Skip to Content
Center for
Change lives. Change organizations. Change the world.
Follow us :
![[icon - facebook]](/sites/csi.gsb.stanford.edu/files/icon_img_f.gif "[icon - facebook]"){kind=icon}
![[icon - twitter]](/sites/csi.gsb.stanford.edu/files/icon_img_t.gif "[icon - twitter]"){kind=icon}
![[icon - LinkedIn]](/sites/csi.gsb.stanford.edu/files/LinkedIn.jpg "[icon - LinkedIn]"){kind=small}
Arts, Culture, and Religion
Giving the Gift of Our Time to Others
Research shows that spending time on others makes people feel like they have done a lot with their time - and the more they feel they have done with their time, the more time they will feel they have.
Short psychological interventions can change preconceptions, altering how people interact with their world. Effects are potent, cumulative and long lasting. Recent Stanford research reveals the benefits of brief interventions in both aggressive teens and antagonistic spouses.
![[photo - Ethical Behavior]](http://csi.gsb.stanford.edu/sites/csi.gsb.stanford.edu/files/imagecache/img75x75/good-vs-bad-web2.jpg "[photo - Ethical Behavior]")
New research shows how subtle changes in language can lead to more ethical behavior.
Research Resources
Stanford Social Innovation Review: Summer 2009
Social Innovation now has a place in the White House.
Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article
Stanford Social Innovation Review: Summer 2009
Research supports violent media’s negative impact on civility.
Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article
Stanford Social Innovation Review: Summer 2009
“People who volunteer in retirement are the same people that volunteered before retirement, only they give more hours." -Christopher J. Einolf
Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article
Stanford Social Innovation Review: Summer 2009
Studies show that individuals are more susceptible to corrupt behavior when trying to avoid a loss.
Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article
Stanford Social Innovation Review: Summer 2009
MARKET REBELS: How Activists Make or Break Radical Innovations by Havagreeva Rao Review by Carl Schramm
Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article
Short psychological interventions can change preconceptions, altering how people interact with their world. Effects are potent, cumulative and long lasting. Recent Stanford research reveals the benefits of brief interventions in both aggressive teens and antagonistic spouses.
Resource: News Article
![[photo - Time]](http://csi.gsb.stanford.edu/sites/csi.gsb.stanford.edu/files/imagecache/img75x75/Hourglass%20214X199.jpg "[photo - Time]")
In this quarter’s column, we explore giving the gift of our time to others. It’s a fact that most Americans are feeling more time-constrained than ever. With waking hours largely consumed by work, precious minutes remain for the daily list of to-dos, including exercise, cleaning, and socializing with friends and family. For some, time has become an even more valuable resource than money.
Resource: News Article
New research shows how subtle changes in language can lead to more ethical behavior.
Resource: News Article
![[photo - Gift Giving]](http://csi.gsb.stanford.edu/sites/csi.gsb.stanford.edu/files/imagecache/img75x75/Gift-Giving.jpg "[photo - Gift Giving]")
In this quarter’s column, we look at a common gift-giving practice: giving away a present you don’t really want. “Regifting” is generally regarded as a taboo, but is this practice really as offensive to the original giver as people think? And is there a way to shift cultural norms so as to promote this sort of gift recycling and reduce the trashing of perfectly good items?
Resource: News Article
![[photo - working from home]](http://csi.gsb.stanford.edu/sites/csi.gsb.stanford.edu/files/imagecache/img75x75/Dad-and-son-at-computer.jpg "[photo - working from home]")
New research says working from home boosts employee happiness and productivity.
Resource: News Article
Stanford Social Innovation Review: Spring 2009
Many philanthropists refrain from online giving.
Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article
Stanford Social Innovation Review: Winter 2009
Group attachment and commitment are what drive protesters to act.
Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article
Stanford Social Innovation Review: Winter 2009
THE STRUCTURE OF SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONS by Thomas S. Kuhn Review by Jessica Jackley Flannery
Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article
Stanford Social Innovation Review: Winter 2009
We don’t necessarily like people who do the right thing.
Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article
Stanford Social Innovation Review: Winter 2009
ICONOCLAST: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently by Gregory Berns Review by Robert J. Sternberg
Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article
How nonprofits can create quality content online.
Resource: Blog Post
A youth summit discusses online platforms as a means of catalyzing social change.
Resource: Blog Post
Change starts at home.
Resource: Blog Post
“Starfish” organizations are gaining the upper hand in the nonprofit world.
Resource: Blog Post
Should social media communities be focused on the means or the ends?
Resource: Blog Post
How do we get individuals to practice healthier habits and influence positive behavior change? The "Behavior Wizard" offers technology-based solutions in this audio lecture from the 2011 Stanford Graduate School of Business Healthcare Summit. B.J. Fogg, Director of the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford University, bring his insights from the tech world. In decades studying how computers and mobile apps can be used to bring about behavior change, Fogg found new applications for the health sector in promoting positive habits.
You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.
Resource: Audio
![[photo - Challenges and Opportunities of Nationality]](http://csi.gsb.stanford.edu/sites/csi.gsb.stanford.edu/files/imagecache/img75x75/podcast_img/Panel_Discussion_Microphone_CROPPED_2.jpg "[photo - Challenges and Opportunities of Nationality ]")
Social enterprise can both ease the terrible consequences of the insularity inherent in nationalism, and enhance the positive opportunities for social change within established heritage and cultural traditions. In this panel discussion, sponsored by the Stanford Center for Social Innovation, experts consider topics ranging from multiculturalism within countries to cross-national and international cultural challenges and opportunities.
You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.
Resource: Audio
Technology has increased the flow of information and made our decision-making more transparent. In this panel discussion on empathy and ethics, Bill Drayton, Mary Gordon, Keith Hammonds, Kirk Hanson, and Jill Vialet consider how empathetic ethics has to begin with individuals and can only then move into the organizations we lead and the societies we serve.
You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.
Resource: Audio
![[photo - Professor in Economics]](http://csi.gsb.stanford.edu/sites/csi.gsb.stanford.edu/files/imagecache/img75x75/podcast_img/3570%5B1%5D.jpg "[photo - Professor in Economics]")
At what stage in life do innovators make their most significant contributions to social enterprise? In this audio lecture, economist and creativity researcher David Galenson debunks the myth that high achievement is the domain of youth and genius for an audience of social entrepreneurs over the age of 60. Applying lessons learned from lives of artists and leaders, he considers differences in style and time horizons of creative people, emphasizing that social innovation is more about slow burn than flash in the pan.
You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.
Resource: Audio
The question of what to eat to be healthy has spawned a rash of often contradictory advice by "experts." In this audio lecture, sponsored by the Stanford Ethics and Society Program, NYU professor and author Marion Nestle offers simple advice that cuts through the confusion. She highlights the difference between "nutrients" and "food," and suggests how to bring "nutrition" back into the food realm. Her discussion forays into how agriculture and business interact to produce the foodstuffs on our shelves.
You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.
Resource: Audio
![[Video-Cory Booker's 2012 Commencement Address]](http://img.youtube.com/vi/dZ39FswOyFk/0.jpg "[Video-Cory Booker's 2012 Commencement Address]")
Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, challenges Stanford graduates to be courageous, never lose faith and always work together during Stanford's 121st Commencement. He extolls lessons from his own father and grandfather through stories of hardship, hope, and humor. Booker encourages graduates to find and join their own "conspiracy of love" -- people who will help lift them up in times of need, provide a community and challenge them to go beyond what they think is possible.
Resource: Video
![[Video-The Effectiveness of Message Framing to Influence Behavior]](http://img.youtube.com/vi/rDmnyDsyxdU/0.jpg "[Video-The Effectiveness of Message Framing to Influence Behavior]")
Most observers agree that human consumption is on a crash course with the environment. Although recycling programs have been implemented in many cities around the world, people often do not participate as often as they could. This research examines the effectiveness of messages that highlight the negative consequences of not recycling (loss frames) versus those that emphasize the positive consequences of recycling (gain frames) in influencing people's behavior.
Resource: Video
![[Video-Using People's Irrationality To Do Good]](http://img.youtube.com/vi/MyRPL-QoZG8/0.jpg "[Video-Using People's Irrationality To Do Good]")
Identifying effective obesity treatment is both a clinical challenge and a public health priority. Can monetary incentives stimulate weight loss? Leslie John presents a study that examines different economic incentives for weight loss during a 16 week intervention.
Resource: Video
Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, challenges Stanford graduates to be courageous, never lose faith and always work together during Stanford's 121st Commencement. He extolls lessons from his own father and grandfather through stories of hardship, hope, and humor. Booker encourages graduates to find and join their own "conspiracy of love" -- people who will help lift them up in times of need, provide a community and challenge them to go beyond what they think is possible.
Resource: Video
Most observers agree that human consumption is on a crash course with the environment. Although recycling programs have been implemented in many cities around the world, people often do not participate as often as they could. This research examines the effectiveness of messages that highlight the negative consequences of not recycling (loss frames) versus those that emphasize the positive consequences of recycling (gain frames) in influencing people's behavior.
Resource: Video
Identifying effective obesity treatment is both a clinical challenge and a public health priority. Can monetary incentives stimulate weight loss? Leslie John presents a study that examines different economic incentives for weight loss during a 16 week intervention.
Resource: Video
How do we get individuals to practice healthier habits and influence positive behavior change? The "Behavior Wizard" offers technology-based solutions in this audio lecture from the 2011 Stanford Graduate School of Business Healthcare Summit. B.J. Fogg, Director of the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford University, bring his insights from the tech world. In decades studying how computers and mobile apps can be used to bring about behavior change, Fogg found new applications for the health sector in promoting positive habits.
You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.
Resource: Audio
Social enterprise can both ease the terrible consequences of the insularity inherent in nationalism, and enhance the positive opportunities for social change within established heritage and cultural traditions. In this panel discussion, sponsored by the Stanford Center for Social Innovation, experts consider topics ranging from multiculturalism within countries to cross-national and international cultural challenges and opportunities.
You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.
Resource: Audio
Case Studies : All | Academic Cases
No Results Found
![[photo - James A. Phills]](http://csi.gsb.stanford.edu/sites/csi.gsb.stanford.edu/files/imagecache/img75x75/phills-james-a_5.jpg "[photo - James A. Phills]")
Circus Oz, Australia’s premier, international circus, was exploring offering the new development officer position a higher-than-normal salary. The case and its companion videocase cover the organization’s dilemmas around this, and the situation’s resolution.
Resource: Academic Case
Innermotion dance company presents performances based on themes related to incest and childhood sexual abuse. This video explores how the founder must reexamine her focus and priorities when faced with the loss of a major grant.
Resource: Academic Case
![[photo - George Foster]](http://csi.gsb.stanford.edu/sites/csi.gsb.stanford.edu/files/imagecache/img75x75/foster-george_2.jpg "[photo - George Foster]")
Visa’s executive vice president of international marketing, partnerships, and sponsorship played a key role in convincing Visa’s six regional boards and its international board to allow Visa to extend its Olympics and Paralympics sponsorship. His team planned to discuss the current corporate strategy and use it to refine the existing sponsorship strategy.
Resource: Academic Case
![[photo - James A. Phills]](http://csi.gsb.stanford.edu/sites/csi.gsb.stanford.edu/files/imagecache/img75x75/phills-james-a_3.jpg "[photo - James A. Phills]")
By the close of 2001, theatres in Seattle were experiencing box office slumps. The vibrant theatre industry faced monumental challenges to remaining both critically acclaimed and financially sound.
Resource: Academic Case
![[photo - James A. Phills]](http://csi.gsb.stanford.edu/sites/csi.gsb.stanford.edu/files/imagecache/img75x75/phills-james-a.jpg "[photo - James A. Phills]")
The directors of the American Repertory Theatre face major government cuts in funding. How can they best identify new sources of income?
Resource: Academic Case
![[photo - William F. Meehan III]](http://csi.gsb.stanford.edu/sites/csi.gsb.stanford.edu/files/imagecache/img75x75/meehan-william-f_6.jpg "[photo - William F. Meehan III]")
From 1999 to 2003, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival completed a huge capital campaign. The case gives an in-depth examination of the organization’s planning process for this campaign.
Resource: Academic Case
![[photo - William F. Meehan III]](http://csi.gsb.stanford.edu/sites/csi.gsb.stanford.edu/files/imagecache/img75x75/meehan-william-f_13.jpg "[photo - William F. Meehan III]")
By the end of 1993, the San Francisco Symphony faced a shift in its financial fortunes, with forecasts predicting annual budget shortfalls. The executive committee must develop a strategy for the symphony that balances its financial needs and its artistic commitments and aspirations.
Resource: Academic Case
Bay Area Video Coalition, a nonprofit media services organization, has behaved like a high-tech business. Now it faces unique challenges and opportunities that are common to both nonprofit and for-profit businesses.
Resource: Academic Case
The executive director of a teen arts and entrepreneurship training program in Boston, Artists for Humanity, weighs issues of expansion, staff turnover, and fundraising. The organization’s challenges reflect those facing many small nonprofits, particularly those with an entrepreneurial arm.
Resource: Academic Case
Circus Oz, Australia’s premier, international circus, was exploring offering the new development officer position a higher-than-normal salary. The case and its companion videocase cover the organization’s dilemmas around this, and the situation’s resolution.
Resource: Academic Case
Innermotion dance company presents performances based on themes related to incest and childhood sexual abuse. This video explores how the founder must reexamine her focus and priorities when faced with the loss of a major grant.
Resource: Academic Case
Visa’s executive vice president of international marketing, partnerships, and sponsorship played a key role in convincing Visa’s six regional boards and its international board to allow Visa to extend its Olympics and Paralympics sponsorship. His team planned to discuss the current corporate strategy and use it to refine the existing sponsorship strategy.
Resource: Academic Case
By the close of 2001, theatres in Seattle were experiencing box office slumps. The vibrant theatre industry faced monumental challenges to remaining both critically acclaimed and financially sound.
Resource: Academic Case
The directors of the American Repertory Theatre face major government cuts in funding. How can they best identify new sources of income?
Resource: Academic Case
Research Papers : All
![[photo - Ask for help]](http://csi.gsb.stanford.edu/sites/csi.gsb.stanford.edu/files/imagecache/img75x75/Help-web.jpg "[photo - Ask for help]")
How can a certain kind of behavior actually contributes to inequalities? Specifically, do children’s social-class backgrounds affect when and how they seek help in the classroom, thereby teasing out children’s own role in educational stratification? We consider how teachers may use such information to correct these dynamics, and thus contribute to more equal access for all children at school.
Resource: Research Paper
Crew members on an offshore oil rig toned down their bluster and macho behavior as an unexpected side effect of an initiative to cut down on-the-job injuries. The case study, coauthored by Debra Meyerson of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, could present a model for minimizing the effects of gender in other work settings.
Resource: Research Paper
A brief intervention aimed at buttressing college freshmen's sense of social belonging in school was tested in a randomized controlled trial, and its academic and health-related consequences over 3 years are reported. The intervention aimed to lessen psychological perceptions of threat on campus by framing social adversity as common and transient.
Resource: Research Paper
What happens when restaurants are required to post calorie counts alongside food and beverage offerings? Average calories per transaction falls by 6 percent, researchers find.
Resource: Research Paper
![[photo - Photo: Pencil Writing "Help!"]](http://csi.gsb.stanford.edu/sites/csi.gsb.stanford.edu/files/imagecache/img75x75/iStock_000008950641XSmall.jpg "[photo - Photo: Pencil Writing \"Help!\"]")
Vanessa Bohns and Francis Flynn demonstrate that people in a position to provide help tend to underestimate the role that embarrassment plays in decisions about whether or not to ask for help. As a result, potential helpers overestimate the likelihood that people will ask for help and misjudge the most effective means of encouraging help-seeking behavior.
Resource: Research Paper
Courses : All
![[photo - Roderick Kramer]](http://csi.gsb.stanford.edu/sites/csi.gsb.stanford.edu/files/imagecache/img75x75/kramer-roderick-m_2.jpg "[photo - Roderick Kramer]")
This course examines the lives of individuals who have contributed greatly to society, either through business, politics, arts and entertainment, or other pursuits. We take a close look, for example, at the "paths to prominence" of individuals such as Steve Jobs, Condi Rice, George Lucas, John F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King.
Resource: MBA Course
Innovators : All
Dave DeForest-Stalls wants to help kids stay out of gangs. He's providing mentorship and hip ways to keep youth on the straight and narrow.
Resource: CSI Affiliates
Ruth Bolan is giving voice to indigenous peoples of the Pacific Island. She funds documentaries that bring their culture and challenges to millions of viewers.
Resource: CSI Affiliates
![[photo - Peter Hero]](http://csi.gsb.stanford.edu/sites/csi.gsb.stanford.edu/files/imagecache/img75x75/social_innovator_picture/Peterhero.jpg "[photo - Peter Hero]")
Peter Hero has been helping philanthropists make a social impact for two decades. He's now inspiring students to get involved in social entrepreneurship.
Resource: Alumni
Stanford Social Innovation Review: Spring 2010
In Rwanda, Radio La Benevolencija uses soap operas to heal ethnic tensions
Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article
Stanford Social Innovation Review: Winter 2010
During its first 10 years, Creative Capital has pumped $14 million into 324 projects from a range of artistic disciplines. But Creative Capital doesn’t just fund projects, it builds careers.
Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article
Stanford Social Innovation Review: Winter 2010
Do we just care about those in our immediate surroundings?
Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article
Stanford Social Innovation Review: Winter 2010
THE SILENT LANGUAGE by Edward T. Hall
Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article
Stanford Social Innovation Review: Winter 2010
Kickstarter invites people with good ideas to post videos and other media to tell their own stories.
Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article
