Innovation and scaling for impact : how effective social enterprises do it /

Seelos and Mair have written an insightful, seminal work that deals with how social sector organizations create value. Value creation is framed through the lens of innovation; that innovation is then scaled for maximal impact. The authors replace "innovation logic with an impact-creation logic." They develop a theoretical approach and four extensive case studies and apply the theoretical approach to those four cases so readers come away with a clear conceptual model. In precise, clear language, the authors examine roadblocks to innovation (innovation pathologies) and how to sidestep/contain those pathologies (innovation archetypes). Through a rigorous yet engaging redefinition of terminology and research goals/objectives, the authors present defining language and concepts applicable far beyond social enterprises. Another example of this is their differentiation between "technical" and "relational" challenges and the critical role that an organization's mission and core beliefs play in the decision-making processes regarding innovation and scaling. This illuminating read is for anybody interested in organizational management/behavior with important contributions to the world of social business and beyond. Summing Up: Essential. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. --Stuart A. Schulman, CUNY Baruch College