Session Title:
Civil Society & Social Entrepreneurship
Civil Society & Social Entrepreneurship
Date of talk or publication:
2005
2005
Speaker Name / Title:
Linda Hill & Maria Farkas
Linda Hill & Maria Farkas
Organization:
Harvard Business School & University of Michigan
Harvard Business School & University of Michigan
Description:
In detailing the findings of a field-based study of new black business leaders working towards “a gentler capitalism” in post-apartheid South Africa, this paper explores the ways in which business can be used as a tool to address societal inequities. For many South African business leaders (of all races and ethnicities), the crucible of apartheid and the ensuing transformation of their country have prepared them to engage some of the most intractable ethical challenges of our times. They define these challenges as being at the very heart of business leadership, and they aspire to build the capacity of people who were previously marginalized. Yet the leaders know that in order for this deep societal transformation to occur, the approach to and role of business must be changed.
This paper grew out of a study on Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) that was grounded in hundreds of interviews with black and white South African leaders in the business, government and non-profit sectors. Based on these interviews, four black business leaders whose paths to business are representative of those followed by the majority of their peers were chosen for further study. These individuals are all revolutionaries in the true sense of the word; they were actively involved, at great personal risk, in the overthrow of apartheid. This paper will examine the experiences of one such individual, Dr. Iqbal Survé.
The cornerstone of Survé’s leadership approach is the advancement of marginalized groups through employment, skill transfer, and leadership development. Survé, a physician by training, was a youth leader in the anti-apartheid struggle. He and his wife were very active in the rehabilitation of torture victims for which he received an award from Amnesty International. In 1995, Survé founded an investment holding company, called Sekunjalo (which means “Now is the Time”). Concerned that BEE was enriching only a few, he and other activist friends founded their company with a clear “manifesto” to improve the lives of the previously disadvantaged. The company has received scores of awards, and Survé himself is continually cited by international and South African media as one of the country’s businessmen who has contributed substantially to the growth and success of South Africa’s business development while also achieving excellence in broad-based empowerment, development, and social investments.
Since Survé is at the vanguard of this new BEE framework that focuses on building the capacity of previously marginalized people, he is a salient example of the “gentler capitalism” to which many emerging black leaders in South Africa subscribe. This paper presents some of the key challenges faced by leaders in emerging markets, and the suggestions it offers demonstrate that business can be a critical positive social force, especially in the face of limited capital and talent, poor infrastructure, weak or still-forming state institutions, and large populations of the very poor.
In detailing the findings of a field-based study of new black business leaders working towards “a gentler capitalism” in post-apartheid South Africa, this paper explores the ways in which business can be used as a tool to address societal inequities. For many South African business leaders (of all races and ethnicities), the crucible of apartheid and the ensuing transformation of their country have prepared them to engage some of the most intractable ethical challenges of our times. They define these challenges as being at the very heart of business leadership, and they aspire to build the capacity of people who were previously marginalized. Yet the leaders know that in order for this deep societal transformation to occur, the approach to and role of business must be changed.
This paper grew out of a study on Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) that was grounded in hundreds of interviews with black and white South African leaders in the business, government and non-profit sectors. Based on these interviews, four black business leaders whose paths to business are representative of those followed by the majority of their peers were chosen for further study. These individuals are all revolutionaries in the true sense of the word; they were actively involved, at great personal risk, in the overthrow of apartheid. This paper will examine the experiences of one such individual, Dr. Iqbal Survé.
The cornerstone of Survé’s leadership approach is the advancement of marginalized groups through employment, skill transfer, and leadership development. Survé, a physician by training, was a youth leader in the anti-apartheid struggle. He and his wife were very active in the rehabilitation of torture victims for which he received an award from Amnesty International. In 1995, Survé founded an investment holding company, called Sekunjalo (which means “Now is the Time”). Concerned that BEE was enriching only a few, he and other activist friends founded their company with a clear “manifesto” to improve the lives of the previously disadvantaged. The company has received scores of awards, and Survé himself is continually cited by international and South African media as one of the country’s businessmen who has contributed substantially to the growth and success of South Africa’s business development while also achieving excellence in broad-based empowerment, development, and social investments.
Since Survé is at the vanguard of this new BEE framework that focuses on building the capacity of previously marginalized people, he is a salient example of the “gentler capitalism” to which many emerging black leaders in South Africa subscribe. This paper presents some of the key challenges faced by leaders in emerging markets, and the suggestions it offers demonstrate that business can be a critical positive social force, especially in the face of limited capital and talent, poor infrastructure, weak or still-forming state institutions, and large populations of the very poor.