The Dangers of Silos and Closed Social Tribes

Recently, author and anthropologist Gillian Tett spoke with Fareed Zakaria about her new book, The Silo Effect: The Peril of Expertise and the Promise of Breaking Down Barriers. The interview spanned everything from the rise and fall of Sony’s digital walkmen to the danger in hyperspecialization and surrounding ourselves with like minds. A few comments stood out as being particularly relevant to those of us working in partnership to create social change – especially in industries outside of the nonprofit world. 
 

In this clip, Ms. Tett explains how better collaboration within Sony could have led to all of us having Walkmen instead of iPods:

In this clip (starting at 3:35), Ms. Tett discusses the ideas of social tribes and how vitally important it is for us to surround ourselves with people who think differently than we do:

What do you think? Have you expanded your social tribe, or do you still find it difficult to communicate across worldviews? Let us know in the comments.

In solidarity,
Adeline

Do you have to work at a nonprofit to have a career in social good?

No! There are so many ways to be able to do life-long work that impacts society positively. We think it’s revolutionary to think outside of the public sector to find careers that use your skills to their maximum impact while integrating justice work.

One of the most recent developments in this concept is a new tax designation – Benefit Corportations, or b-corps for short. There are roughly 1,300 b-corps worldwide – a number that is growing day-by-day – and we’ll let one of the most recent additions explain why b-corps are so desperately needed. Here’s an excerpt from Kickstarter’s announcement of their new Benefit Corporation status:

Until recently, the idea of a for-profit company pursuing social good at the expense of shareholder value had no clear protection under U.S. corporate law, and certainly no mandate. Companies that believe there are more important goals than maximizing shareholder value have been at odds with the expectation that for-profit companies must exist ultimately for profit above all.

Benefit Corporations are different. Benefit Corporations are for-profit companies that are obligated to consider the impact of their decisions on society, not only shareholders. Radically, positive impact on society becomes part of a Benefit Corporation’s legally defined goals.

While only about .01% of all American businesses have done this, we believe that can and will change in the coming years. More and more voices are rejecting business as usual, and the pursuit of profit above all.

Social impact work doesn’t have a linear career path. It’s wide open to every creative idea and innovation you can add to it. ideaRISE encourages you to do just that – figure out what your unique skill set is driving you towards, and then work diligently to place social justice at the center of all you do. The path you forge for yourself will benefit you, of course – but it will also inspire all of us who hope to find our place in making an impact.

In solidarity –
Adeline