Social enterprise is difficult to define and classify. Organizations as distinct as Habitat for Humanity (nonprofit), Warby Parker (for profit) and Amtrak (government owned) combine a social mission with profit-making and can be viewed as social enterprises. Associate professor Cass Brewer and his colleagues determined that a unique metaphor might provide a more comprehensive understanding of the sector in The Social Enterprise Zoo: A Guide for Perplexed Scholars, Entrepreneurs, Philanthropists, Leaders, Investors, and Policymakers.
Brewer, with professor emeritus Dennis R. Young and Elizabeth A.M. Searing (M.A. ’11, Ph.D. ’15), developed the idea for the book while discussing the various ways scholars define and describe social enterprise organizations. Some scholars portray social enterprise as a “relatively homogeneous phenomenon adhering to certain common principles of limited profit, social purpose and democratic governance.”
This portrayal failed to acknowledge the breadth and complexity of social enterprise organizations, say Brewer, Young and Searing. Instead, they say social enterprise organizations more closely resembled animals in a zoo. That’s when they realized the value of the metaphor.
“The zoo metaphor helps explain what’s really going on under the rubric of social enterprise. It is not just one thing, but takes many different forms with the common theme that a mix of social purpose and market success is being sought,” Brewer said. “Within that broad theme there could be many different types of social enterprises that adapt to different circumstances, similar to a zoo with different animals and habitats. The more we thought about it, the more we saw parallels and comparisons.”
The group also thought the metaphor would be a more engaging way to further the conversation about social enterprise among academics, as well as students, policymakers, entrepreneurs and managers of social purpose organizations.
Through the metaphor, the book examines the concepts and content of the social enterprise zoo: how the zoo functions as an interactive collection of diverse animals in various habitats; how the zoo is managed and governed by its curators and zookeepers; and how the “animals” perform in terms of innovation, economic resilience and overall social impact.
“The book was a collaborative effort among authors from several disciplines, including business, social science, economics and law,” Brewer said. “We wanted to include a variety of perspectives on how social enterprise impacts each area and provide in-depth descriptions of the organizations in the sector.
With its curious title and a funny cover, Brewer also hopes the book will capture the attention of a diverse audience.
“We want our book to help people become more familiar with social enterprise,” he said. “And on a deeper level, we hope to bring structure to a topic that is a bit chaotic because of the number of different theories trying to define and categorize it.”
Brewer said one of the biggest challenges, but most rewarding aspects of contributing to the book, was writing content that people from any discipline could understand.
“It’s one thing for me to write to lawyers, but it’s another to write for the general public and make the topic accessible and readable. I think we did a good job of that,” he said. “Also, I wanted to write at least one thing my mother might want to read.”