Vision (“όραμα”) and a good/ functional team (“λειτουργία ομάδας”) are key to sustain an impactful social enterprise! A design thinking workshop was held in Athens to discuss and confirm the challenges, needs potential of social enteprises in Greece.

Social enterpeneurs, (social) business advisers, design thinkers, trainers participated at a mini experiential workshop and exchange of views, facilitated by official design thinking tools (Issue/Challenge Maps, Issue/Challenge Cards, Impact/Difficulty Grid). The creative thinking and discussion was heated and highly meaningful. Participants approached objectives and challenges of social enterprises, discussed and validated prior Social UP project research (desk, survey with social entrepreneurs and social partners, interviews with design thinkers) in view of empowering social entrepreneurship in a multi-faceted and participatory way.

The mini experiential workshop and exchange of views was facilitated by Knowl social enterprise for lifelong learning and Militos Consulting S.A., Greek partners of Social UP. Internationally acclaimed British design thinker James Rock, head of DesignThinkersUK and the Social UP project, member of the international network of DesignThinkers Group, present in 20 countries (including in Greece) around the world involving over 25,000 design thinkers, participated online with a short presentation about Design Thinking, its principles and tools.

According to the outcomes of this creative process: Vision (“όραμα”) and a good/ functional team (“λειτουργία ομάδας”) are key to sustain an impactful social enterprise. Lack of awareness/ divergent views of society on social enterprises and their work was the challenge that was equally impactful and difficult to address. However, the latter finding was the first point discussed and put on the Grid and while the discussion was developing, it seemed that, if there was more time for debate, the positioning of some challenges would change (again). 

Overall, the most important challenges in terms of impact, in priority order (from highest to lowest), were as follows, while their level of difficulty differs (see next to each one from 1-8 with 1 the most difficult and 8 the least difficult):

Highest impact // 1 most difficult to address
· Vision 6
· Team formation 4
· Lack of awareness/ divergent views of society on social enterprises and their work 1
· Motivation and collaboration 2
· Legal Framework 3
· Know-how 8
· Reality check (also a DT tool) 7
· Business (profit) vs social dimensions in social en trepreneurship 5
Lowest impact // 8 least difficult to address

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SocialUP Workshop Athens2

SocialUP Workshop Athens4