Center for Social Innovation

The Best Thing We Can Do for Nonprofits–and Ourselves

We must actively withhold support when we see the government acting in a way counter to our ideals and its own. Those of us who supported the President’s election because we share his basic principles and values should express that support by remaining independent and criticizing when necessary, rather than by becoming supplicants to or apologists for the people we put in office. That’s an idea relevant to each and all of us as citizens.

Resource: Blog Post

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SEIU Head Urges Unions "Join Today’s Economic Revolution"

"No single generation has ever witnessed so much change in a lifetime," SEIU President Andy Stern told a Business School audience, and unions must be part of that change.

Resource: News Article

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Spinternet

The Internet has the potential to do a lot of good in the world, but we must not ignore the emerging strategies of negative influence.

Resource: Blog Post

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Research: Not Racing to Help

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Spring 2009

Racism may have played a role in the government’s delayed response to Katrina.

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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Increasing Companies' Safety & Gender Equity

A study of oil rigs shows that a different approach to male-dominated environments can change corporate culture.

Resource: News Article

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Economic Development, Human Rights, Leadership

Why Do Women Not Always Realize Their Workforce Potential?

A researcher says at least part of the answer is that people are more than their potential.

Resource: News Article

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Economic Development, Government, Human Rights

The Tough Math Behind Humanitarian Aid

A new study finds that a different approach to food-relief efforts in the developing world could save more lives.

Resource: News Article

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Business, Human Rights

African American Women Are Moving Ahead Rapidly

In the United States today, two-thirds of African American college undergrads are women, and they are going on to excel in business, particularly in entrepreneurship, says visiting scholar Katherine Phillips.

Resource: News Article

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Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Government, Human Rights, Leadership, Nonprofit Management

Japanese Alumni Test Their Post-Disaster Leadership Mettle

As Japan shifts from disaster relief to rebuilding, GSB alumni see opportunities for change and renewal.

Resource: News Article

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Review: Blessed Unrest

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Fall 2007

The human spirit endures in grassroots activism, as Paul Hawken reveals.

Human Rights, Nonprofit Management

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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Policing the Police

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Spring 2007

The traditional approach among human rights groups in Nigeria had been accusatory: publicize injustices or sue the government. But in January 1998, on the eve of democracy, an NGO called the CLEEN foundation set out to reform law enforcement from within. —By Catherine DiBenedetto

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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Government, Human Rights, Nonprofit Management

Balkan Boom to Bust

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Summer 2006

Vanishing NGOs in Bosnia leave lessons in their wake. —By Beth Kampschror

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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Environment, Government, Human Rights

It All Started Here

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Spring 2006

The Miwoks were exterminated from Yosemite Valley.

Environment, Human Rights, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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Bigger May Not Be Better

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Spring 2006

Does an organization’s size correlate with its effectiveness? —By Mark Dowie

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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Technology’s Positive Impact on Human Rights

The author details a Web that tells stories and exposes human injustice and trauma rather than gossip. She proposes this exposure will help drive the change that is needed.

Resource: Blog Post

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The Best Thing We Can Do for Nonprofits–and Ourselves

We must actively withhold support when we see the government acting in a way counter to our ideals and its own. Those of us who supported the President’s election because we share his basic principles and values should express that support by remaining independent and criticizing when necessary, rather than by becoming supplicants to or apologists for the people we put in office. That’s an idea relevant to each and all of us as citizens.

Resource: Blog Post

Topic :

Arts, Culture, and Religion, Human Rights

Spinternet

The Internet has the potential to do a lot of good in the world, but we must not ignore the emerging strategies of negative influence.

Resource: Blog Post

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A Technology Revolution for Revolutions!

Internet tech tools are mobilizing collective action and revolutionizing ways to start a revolution.

Resource: Blog Post

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Arts, Culture, and Religion, Human Rights

Causefest

A youth summit discusses online platforms as a means of catalyzing social change.

Resource: Blog Post

Video/Audio : All | Audio | Video

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Humanitarian Disaster Relief Challenges

Speaking at the Stanford Effective Disruption Management Seminar, Gail Neudorf talks in this audio lecture about some of the challenges and issues faced by humanitarian disaster relief operations.

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Resource: Audio

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Business Continuity: Improving GM's Risk Profile

Adele Martz explains in this audio lecture how risk management puts GM at a competitive advantage to an audience of disaster relief operation actors gathered for the Stanford Effective Disruption Management Seminar.

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Resource: Audio

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Speed and Agility Versus Cost

Randy Martin has been in the business of humanitarian disaster relief for 25 years. In this audio lecture recorded at the Stanford Effective Disruption Management Seminar, Martin shares some of the lessons he has learned on the front lines and investigates possible collaborations across sectors to enhance disaster relief operations.

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Resource: Audio

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Managing Risk in an Uncertain World

In this audio lecture, Leslie Lamb shares her company's approach to risk management with some of the main actors in humanitarian disaster relief operations gathered at the Stanford Effective Disruption Management Seminar.

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Resource: Audio

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Laughter in a Time of War

In 2005, marathoner, juggler, and unicyclist Zach Warren traveled to Afghanistan to help children recover from the traumas of war, as part of the Afghan Mobile Mini Circus for Children. In this audio interview, Warren shares with Globeshakers host Tim Zak his observations about what it takes to rebuild an entire country.

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Resource: Audio

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Arts, Culture, and Religion, Human Rights, Leadership

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

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Gloria Steinem: Ms. at 40 and the Future of Feminism

Stanford welcomes Gloria Steinem, co-founder and first editor of Ms. Magazine, in celebration of Ms.'s 40th anniversary. Steinem reflected on Ms. Magazine's role over forty years and looked ahead to what feminism may mean for future generations.

Resource: Video

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Gloria Steinem at Stanford: The Feminist Struggle Continues

Author and activist Gloria Steinem challenged a Stanford audience to fight social injustice with outrageous acts, and offered several targets in the struggle for equal rights.

Resource: Video

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Say What You Think Then Take Action

San Francisco's young and charismatic mayor, Gavin Newsom, has suffered his share of punches for taking bold positions on controversial issues. In this Stanford Center for Social Innovation-sponsored talk, Newsom tells of the courage and persistence it takes to make real social change as a leader.

Resource: Video

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Corporate Social Responsibility, Environment, Human Rights

Stanford's Guatemala Service Learning Trip, 2008-1

On a service learning trip to Guatemala, John Joseph, MBA '08, and classmates visited small producers right up to the Starbucks' organization, as well as NGOs like As Green As It Gets.

Resource: Video

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Economic Development, Healthcare, Human Rights

Innovator for the Poor

The beginnings of the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) were fraught with uncertainty. Initially surviving entirely on donations, it has since earned back two pennies for every one it has spent on welfare activities, and is today the largest, self-reliant international NGO, employing more than 97,000 people. In this audio lecture, Fazle Hasan Abed reminisces about the organization's humble beginnings and shares the organization's achievements.

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Resource: Audio

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Economic Development, Human Rights, Social Entrepreneurship

Creating a Poverty-Free World

Professor Muhammad Yunus, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of Grameen Bank, changes traditional principles of banking by putting poor people's needs first. Today, Grameen Bank is a powerful organization that supports poor people by providing microloans, credits, and banking services. In this audio lecture, Yunus describes the reasons behind his philosophies and how they have led to the launch of new enterprises in various industries in Bangladesh.

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Resource: Audio

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Economic Development, Human Rights

Sex Traffic

One of the greatest human rights abuses is sex trafficking. Millions of women and girls each year are tricked, trapped, bought, sold, and forced into service in sex industries. In this audio lecture, Dechen Tsering explores the causes of trafficking and the techniques used by traffickers. She advocates a holistic approach to stop this grave violation against women and describes the work Global Fund for Women undertakes in Southeast Asia and around the world toward this end.

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Resource: Audio

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Economic Development, Human Rights, Social Entrepreneurship

Starbucks Reinvents the International Coffee Trade

Starbucks has taken environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility seriously in its work with coffee farmers. In this audio lecture, Dennis Macray discusses how the United States' leading coffee retailer is reshaping its business practices and reinventing the international coffee trade.

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Resource: Audio

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Architect of Corporate Responsibility

Alice Tepper Marlin created some of the most innovative models for corporate social responsibility. Her energetic work over decades has helped provide concrete research and practical methods for bringing companies, investors, consumers, and workers together to address issues of environmental and economic justice worldwide. In this audio lecture, Tepper Marlin traces her own history from her early days on Wall Street to her ongoing work in the not-for-profit sector, providing blueprints for social entrepreneurs.

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Resource: Audio

Case Studies : All | Academic Cases

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Monitoring Factories Around the Globe: The Fair Labor Association and the Worker Rights Consortium

Two nonprofits, the Fair Labor Association (FLA) and the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), were created in 1999 and 2000, respectively, to monitor factories around the world for sweatshop-related infractions. The two organizations had similar goals, but very different histories, strategies, and ways of operating. Their shared history has been controversial and tumultuous.

Resource: Academic Case

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Dr. Frances Conley (A): The Resignation, (B): The Return

In 1991, Frances Conley, the first female, tenured full professor of neurosurgery in the United States, resigned from her position at Stanford Medical School over the appointment of a new department chair who was known for sexual harassment. As she becomes thrust into the media limelight, she wonders what she should do next.

Resource: Academic Case

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Economic Development, Human Rights, Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Global Fund for Women

The CEO of the Global Fund for Women, an organization that seeds and supports women’s rights groups, must examine how to guide the fund’s growth without having it lose its connections with donors and grantees. She also wonders how the fund could do better at assessing grant outcomes and sharing success stories.

Resource: Academic Case

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Human Rights, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

The September 11th Fund

The September 11th Fund was created to support the short- and long-term needs of the people and communities affected by the World Trade Center tragedy. Many foundation leaders evaluated the difficult lessons learned in interacting with the media, and wondered how they could better use communication strategies to demonstrate their accountability.

Resource: Academic Case

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Mobil in Aceh, Indonesia (A) & (B)

In 1998, the chief executive of Mobil in Indonesia considered how he should respond to allegations that Mobil had been complicit in human rights abuses. The cases reflect on the challenges of managing operations in a place like Aceh.

Resource: Academic Case

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Environment, Human Rights

The World Trade Organization and the Seattle Talks

In 1999, the World Trade Organization talks in Seattle were sidelined by people protesting against the organization and issues of free trade. The case describes the nature of the protests, and the WTO’s dispute resolution process.

Resource: Academic Case

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Gordon Biersch Vignettes

The case offers a view into day-to-day management issues faced by entrepreneurs managing a growing business. The focus is the Gordon Biersch Brewing Company, which had to address a sexual harassment lawsuit and other ethical dilemmas.

Resource: Academic Case

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Monitoring Factories Around the Globe: The Fair Labor Association and the Worker Rights Consortium

Two nonprofits, the Fair Labor Association (FLA) and the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), were created in 1999 and 2000, respectively, to monitor factories around the world for sweatshop-related infractions. The two organizations had similar goals, but very different histories, strategies, and ways of operating. Their shared history has been controversial and tumultuous.

Resource: Academic Case

Topic :

Dr. Frances Conley (A): The Resignation, (B): The Return

In 1991, Frances Conley, the first female, tenured full professor of neurosurgery in the United States, resigned from her position at Stanford Medical School over the appointment of a new department chair who was known for sexual harassment. As she becomes thrust into the media limelight, she wonders what she should do next.

Resource: Academic Case

Topic :

Economic Development, Human Rights, Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Global Fund for Women

The CEO of the Global Fund for Women, an organization that seeds and supports women’s rights groups, must examine how to guide the fund’s growth without having it lose its connections with donors and grantees. She also wonders how the fund could do better at assessing grant outcomes and sharing success stories.

Resource: Academic Case

Topic :

Human Rights, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

The September 11th Fund

The September 11th Fund was created to support the short- and long-term needs of the people and communities affected by the World Trade Center tragedy. Many foundation leaders evaluated the difficult lessons learned in interacting with the media, and wondered how they could better use communication strategies to demonstrate their accountability.

Resource: Academic Case

Topic :

Mobil in Aceh, Indonesia (A) & (B)

In 1998, the chief executive of Mobil in Indonesia considered how he should respond to allegations that Mobil had been complicit in human rights abuses. The cases reflect on the challenges of managing operations in a place like Aceh.

Resource: Academic Case

Research Papers : All

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Feminist Theory and Critical Theory: Unexplored Synergies

Although both feminist theory and critical theory focus on social and economic inequalities, and both have an agenda of promoting system change, these fields of inquiry have developed separately and seldom draw on each other's work. This paper argues that synergies between these two fields could, and should, be explored.

Resource: Research Paper

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Protest and Policymaking: Explaining Fluctuation in Congressional Attention to Rights Issues, 1960-1986

The authors reexamine the relationship between protest and policy change at the agenda-setting stage of policymaking. They find that protest, issue legitimacy, and issue competition account for variation in the number of congressional hearings granted to rights issues.

Resource: Research Paper

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Corporate Social Responsibility, Government, Human Rights

Reputation When Threats and Transfers Are Available

The authors present a model where a long-run player uses money transfers and threats to influence the decisions of a sequence of short-run players. The model is useful for the debate around judicial corruption.

Resource: Research Paper

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Racial Stereotypes Can Be Unconscious but Reversible

Negative stereotypes about various racial groups bombard us every day in the mass media and deposit their residue deep into our minds, often without our realizing it, says Brian Lowery.

Resource: Research Paper

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Women and Power: Conformity, Resistance, and Disorganized Co-Action

The paper examines micro-processes that undermine the formal power of high-ranking women in a male-dominated organization. It shows how the capacity of these women to reduce systemic causes of gender inequality is therefore more limited than it might appear.

Resource: Research Paper

Courses : All

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The Quest for Happiness Exploring the Psychology of Human Fulfillment: OB 552

In this seminar, we explore the nature of human happiness from psychological perspectives, and how such knowledge can be applied in personal and business contexts. To illustrate the ideas discussed, we examine in detail a number of fascinating individuals, including Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Oprah Winfrey, venture capitalist Tom Perkins, Steven Spielberg, Martha Stewart, and the Nobel physicist Richard Feynman.

Resource: MBA Course

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Women in Organizations: OB 387

This course focuses on women's working experiences in managerial and professional positions in business and some nonprofit organizations. Using business cases, small group work, videos, lectures, and class discussions, we examine a wide variety of career-related gender issues.

Resource: MBA Course

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Entrepreneurship from the Perspective of Women: STRAMGT 508

This seminar will showcase successful women entrepreneurs and the challenges they encountered on the paths to success such as finding funding, dealing with different communication styles, and balancing work and lifestyle.

Seminar participants will study mini-cases, engage in panel discussions and hear from experienced entrepreneurs.

Resource: MBA Course

Innovators : All

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Arts, Culture, and Religion, Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Education, Human Rights, Social Entrepreneurship

An interview with Dave DeForest-Stalls (EPNL '07)

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

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Economic Development, Human Rights, Nonprofit Management, Social Entrepreneurship

An interview with Federico Lozano (MBA '09)

Federico Lozano is working to alleviate poverty by connecting poor, semi-skilled laborers from the developing world with jobs in the developed world.

Resource: Fellow

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Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Education, Human Rights, Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing, Social Entrepreneurship

An interview with Daniel Grossman

Daniel Grossman's Wild Planet creates toys that parents love as much as kids. His aim is to inspire learning and inventiveness.

Resource: Alumni

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Health Care, Human Rights, Social Entrepreneurship

Healing Human Rights Abuses with Social Enterprise

Hagar was the biblical woman who became the victim of neglect and violence when she was cast out of the fold of Abraham and Sarah. In Cambodia, Afghanistan, and Vietnam, thousands of "Hagars" and their children suffer poverty, trafficking, and other human rights abuses. Janet Tafel, who was invited by the Center for Social Innovation at Stanford, discusses how her organization, Hagar USA, helps individuals restore their lives through holistic healing, community integration, and social entrepreneurship.

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Resource: Audio

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