@book{MairSeelos, author = {Mair, Johanna and Seelos, Christian}, title = {Innovation and Scaling for Impact}, publisher = {Stanford University Press}, address = {Stanford}, isbn = {9780804797344}, pages = {256}, abstract = {Innovation and Scaling for Impact forces us to reassess how social sector organizations create value. Drawing on a decade of research, Christian Seelos and Johanna Mair transcend widely held misconceptions, getting to the core of what a sound impact strategy entails in the nonprofit world. They reveal an overlooked nexus between investments that might not pan out (innovation) and expansion based on existing strengths (scaling). In the process, it becomes clear that managing this tension is a difficult balancing act that fundamentally defines an organization and its impact. The authors examine innovation pathologies that can derail organizations by thwarting their efforts to juggle these imperatives. Then, through four rich case studies, they detail innovation archetypes that effectively sidestep these pathologies and blend innovation with scaling. Readers will come away with conceptual models to drive progress in the social sector and tools for defining the future of their organizations.}, language = {en} } @article{SeelosMair, author = {Seelos, Christian and Mair, Johanna}, title = {Innovation Is Not the Holy Grail}, series = {Stanford Social Innovation Review}, volume = {Fall 2012}, journal = {Stanford Social Innovation Review}, pages = {45 -- 49}, language = {en} } @misc{MairSeelos, author = {Mair, Johanna and Seelos, Christian}, title = {La Iniciativa Sekem}, series = {Mejorar la gestion de empresas}, journal = {Mejorar la gestion de empresas}, publisher = {McGrawHill}, address = {Madrid}, isbn = {9788448146382}, pages = {280-309}, language = {es} } @techreport{SeelosSoferBurtonetal., type = {Working Paper}, author = {Seelos, Christian and Sofer, Miki and Burton, Caitlin and Mair, Johanna}, title = {Making Health Innovations Thrive in Africa}, series = {Stanford Social Innovation Review}, journal = {Stanford Social Innovation Review}, doi = {10.48558/XCTW-2515}, abstract = {Many hurdles stand in the way of successful innovation. The case of Zipline, an autonomous drone delivery platform, demonstrates many of the pitfalls of the dominant modes of development in Africa, along with some potential solutions.}, language = {en} } @article{SeelosMair, author = {Seelos, Christian and Mair, Johanna}, title = {Mastering System Change}, series = {Stanford Social Innovation Review}, journal = {Stanford Social Innovation Review}, number = {Fall 2018}, language = {en} } @incollection{SeelosMair, author = {Seelos, Christian and Mair, Johanna}, title = {Organizational closure competencies and scaling: A realist approach to theorizing social enterprise}, series = {Social entrepreneurship and research methods}, booktitle = {Social entrepreneurship and research methods}, publisher = {Emerald Group Publishing Limited}, address = {Bingley}, isbn = {978-1-78441-142-8}, pages = {147 -- 188}, abstract = {Purpose Social entrepreneurs create novel approaches to social problems such as poverty. But scaling these approaches to the dimension of the problem can be a difficult task. In the social enterprise sector, the subject of scaling has become a key dimension of organizational performance. This chapter advances the scholarly literature on the scaling of social enterprises, a literature which is currently in an embryonic stage and characterized by conceptual ambiguity and fragmented perspectives. Methodology/Approach We engage realist philosophy of science to develop mechanism-based causal explanations of the scaling performance of social enterprises. We also develop a coding scheme to guide systematic empirical analysis and highlight the explanatory power of counterfactuals. Counterfactuals have been largely neglected in empirical research as they represent mechanisms that are enabled but remain unobservable - in a state of suppression or neutralization of their effects. Findings We question the ability of organizations to "socially engineer" desired outcomes and introduce a new construct - organizational closure competence. Anchored in realism, this construct provides a basis for productive approaches to social engineering. We elaborate on the importance of organizational closure competencies for scaling, derive a series of propositions, and develop ideas for future research and for practice. Research, Practical and Social Implications Applying a realist lens allows us to add empirical rigor to research on social enterprises and scaling. Our approach constitutes a move from rich narratives to causal models and informs the way we design and evaluate efforts to address important societal challenges. Originality/Value of Chapter This chapter demonstrates how to operationalize realist philosophy of science for causal explanations of complex social phenomena and better utilize its theoretical and practical value.}, language = {en} } @article{MairSeelos, author = {Mair, Johanna and Seelos, Christian}, title = {Organizations, Social Problems, and System Change: Invigorating the Third Mandate of Organizational Research}, series = {Organization Theory}, volume = {2}, journal = {Organization Theory}, number = {4}, doi = {10.1177/26317877211054858}, pages = {1 -- 22}, abstract = {Organizations across sectors appear to be shifting their ambitions from solving social problems to changing entire social systems. This phenomenon offers a timely opportunity to revisit what came to be known as the third mandate of organizational theory. In this paper we interrogate how organizational scholarship can productively explore and theorize the relationship between organizations and social systems in organized system change - an effort by organizations to alter the conditions that generate the characteristics of social problems and their dynamics of change. As a basis for theorizing organized system change, we develop an analytical scaffold that helps researchers to attend to fundamental aspects of the phenomenon and to achieve parsimony without blanking out complexity. Grounded in realist metatheory and principles, the scaffold reduces ambiguity, provides a backbone for empirical analysis, and favours mechanism-based explanation. We suggest that generating theoretically interesting and practically adequate knowledge on organized system change requires attention to three system realms: First, the subjectively constructed problem realm of systems concerned with processes of evaluating and problematizing situations. Second, the objectively constituted situational realm that attends to factual characteristics of situations and their dynamics of change. And third, the realm of causality understood as the mechanisms that generate both the objective characteristics of situations and the subjective criteria by which situations are evaluated as problems. In concluding, we reflect on the topics of boundaries and power as two promising areas for theorizing organized system change.}, language = {en} } @incollection{BattilanaButlerKimseyetal., author = {Battilana, Julie and Butler, Brittany and Kimsey, Marissa and Mair, Johanna and Marquis, Christopher and Seelos, Christian}, title = {Problem, person, and pathway: A framework for social innovators}, series = {Handbook of Inclusive Innovation}, booktitle = {Handbook of Inclusive Innovation}, editor = {George, Gerard and Baker, Ted and Tracey, Paul and Joshi, Havovi}, publisher = {Edward Elgar Publishing}, address = {Cheltenham}, isbn = {9781786436009}, doi = {10.4337/9781786436016}, publisher = {Hertie School}, pages = {61 -- 74}, language = {en} } @article{MairSeelos, author = {Mair, Johanna and Seelos, Christian}, title = {Profitable business models and market creation in the context of deep poverty: A strategic view}, series = {Academy of Management Perspectives}, volume = {21}, journal = {Academy of Management Perspectives}, number = {4}, issn = {1558-9080}, doi = {10.5465/AMP.2007.27895339}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-21813}, pages = {49 -- 63}, abstract = {The bottom of the pyramid (BOP) in the global distribution of income has been promoted as a significant opportunity for companies to grow profitably. Under the BOP approach, poor people are identified as potential customers who can be served if companies learn to fundamentally rethink their existing strategies and business models. This involves acquiring and building new resources and capabilities and forging a multitude of local partnerships. However, current BOP literature remains relatively silent about how to actually implement such a step into the unknown. We use two BOP cases to illustrate a strategic framework that reduces managerial complexity. In our view, existing capabilities and existing local BOP models can be leveraged to build new markets that include the poor and generate sufficient financial returns for companies to justify investments.}, language = {en} } @article{MairSeelos, author = {Mair, Johanna and Seelos, Christian}, title = {Quand le business devient un outil contre la pauvret{\´e}}, series = {Business Digest, French edition}, journal = {Business Digest, French edition}, edition = {193}, abstract = {{\`A} l'heure o{\`u} tout nouveau d{\´e}bouch{\´e} est un enjeu strat{\´e}gique de taille, peut-on ignorer {\`a} la masse de consommateurs des pays du Sud ? Focus r{\´e}alis{\´e} d'apr{\`e}s « Profitable Business Models and Market Creation in the Context of Deep Poverty: A Strategic View », de Christian Seelos et Johanna Mair, Academy of Management Perspectives, novembre 2007, et l'interview d'Iqbal Quadir, fondateur et directeur du Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship (US), f{\´e}vrier 2009.}, language = {fr} }