individual basis at the end of the semester. The essay will have to show research and analytical skills

Students will work on a team based project: 60% of grading : written deliverables+ oral presentation at the end of the semester. The topic will be selected by each student out of a list of strategic projects, presented at the 1st class. The group work will be led by a dedicated coach with the regular support from the instructor.

They will hand-in a 4000 words essay. They choose a specific topic related to social innovation or create their own social business (the essay being their canvas to do so) 40% of grading. They will use the tools, facts and framework seen during the sessions -to be handed back at the end of the semester.

Participation (class interaction and class games) will act as a malus or bonus.

The strategic group is the opportunity to develop the innovative and entrepreneurial mindset (initiative, creativity, needs assessment and solution design), the team work (coordination, leadership), and the necessary skills in project management (research, analysis, organization).

Examples of previous strategic working groups:

• Social creative industry : Develop a social cultural enterprise in Phnom Penh
• Mapping the shift to regenerative economy
• Research and development on participative rural micro-insurance (in emerging countries)
• Turning a conventional vineyard into an ecological one- France
• Smart Farming: dream or reality?- worldwide
• Develop social housing in Senegal
• Set up an innovation fund for local agri-food network
• Supporting NEET youth to reintegrate job market
• Developing innovative tools such as carbon credit to support social business
• The superpowers of reading for all: develop strategies to extend market to youth
• Supporting professional and social integration of children and youth in care
• Social creative industry: Increase the growth of Phare Creative Studio, a social animation studio in Siem Reap, Cambodia
• Promote an inclusive governance for a social business with a smallholders farmers cooperative as shareholder – Western Africa
• Propose a strategy of digital communication to highlight and promote social innovation for innovative access to water –social business in Western Africa
• Rethink access to energy for social enterprise
• Social creative industry:Propose a digital strategy for a social cultural enterprise - Cambodia
• Measuring and Managing Impact, Latin America, Africa, Asia –focus on environment and gender
• Plastic waste pollution: identify and analyse business model of innovative social enterprises fighting plastic waste- worldwide
• Set up a rural impact investment fund- worldwide
• Develop a digital investment strategy into MFI- Asia
• Social creative industry: Develop a social music production company in Cambodia
• Analyse impact fund portfolio in emerging countries and identify sourcing opportunities.
• Developing a special policy innovation taskforce to support changemakers
• The superpowers: new leadership for all
• Support WISE (working integration social enterprise) impact and diversification
• Developing ethical, inclusive and responsible supply chains with Cambodia
• Social creative industry: Develop a social circus festival in Europe
• Social creative industry: Develop a social cultural arts village in Cambodia
• Analyse public policies and the space for social innovation in India for access to energy
• Make recommendation to support digital parenting
• Innovative access to education for all-propose development strategies for muntator

• Attendance: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Online learning activities: 1hours a week / 12hours a semester
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 1hours a week / 12 hours a semester
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: 4 hours a week /48 hours a semester
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester