Social Innovation Initiative
Challenge Description
Out of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), quality education and poverty are among the goals that are recording positive progression ahead of the 2030 timeline. However, despite a majority of nations registering positive progress towards the goals’ realization, Niger’s literacy rates and Gross National Income (GNI) projections are still dismal. According to the World Population Review (a, 2020), Niger’s literacy rates trail at 19.10%, implying that only 19.10% of the nation’s 24,206,644 population can read and write. The report further reveals that more than one-quarter of the nation’s male population are literate, whereas only 11% of the female population is literate. This disparity poizes significant concerns for timely intervention since the nation’s population is growing at an annual rate of 3.84%. The United Nations estimate that as by 2041, Niger’s population will exceed 50 million people. This projection, therefore, implies that more than 30 million people of the country’s population are likely to be illiterate by 2041. On the economic scale, Niger’s Gross National Income stands at an estimated $990 per capita, making it among the twenty-five poorest nations in the world (World Population Review, b, 2020).
Illiteracy and poverty, being socioeconomic challenges in the Niger Delta community as well as other developing African nations, South Asian nations, and West Asian societies can be addressed through the implementation of a social innovation initiative (World Population Review, b, 2020). This initiative is the most efficient in Niger’s case since the two issues are interdependent, thus integrating them in the solution development process would produce more reliable results compared to handling them independently. The social innovation initiative is the product of intentional activities by individuals who seek to create positive social change by tackling complex societal issues at the roots (Leca & Boxenbaum, 2008). Social innovation is a new approach to business activities where entrepreneurs contravene the conventional profit-making motive. Instead, enterprises seek to address the social factors that cause the economic disparities in societies by applying socioeconomic models to their activities. A renowned social entrepreneur and a civil society leader who is applauded for his social entrepreneurship in the 1980s is Muhammad Yunus (Mamun & KABAŞ, 2017). In the case of the Niger Delta community, a value-based organization would be needed to address the community’s socioeconomic needs.
Organizational Design for a civil society in Niger
Conventionally, an organizational design refers to the step-by-step methodology which recognizes the dysfunctional facets of workflow, procedures, systems as well as structures, realigns the elements to meet the organization’s current goals, and ultimately develop practical plans to roll out the proposed changes (Scott & Davis, 2016). The step-by-step process often aims at improving the technical aspects of the business and the workforce’s aspects. For most business enterprises, and effective organizational design would increase the firm’s profitability, improve the quality of customer care services, and enhance the firm’s internal operations such that the organization’s workforce is motivated to commit its skills to the betterment of the business entity (Leca & Boxenbaum, 2008).
In the case of organizations involved in social innovation initiatives, their focus is instead on addressing current and prolonged social issues and not profit maximization (Scott & Davis, 2016). This makes their organizational structure nearly close to that of Non-Governmental Organizations only that they engage in trade that is not profit-oriented but rather socially-oriented. Social ventures, therefore, apply practice-driven institutionalism in their operations to ensure that their core objectives are met.
Fig.1: Organizational Structure for Social Innovative Invention Organization (Srinivas, 2020)
A typical organizational structure for social enterprises is closely related to NGOs since both engage with local communities at grassroots levels. Therefore, in the development of a civil society’s organizational design aimed at guiding it in addressing the Niger Delta poverty and illiteracy issues that are prevalent in the nation’s informal settlements in Birni-N’Konni town within Tahoua region. The proposed organizational design will, therefore borrow several structural components of Non-governmental organizations. The organization’s top management is to consist of three entities, namely: the Board of Directors and the organization’s Executive Director (Srinivas, 2015). In the case of a large organization, a General Assembly, as well as advisors to the directors, may be constituted.
A social entity’s Board of Directors is a legal requirement in a majority of nations for organizations established as going concerns. It is within the Boards that critical organizational investment decisions are formulated for ultimate implementation. Usually, an organization’s Board is tasked with hiring and supervision of the entity’s directors, development and approval of the business’ short-term and long-term budgets (Srinivas, 2015). Additionally, the organization’s board members are always obliged to champion the entity’s cause as well as portray the company’s brand image to the society at large. Similarly, in Birni-N’Konni, a stable executive management would be needed to guide the development of social projects the firm could engage in. Some of the projects the Board of Directors could brainstorm about could include community-based school projects and establishment of micro-credit facilities targeting the low-income earners in the town. Furthermore, the Board would be in charge of designing the social business’s short-term and long-term goals and objectives.
The evidence of leadership traits ought to be observed in the selection of the organization’s directors. The executive director, for example, will be charged with the coordination of the civil society’s day-to-day activities (Srinivas, 2015). In most cases, the executive director could also be referred to as the organization’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO). According to Kuada (2010), a transformational leader would be appropriate for this position. Transformational leadership entails the binding and mobilizing of people towards the achievement of a common purpose by employing self-enforcing behaviours which are accompanied by gains upon successful attainment of the tasks as well as a reliance on internal rewards.
On the contrary, the motivation behind the achievement of civil societies’ activities is not attached to any form of individual or corporate gain but rather a motivation to offer long-term solutions that would contribute to society’s wellbeing. In the case of Birni-N’Konni, a competent and CEO to steer the civil society would be one that relates to the socioeconomic needs and challenges of the Niger population. Like in the case of Muhammad Yunus, a transformational CEO would best guide proposed socioeconomic projects in Birni-N’Konni by the established civil society. To implement the transformational CEO’s programs in the poverty-ridden Birni-N’Konni community, an able workforce of like-minded individuals would be required. The civil society’s administrative manager, program manager, and communication and dissemination manager are some of the three essential functions that any social enterprise would need to ensure timely realization of its objectives in the Birni-N’Konni community.
The administrative manager would be in charge of the civil organization’s administrative functions. One of the vital administrative tasks includes finance and accounting roles which the firm needs to ensure a harmonious execution of its goals and objectives daily (Srinivas, 2015). For the organization’s undertakings to run unduly interrupted, proper financial management of the firm’s financial resources through the supervision of the administrative manager is critical. The communication and dissemination manager, on the other hand, would be in charge of the entity’s publications, public relations, and social media communications. Finally, the firm’s program manager is tasked with steering the firm’s projects and programs. The program manager is to be supported by several projects assistants, training assistants, consultants, grassroots or field staff, and other assistants as the firm deems necessary to the size that matches the organization’s needs. The function plays the most significant part of the organization since it is the heart of the civil society (Uhl-Bien & Arena, 2018). The program manager is, therefore tasked with ensuring an interconnected relationship and coordination between the three vital departments in the organization. Furthermore, program management department is expected to work closely with grassroots players in ensuring that accurate and informative data is obtained and reliable results generated.
Systems and Mechanisms for Coordination and Cooperation between the organization and external stakeholders
Social innovative businesses, like any other type of business unit, have the duty to act responsibly to its external stakeholders. Stakeholders in this context refer to individuals, groups, or entities that are affected by the economic entity’s activities. In civil social entrepreneurship, social innovation initiatives affect the public sector, private sector, and civil society (Arnulf, 2014). One of the systems that social organizations owe a duty of responsibility to is the government. Being that the government regulates all economic activities within its borders, innovative social entities should adhere to set statutory frameworks. Among the stator requirements is the duty to adhere to established ethical codes. The social organization in Birni-N’Konni community ought to ensure that adheres to both municipal as well as national government’s laws and by-laws to permit its positive social activities.
Second, the organization’s internal operations have a duty of operating responsibly to its financiers (Arnulf, 2014). Since the firm’s initiatives are likely to demand substantial financial funding from external sources other than its ploughed back profit, adherence to financial accounting and management policies would favour its financial demands. Even though the firm is not profit-oriented, maintaining its financial records as per set financial frameworks would earn the firm financial trustworthiness on creditors.
Factors to be considered in the organizational design
Since the organizational design is intending to solve impending and prolonged needs in Birni-N’Konni and Niger at large, the social business entity has the duty of mapping and analyzing all social, political, and economic factors that are likely to influence its operations (Srinivas, 2015). Of the social factors that would directly impact the firm’s operations, culture is an aspect that the organization has a duty of addressing. Orthodox cultural practices against education in the Niger society is a setback that is expected to curtail the firm’s well-intended motives. The West African nation is among other African countries where the female gender is yet to embrace formal education. The region is characterized by early marriages and stereotypical notions on educating the female child. The social organization is therefore presented with a tedious task of coordinating with the region’s educational authorities in sensitizing the population of the need and significance of education (Mahadevan & Müller, 20111).
Second, the organization’s financial ability ought also to be weighed in the designing of the organizational plan (Uhl-Bien & Arena, 2018). Financial resources, like in any other form of business unit, are essential in the execution and management of an entity’s long-term and current objectives. The firm is therefore mandated to identify possible financiers to its finance-intensive projects and seek to establish possible financial pacts. The financiers may include banks, other civil society’s in the same cause of initiatives, external donors, or even the Niger government. Through such engagement, the social organization’s risks will be distributed across various players.
Third, economic factors such as market competitions from firm’s that are not practising social responsibility and positive social impact is another element the firm should expect to contend with. Whereas most economic entities in Birni-N’Konni are profit-oriented, the organization’s social innovation initiative should anticipate stiff competition from firms that would perceive the presence of unhealthy competition (Kuada, 2010). The organization is therefore mandated to develop a unique and outstanding brand that would distinguish it from its non-social oriented competitors.
Recommendations for leaders in the social innovation initiative
For leaders engaged in positive social impact to excel in their endeavours, coordination between all industry players is essential. The leader ought to engage both the private sector, public sector, and civil society is vital (Uhl-Bien & Arena, 2018). The leader ought to carefully coordinate the firm’s activities with those of other stakeholders. This is achievable through effective communication channels and benchmarks where necessary. Additionally, exchange programs with players in related or similar industries where such activities have recorded tremendous progress would also wield productive results.
Training of the organization’s support staff to ensure that they comprehend the organization’s vision and mission is also critical. Lack of familiarity and understanding of a social business’s activities often sabotage any form of social innovation initiatives hence leading to unintended projections of the firm’s image in the private and public domain (Arnulf, 2014). Being that the Niger Delta is an impoverished society with series of political instabilities, leaders are expected to train their workforce to not only familiarize with the firm’s innovative initiatives but also relate the nation’s setting with the social enterprise’s objectives. Through training and integration of the society’s political, economic, and social elements to the organization’s mission and vision, the social organization’s initiatives are best realized through a coordinated task force.
Finally, the leader should closely associate with its local community. Association with the community ensures immediate feedback and the acquisition of raw data. This approach in leadership enables the leader to maintain close social and economic ties with its immediate clients as well as beneficiaries of its production activities (Mahadevan, 2017). For example, the leader could employ a sizeable majority of its workforce from the immediate community. Additionally, the leader should consider blending or learning its community’s culture, thus identifying with their perceptions on literacy and poverty. In so doing, the leader will be more acquainted with the unknown societal needs as well as societal expectations.
Finally, the leader in the Niger positive social impact context is faced with a duty of integrating all cultural aspects of its organization’s initiatives (Arnulf, 2014). Cultural elements in the Niger community include religious beliefs, social norms, societal expectations of both male and female gender concerning education and employment, and past or current awful experiences on the leader’s intended social innovative initiative. Success of the leader’s activities in the community and Niger at-large will, therefore, be dependent on their ability to integrate all the social, psychological, and anthropological aspects tied to their anticipated vision and mission (Scott & Davis, 2016.
References
Arnulf, J. (2014). A brief introduction to leadership. Oslo, Norway: Universitetsforlaget. (60 pp.)
Kuada, J. (2010). Culture and leadership in Africa: a conceptual model and research agenda. African Journal of Economic and Management Studies.
Leca, B., Battilana, J., & Boxenbaum, E. (2008). Agency and institutions: A review of institutional entrepreneurship: Harvard Business School Cambridge, MA.
Mahadevan, J., Weißert, S., & Müller, F. (2011). From given cross-cultural difference to a new interculture: a Sino-German example. interculture journal: Online-Zeitschrift für interkulturelle Studien, 10(14), 55-76.
Mamun, A., Bal, H., & KABAŞ, T. (2017, January). Microcredit and Social Business Movement as Catalyst for Poverty Eradication: The Grameen Experience. In TURKISH ECONOMIC ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ECONOMICS ICE-TEA 2016 (p. 74). Türkiye Ekonomi Kurumu.
Scott, W. R., & Davis, G. F. (2016). Organizations and organizing. Rational, natural, and open systems perspectives (International student ed.). New York: Routledge. (Chapters 1-5; 122 pp)
Srinivas, H. (2015). Organizational Structure of an NGO. GDRC Research Output E-104. Kobe, Japan: Global Development Research Center. https://www.gdrc.org/ngo/org-chart.html
Uhl-Bien, M., & Arena, M. (2018). Leadership for organizational adaptability: A theoretical synthesis and integrative framework. The Leadership Quarterly, 29(1), 89-104.
World Population Review (a). (2020). Literacy Rate By Country Population. World Population Review. Retrieved from http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/literacy-rate-by-country/