Enterprise, community and complexity. \u00a0Slippery words. \u00a0So slippery that I wonder what can be meaningfully written about them. \u00a0But I will have a go.<\/p>\n
Having worked on these ideas for many years I hold my beliefs tentatively. \u00a0But they offer the possibility of a very different direction for both promoting enterprise and building ‘harmonious and cohesive’ communities. \u00a0And few would argue that we don’t need a fresh approach. \u00a0That more of the same will get the job done.<\/p>\n
It won’t. \u00a0We need to innovate and experiment.<\/p>\n
Lets start with ‘enterprise’. \u00a0First,\u00a0empty\u00a0your mind of all those misconceptions that I must be talking about ‘business start’s, ‘cash flow forecasts’, ‘profits’ and ‘Dragons’.<\/p>\n
I am not.<\/p>\n
I am talking about enterprise as a measure of ‘agency’ in one’s own life. \u00a0The extent to which an individual is able to recognise what ‘progress’ (another slippery word) means and to take action its pursuit. \u00a0This is what I mean by enterprise. \u00a0It is the product of clear\u00a0self-interest\u00a0(I know what I want<\/em>) and power (I have the confidence, skills and knowledge to take organised action in its pursuit<\/em>). \u00a0An enterprising person is one who is clear on what\u00a0they\u00a0want from their life and actively\u00a0pursues it. \u00a0An enterprising community is one which has many such people – because they are valued and supported.<\/p>\n If self-interest\u00a0is ‘enlightened’<\/a> then it is\u00a0likely\u00a0that the product of enterprise will be a positive contribution to society. \u00a0If on the other hand self-interest\u00a0is poorly understood then the product of enterprise\u00a0may be damaging. \u00a0Enterprise in itself is not an inherently good thing.<\/strong> If we are going to pursue this route then we need to have faith in the essential positive nature of human beings.<\/p>\n If we are serious about developing ‘enterprise’, rather than managing the outputs that most enterprise funders are looking for, we need to concern ourselves with the development of\u00a0self-interest\u00a0and the accrual of power. \u00a0 We are in the realms of person centred facilitation and education. \u00a0Not business planning. \u00a0This is an enormous shift both in what we do, and how we do it. \u00a0 Helping people to clarify their\u00a0self-interest\u00a0and find the power to pursue it requires very different structures and processes.<\/p>\n It is\u00a0worth\u00a0noting that if you have money, there is a fair chance that at some time you will have hired a coach to help you with the difficult and personal work of clarifying\u00a0self-interest\u00a0and gaining the power you need to pursue it. And if they were a good coach they would not have manipulated you towards their preferred outputs – but would let you work on your own personal agenda. \u00a0If you have little or no money the chances of you ever having access to such a potentially transformational\u00a0relationship\u00a0are slim to none. \u00a0The relationship that you have with various ‘helpers’ is\u00a0likely\u00a0to be one where they try to manipulate you ‘back to work’, towards a ‘healthy diet’ \u00a0or some such policy goal of funded output.<\/em><\/p>\n Over the last few years I have spoken with many enterprise educators,\u00a0bureaucrats and practitioners and they have all accepted that this\u00a0conception\u00a0of\u00a0enterprise\u00a0has merit. \u00a0Not only will it help us to get more business\u00a0start ups, but it will also help us to get large numbers of people acting in pursuit of their own wellbeing – however they define it. \u00a0It will also help us to make significant and real progress towards\u00a0PSA 21 – Building More Cohesive, Active and Empowered Communities.<\/a><\/p>\n Which brings us to the question of how does this conception of enterprise \u00a0fit with ‘community’?<\/p>\n Community\u00a0is a property that emerges when\u00a0individuals and groups learn to negotiate their\u00a0self-interest\u00a0with the self-interests of others. \u00a0Community is an\u00a0emergent property<\/a>. \u00a0If this contention is right then it raises serious questions about\u00a0approaches\u00a0which\u00a0attempt\u00a0to provide short cuts to community (building community centres and one stop shops for example) without\u00a0addressing\u00a0the preconditions necessary in a\u00a0complex adaptive system<\/a> (such as society) for its emergence.<\/p>\n Community emerges when individuals\u00a0learn how to associate and collaborate in pursuit of mutual\u00a0self-interest. \u00a0When they recognise that the best way to achieve their own\u00a0self-interest\u00a0is to help others to achieve theirs. \u00a0 When they understand the nature of reciprocity. \u00a0Or to borrow the words a well known Business Networking group\u00a0that\u00a0‘givers gain’.<\/p>\n A beautiful\u00a0by product\u00a0of this is a raised awareness of the importance of difference.<\/p>\n If I learn how to associate and collaborate with someone who has different skills and knowledge, or a\u00a0different\u00a0cultural heritage to my own I am\u00a0likely\u00a0to gain more opportunities than if I associate with people who are pretty much the\u00a0same\u00a0as me. \u00a0Association across race, gender, age and so on provides the key to opportunity and provides a precondition that will allow harmonious communities to emerge.<\/p>\n With difference comes both opportunity and resilience.<\/p>\n