The social enterprise bubble--Is Social Enterprise Sustainable?--II

As a working definition of social enterprise a semantic systems analysis has a few distinct advantages, not least of which is that it applies a well-established analytical tool for explaining complex aggregates of data.  Moreover, it does this without imposing a Procrustean norm that forces us to discriminate among competing visions of the field; it is capable of explaining why people who believe that nonprofits shouldn’t be commercial and those who evangelize about earned income can equally and credibly describe themselves as social entrepreneurs.  

In addition, the reference to complex systems theory—a simple rule expressed in complex patterns—resonates with the arguments often used to justify claims that social enterprise is a revolutionary movement.  Particularly since the late 1990s, a number of commentators have appealed to system dynamics as the basis for adopting practices that blend  public benefit and entrepreneurship.  Whether the dynamic du jour is decentralized networks, chaos theory, the tipping point or the wisdom of crowds, social entrepreneurs have been adept at laying claim to the latest vogue in systems-discourse to indicate the superiority of blended value.

Yet the meme giveth, and the meme taketh away.  A systems model of the dissemination of semantic value does not play favorites; that social enterprise has emerged as a relatively common operative metaphor does not necessarily indicate that social enterprise is the ideal form of social organization, any more than the popularity of the Macarena or Spiderman movies means that they represent the summum bonum of their respective arts.  It may also be equally likely that the viral spread of social enterprise rhetoric reflects the interaction of environmental factors that make the hybridization of these particular values seem advantageous—for now.  When these factors change, as is inevitable, our  language is likely to change as well.

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