COURSE NUMBER: MBA 292N-11

This course is cross-listed with the EWMBA Program.

COURSE TITLE: Networks for Impact: Social Innovation's Next Frontier

UNITS OF CREDIT: 1 unit

INSTRUCTOR: Jane Wei-Skillern

MEETING DAY/TIME: Sunday, 9:00AM - 5:00PM, 4/6 & 4/27

Please note the unusual format of this course, which meets all day on two Sundays (4/6 & 4/27). You must attend both sessions in their entirety in order to earn a passing grade.

PREREQUISITE(S): None

CLASS FORMAT: case discussion, lecture, exercises, written case analysis

REQUIRED READINGS: TBD

BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE: class discussion and written case analyses

ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:
This one unit course is recommended for students who aspire to have a social impact in the world. Particularly, those who are aware that the model of social entrepreneur as hero is simply not enough. The scale of the social and environmental challenges that we face today requires that leaders work collectively on all of the leverage points of an issue. Sustained social impact at scale requires that leaders focus more on results and worry less about who gets the credit. Networks and collective impact approaches that rely upon all actors and resources across sectors to mobilize for change are viewed as some of the latest innovations in the field of social entrepreneurship. To harness the tremendous potential of networks, social sector leaders must let go of conventional wisdom and shift their focus from organization level goals to network-level impacts. Network leadership thus requires a different mindset and entirely new ways of leading.

Many of the skills that are essential for working effectively within networks are the opposite of what is required to scale and grow institutions. We will focus on how to lead and build cultures and structures that enable networks to thrive. Students will have the opportunity to meet and engage with a variety of network leaders. Founders, executives, and thought leaders from the field will participate in class so that we can learn firsthand from their roles and experiences as network leaders. The course will provide students with a deep working knowledge of networks and prepares them to become leaders and innovators who are adept at catalyzing and sustaining networks to achieve social impact.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:
Professor Wei-Skillern's research focuses on the leadership and management of social enterprises. She has examined the topics of nonprofit growth and management of multi-site nonprofits, and for nearly a decade, has been focused on nonprofit networks. Her research on nonprofit networks examines how nonprofit leaders that focus less on building their own institutions and instead invest to build strategic networks beyond their organizational boundaries can achieve dramatic gains in mission impact with the same or fewer resources. Some of her pioneering research on nonprofit networks has been published in Stanford Social Innovation Review (The Networked Nonprofit, Spring 2008) and The Foundation Review. She has taught social entrepreneurship and nonprofit strategy to graduate students and executives for more than a decade.