Sam Lakha, Manager, Volans Outreach.
Some reflection at the beginning of my Volans journey
Further into the second week of my Volans journey, I am taking John’s advice and jotting down some bits and pieces around the “soft” side I have experienced so far. I am planning to echo this write-up when it approaches the end of my internship and look back at the way in which my thoughts and reactions have evolved.
Here are some initial thoughts, more or less as they came.
Does intuition work?
The answer is YES… well, at least here.
The Myers Briggs profiling exercise (MBTI) tells me that I am a rather intuitive person by nature. But I was raised in Chengdu, China, a rather rigid education system, and can well remember that answers prompted by intuition, rather than derived from reason, were almost embarrassing to admit at school.
Later, when in Singapore and during my years with Aviva, intuition and testing again formed an interesting combination for my answers at work. While I found intuition often led me ponder upon the established assumptions which the management might have been comfortable with, I did not feel able to raise them unless they had been rigorously tested — or I had been given permission from management to do so.
At some point, I was even wondering if intuition featured only at the beginning of the journey toward maturity, and, along the way, would and should be substituted by “rational processes”. Therefore, I said in my personal statement for MBA application that one reason for my pursuing an MBA is to “get more grounded in business, because currently many of my thoughts are intuitive…” Whilst time will tell how much I have achieved my goal of getting more “grounded”, I certainly had more chances to fight against the intuitive waves in my mind on the MBA course.
Interestingly enough, here I have met John, who scored almost off the scale for “Intuition” in taking the MBTI process. Also, I can well imagine that many bold ideas that Volans deals with daily are coming from the like-minded entrepreneurs. Part of me is excited about the possibility for unleashing my intuitive nature again, while part of me is unsure how this will be well blended with all the metrics I have learned up to date.
The divider and the “boss”
Sam (Lakha) found a cubical divider with a joking smile last Friday, which made John exclaim “get that thing out!” We all laughed. I remember the first day I walked into the office and was slightly shocked that everyone sat around the same table! Quite a contrast with what I have previously experienced, where I would sometimes hear moans that the dividers were not high enough.
Admittedly I am still adjusting to the fact of sitting literally next to the “boss”, who would pop his head around for occasional (yes, only occasionally!) jokes or offer tea or, later in a special day, chips and wine.
…yet, ACTION!
Collaboration by no means equals a slow pace. Things happen very fast here. The first time I wrote John before met him, I got his reply within 15 minutes. The other evidence of speed is reflected in the jump of thoughts in the intellectual “heavy lift” among group discussions, which require independent critical thinking expressed in a quick manner. This level of agility, again, is quite different from what I had been previously experiencing, where analysis, review and thoroughness were a common theme.
Not hurrying to generalise conclusions, I cannot help but wonder about the cultural clash of different styles and their impact on the world we operate.
On intuition …
At Volans, we tend to see ourselves as experimentalists, referring out to the work of David Galenson on the quality and valuations for the work done by painters, film-makers and composers at different stages of their lives.
I imagine tolerance for mistakes in new ideas, for example, would be quite different in the entrepreneurial world than elsewhere. However, to what extent are mistakes tolerated at Volans is one question I will be interested in learning. On the other hand, to what extent should mistakes be “reasonably” tolerated in the corporate world, in order to create a more secure environment for innovative intrapreneurs, while maintaining a comfortable level for all, is another question that I want to answer.
On collaboration …
The word “clustering” has occurred a lot in discussions lately in the office. We aim to break barriers. To me it features not only the integration of various sectors in the ecosystem, but also potentially in the collaborative nature of group dynamics among the Phoenix Economy players on both the institutional and individual level.
Some players may be entitled to exercise more authoritative power than others by the common social expectations; however, in reality all are potentially contributing – pushing or pulling– to the same goal of sustainability. Systems cannot sensibly be viewed separately any more. How leaders can foster an effective, collaborative dynamic in order to shift the paradigm before it is too late is another million-dollar question.
On hierarchy (or the lack of it) …
Funny enough, my Chinese culture and my professional background in a large multi-national both engrained in me a certain way of responding to authority. Taking risk and taking trust naturally have come more from other sources of influence in my life. I keep wondering about the entrepreneurs in China and countries of similar culture e.g. South Korea. How does the entrepreneurship leadership style work under such strong national cultures? On the other hand, how do intrapreneurs within large multi-nationals work their way through the hierarchy in order to make things happen? Undoubtedly there are countless success stories, which I would be very interested to find out more about.
In the final analysis, I just started peeling the onion of my “cultural shock”. Is it due to the clash of entrepreneurial vs. corporate culture, or Asian vs. English mindsets? Looking for answers has allowed me to view these styles across a spectrum, rather than trying to categorise them into boxes. I very much look forward to discovering more in the coming three months.
The address for this blog entry is: http://www.volans.com/2009/08/some-reflection-at-the-beginning-of-my-volans-journey/.
- Jieying ZhengDoes social entrepreneurship exist in China?
…was an interesting question that I was recently asked. This reminds me of a field study in China with my MBA classmates in May where we visited 19 organisations – both domestic and foreign, big and small. Some of the feedback we received was quite thought-provoking:
For instance, the Chinese host of one major venture capital firm, when asked to give an example of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs that they have carried out, told us that their CSR initiative is “doing what they are doing” (investing in China-centric technology companies).
Another example would be the CFO of an IT company, which accounts for over 50% of the CDMA chip market share, pointed to the company’s donation to the recent Sichuan earthquake when asked the same question.
Interestingly enough, both of these two companies are, at least partly, funded by large US venture capital firms. I cannot help but wonder about the influence that the foreign firms exercise, or lack exercising rather, on the Chinese management teams of these organisations. When the Chinese domestic market was opened up to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) 20 years ago, one rationale was to import the “latest expertise in modern business management”. While CSR has become a common term in the mainstream business in the western world, I wonder how much of the concept has been transferred into the Chinese mindset in these two cases.
However, the picture is not all gloomy. China-crossroads has just published a list of Chinese social entrepreneurs who can be found on Twitter. The length of the list is uplifting, given the rather short period (5-6 years) since the concept and related studies formally entered China (for further reading, see the British Council report).
And, looking back, what about the time before 1949? I recently came across an article (in Mandarin by Wu Xiaobo) on the life of Yan Yangchu, a Chinese farmer who started the largest education and anti-poverty movement which involved people who returned from studies abroad in rural China in 1929.
The history of social entrepreneurship in China, therefore, has long roots in my opinion. Yet, not surprisingly, it disappeared for half a century when all enterprises went government-owned after the Revolution in 1949. Recently, however, social enterprises in China have mushroomed. Time will tell how quickly they will become impactful again, especially in terms of their impact on mainstream business.
The address for this blog entry is: http://www.volans.com/2009/08/does-social-entrepreneurship-exist-in-china/.
- Jieying ZhengGreen Bonds - Building a Case for Social Finance
The movement to organize a Green Bond is one of the most compelling examples of ‘social finance’ I’ve seen in awhile. Kudos to the team in Canada who have put together a detailed and comprehensive public policy proposal – which you can download from the Green Bonds website. I’d recommend watching the video introduction on the site – it will leave you with goosebumps.
In the lead up to COP15, I can only hope that ideas like the Green Bond become reality. Governments need to recognize that there is a market failure – and it is critical that the funding gap is bridged…FAST!
The address for this blog entry is: http://www.volans.com/2009/08/green-bonds-building-a-case-for-social-finance/.
- Charmian LoveWhat can we learn from a Valley Boy?
I recently finished the autobiography of Tom Perkins, of Kleiner Perkins, Caufield and Byers fame, and one of the fathers of Venture Capital. Kerri Golden, a VC specialist I’ve been working with in Canada at MaRS, passed this book along, suggesting it might provide some insight on how to help the social finance market take flight.
It is interesting to compare some of the challenges of the early days of Silicon Valley with what we’re seeing in the social finance market today. I found the references to Perkin’s struggle to find places to invest his first fund something that resonates with what I hear from some social investors - namely that ‘good’ deals are not always as easy to find as you’d think…
Check it out on Amazon if you’re looking for a quick but entertaining read (with the occasional sprinkling of stories about race cars, yachts and other insight on the lifestyle of the rich and famous).
The address for this blog entry is: http://www.volans.com/2009/08/what-can-we-learn-from-a-valley-boy/.
- Charmian LoveLove in the fast lane
Volans COO Charmian Love has been elected to the Fellowship Council of the Royal Society of Arts. Congratulations from us all.
The address for this blog entry is: http://www.volans.com/2009/08/love-in-the-fast-lane/.
- John ElkingtonA Cluster for Climate Adaptation in Brazil
Last week I met in Sao Paulo, Brazil, with two irrigation companies and the social enterprises that are driving an innovative collaboration in the north of Brazil. Led by the Human Development Network (REDEH), the partnership is called Adapta Sertão. The meeting we organized aimed to use the Pathways to Scale framework to help the partners think through some of the challenges and opportunities they face as they re-group to scale the impact of their model.
Adapta Sertao has gathered different sectors to develop an agricultural production model for the semi-arid region of Brazil, where the majority of the population is poor and relies on subsistence farming and government subsidies. It aims to increase the area’s resilience to climate change by helping poor people become efficient agricultural producers, reverting an ‘aid culture’ that has prevailed for decades, with poor results.
The partnership articulates water and renewable energy technologies, social networks and grassroots mobilization, with public-private partnerships. It builds on the success of its first project Pintadas Solar, implemented (2006-2008) in the Pintadas municipality of 11.000 people in the State of Bahia, which caught international attention when awarded the SEED Initiative prize as a practice with the potential to be worked out at scale. Besides the companies involved, other partners include the Centro Clima, at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro; the government of the State of Bahia; the German Federal Environment Agency; and the Secretary of Science and Technology of the State of Bahia.
Adapta Sertao now aims to disseminate the model by creating a large network of municipalities throughout Brazil’s dry and poor regions, and eventually other regions of the world.
The meeting in Sao Paulo took place as I participated of the annual conference of the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS). It included Adapta Sertao’s leadership, the two irrigation companies that are part of the cluster -–one of which, Netafim, holds more than 40% of the Brazilian irrigation market– and a representative from CEBDS.
Participants explored their work so far against the 5-stage model, and worked through some of the challenges they face for moving from the successful Pintadas pilot to the creation of effective markets for the solutions.
The companies saw the potential to deepen their market leadership in the region, but there was general agreement that the precarious infrastructures in the Sertao would need to go beyond a ‘base of the pyramid’ business model for the companies. The partners would need to work together to create the infrastructures that are required for the market opportunity to be real. A new business model, it was argued, would need to provide solutions for the distribution model for products and services, but also put in place a financial model for poor people to access the irrigation kits; a training and capacity building model for people to acquire the skills and capabilities needed to sustain new enterprises, and the governance structure that would enable business and governments to work together effectively
“I think the innovative research, methodology and examples that Volans’ Pathways to Scale Program brings to initiatives like Adapta Sertao are critical to inspire us to go beyond the barriers that are too much entrenched in our mental models.” said Thais Corral, leader of the Adapta Sertao initiative after the meeting, “it helped us to envision the ways we can collaborate to adopt Pathways to Scale that are quicker and clearer.”
Going forward, Adapta Sertao will be on our map as one of the new cluster initiatives that are emerging in response to climate adaptation challenges around the world. We look forward to a deeper engagement with the initiative and its partners, as it plans and implements next steps for scaling its transformative impact on Brazilian agricultural markets.
The address for this blog entry is: http://www.volans.com/2009/08/a-cluster-for-climate-adaptation-in-brazil/.
- Alejandro Litovsky