Complexity & Social Value Creation

This paper looks at how ideas, constructs, methods and insights coming out of the sciences of complex systems can be applied to the study of social entrepreneurship. At present, there is no theory that seeks to define social entrepreneurship in complex system terms nor how such a redefinition might contribute to greater positive social outcomes of these kinds of programs. To remedy this, we propose ways that complexity theory can be used to develop useful, and we hope, what is ultimately, a more practical theory. In particular, we explore how complexity ideas might be used to develop a robust theory of social dynamics and of how the mechanisms of social entrepreneurship might be better understood as a practical approach for generating well-defined positive social outcomes. After describing various possibilities, some hopeful thoughts on the future of the field are offered.

This book is an edited collection of papers contributed by international scholars who are working at the intersection of complexity science and social entrepreneurship.

Innovation—it’s a buzzword for the twenty-first century. Creating new services, new products, new processes, new business models, new organizational forms, and new industries seems to be the key to success in this era of business. What drives innovation? Why do some companies achieve innovation more consistently than others? Is it the people? Is it the compensation? Is it the industry?