Artivate: A Journal of Entrepreneurship in the Arts
Volume 3, Issue 2
http://artivate.org
pp. 51-53
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BOOK REVIEW
Social	
  Intrapreneurism	
  and	
  All	
  That	
  Jazz:	
  How	
  business	
  innovators	
  are	
  helping	
  to	
  build	
  
a	
  more	
  sustainable	
  world	
  (Greenleaf	
  Press)	
  
David	
  Grayson,	
  Melody	
  McLaren,	
  and	
  Heiko	
  Spitzeck	
  
Foreword	
  by	
  John	
  Elkington	
  
Review	
  by	
  Mark	
  Rabideau,	
  University	
  of	
  Kentucky	
  
	
  
	
  
Entrepreneurs	
   see	
   needs,	
   gaps,	
   and	
   opportunities	
   and	
   create	
   innovative	
   solutions	
  
for	
  financial	
  gain.	
  Similarly,	
  social	
  entre/intrapreneurs	
  see	
  needs,	
  gaps,	
  and	
  opportunities	
  
and	
  create	
  innovative	
  solutions	
  for	
  sustainable	
  entities	
  for	
  social	
  good.	
  Grayson,	
  McLaren,	
  
and	
   Spitzeck,	
   in	
   this	
   engaging	
   and	
   well-­‐researched	
   book	
   provide	
   a	
   compelling	
   case	
   in	
  
support	
   of	
   the	
   critical	
   and	
   increasingly	
   central	
   role	
   of	
   the	
   emerging	
   intrapreneurial	
  
movement	
   –	
   the	
   direct	
   involvement	
   by	
   companies	
   and	
   the	
   creation	
   of	
   corporate	
   models	
  
designed	
  to	
  do	
  good	
  while	
  thriving	
  in	
  the	
  marketplace.	
  
Purporting	
   intrapreneurship	
   as	
   a	
   new	
   movement	
   –	
   by	
   examining	
   case	
   studies	
   and	
  
unpacking	
  anecdotal	
  evidence	
  –	
  the	
  authors	
  establish	
  a	
  convincing	
  argument	
  for	
  believing	
  
that	
   what	
   is	
   afoot	
   gives	
   greater	
   reason	
   for	
   hope	
   than	
   the	
   Corporate	
   Social	
   Responsibility	
  
(CSR)	
   movement,	
   where	
   corporations	
   rarely	
   acted,	
   or	
   at	
   least	
   rarely	
   made	
   significant	
  
contributions	
   toward	
   solving	
   the	
   most	
   pressing	
   problems	
   of	
   our	
   time,	
   and	
   more	
   often	
   than	
  
not	
  failed	
  to	
  even	
  prove	
  responsible	
  in	
  taking	
  up	
  the	
  role	
  they	
  must	
  play	
  within	
  the	
  global	
  
community.	
   Notable	
   exceptions	
   such	
   as	
   Tom's	
   Shoes	
   have	
   long	
   shown	
   that	
   the	
   value	
   of	
  
embracing	
  social	
  responsibility	
  translates	
  into	
  financial	
  benefits	
  from	
  favorable	
  marketing	
  
alone,	
   while	
   remaining	
   committed	
   to	
   ideas	
   beyond	
   (or	
   arguably,	
   above)	
   the	
   bottom	
   line.	
  
Widespread	
   commitment	
   to	
   systematically	
   embrace	
   a	
   balanced	
   approach	
   to	
   fiscal	
   health	
  
and	
  societal	
  impact	
  must	
  be	
  adopted	
  if	
  we	
  are	
  to	
  solve	
  the	
  issues	
  that	
  grip	
  our	
  connected	
  
world	
  –	
  education	
  and	
  health,	
  the	
  homeless	
  and	
  the	
  hungry,	
  and	
  more.	
  
	
  
Embodied	
  within	
  the	
  Introduction’s	
  opening	
  epigraph	
  by	
  Robert	
  Kennedy	
  (after	
  G.B.	
  
Shaw):	
  
	
  
There	
  are	
  those	
  who	
  look	
  at	
  things	
  the	
  way	
  they	
  are,	
  and	
  ask	
  why?	
  I	
  dream	
  of	
  things	
  
that	
  never	
  were,	
  and	
  ask	
  why	
  not?	
  
	
  
the	
   authors	
   establish	
   the	
   tone	
   of	
   their	
   work	
   as	
   being	
   driven	
   by	
   asking	
   big	
   questions	
   and	
  
seeking	
  simple	
  truths.	
  How	
  and	
  why	
  are	
  the	
  most	
  inventive	
  people	
  in	
  industry	
  striving	
  to	
  
build	
  sustainable	
  entities	
  to	
  address	
  the	
  most	
  pressing	
  problems	
  across	
  the	
  globe?	
  
Drawing	
  particular	
  attention	
  to	
  the	
  role	
  creativity	
  plays	
  within	
  the	
  act	
  of	
  inventing	
  
new	
   ways	
   of	
   thinking	
   about	
   the	
   future	
   corporations	
   must	
   play	
   within	
   the	
   global	
  
community,	
   Social	
   Intrapreneurism	
   and	
   All	
   That	
   Jazz	
   pivots	
   on	
   the	
   shared	
   attributes	
   of	
  
creativity	
  and	
  collaboration	
  of	
  the	
  intrapreneur	
  and	
  the	
  jazz	
  artist	
  through	
  such	
  themes	
  as:	
  
	
  
Social	
  intrapreneursism	
  is	
  not	
  a	
  solo	
  act;	
  
Woodshedding	
  hones	
  skills;	
  
Great	
  intrapreneurs	
  know	
  how	
  to	
  jam	
  well	
  with	
  others;	
  
‘Paying	
  your	
  dues’	
  creates	
  a	
  license	
  to	
  operate	
  –	
  and	
  break	
  rules.	
  
	
  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Copyright © 2014, the author

Rabideau
Book review: Social Intrapreneurism and All That Jazz
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Equally	
   substantial	
   in	
   its	
   academic	
   rigor	
   as	
   it	
   is	
   an	
   engaging	
   read,	
   Social	
  
Intrapreneurism	
   and	
   All	
   That	
   Jazz:	
   How	
   business	
   innovators	
   are	
   helping	
   to	
   build	
   a	
   more	
  
sustainable	
  world	
  is	
  the	
  culmination	
  of	
  more	
  than	
  five	
  years	
  of	
  research,	
  40	
  interviews	
  with	
  
intrapreneurs	
   worldwide,	
   and	
   extensive	
   collaborations	
   with	
   leading	
   scholars	
   within	
   the	
  
field.	
   The	
   breadth	
   of	
   the	
   work	
   spans	
   an	
   examination	
   of	
   the	
   creative	
   individual’s	
   mindset	
   as	
  
well	
  as	
  traditional	
  corporate	
  structure.	
  Among	
  the	
  most	
  profound	
  contributions	
  Grayson,	
  et	
  
al	
  make	
  to	
  the	
  conversation	
  are	
  their	
  “How	
  To”	
  tips	
  that	
  offer	
  concrete	
  and	
  actionable	
  ideas	
  
to	
   their	
   readership.	
   Understanding	
   that	
   culture	
   change	
   does	
   not	
   come	
   without	
   backlash,	
  
they	
   also	
   warn	
   us	
   of	
   the	
   challenges	
   corporations	
   will	
   inevitably	
   face	
   while	
   refocusing	
  
stakeholders’	
   visions	
   beyond	
   traditional	
   sightlines	
   of	
   corporate	
   profits	
   and	
   addressing	
   a	
  
growing	
   outcry	
   from	
   employees	
   for	
   companies	
   to	
   embrace	
   global	
   responsibility	
   within	
  
their	
  mission	
  statements.	
  
This	
   timely	
   addition	
   to	
   the	
   literature	
   will	
   (or	
   at	
   least,	
   should)	
   benefit	
   from	
   other	
  
well-­‐received	
   authors’	
   effort	
   to	
   re-­‐imagine	
   the	
   definition	
   of	
   the	
   role	
   of	
   work	
   in	
   the	
   21st	
  
Century,	
   not	
   least	
   of	
   whom,	
   Arianna	
   Huffington’s	
   Thrive:	
   The	
   Third	
   Metric	
   to	
   Redefining	
  
Success	
   and	
   Creating	
   a	
   Life	
   of	
   Well-­‐Being,	
   Wisdom,	
   and	
   Wonder.	
   Huffington	
   makes	
   the	
  
related	
   argument	
   that	
   the	
   most	
   productive	
   members	
   of	
   today’s	
   workforce	
   seek	
   rewards	
  
that	
   move	
   beyond	
   financial	
   compensation	
   and	
   power	
   grabbing,	
   but	
   now	
   include	
   a	
   third	
  
metric:	
  meaning.	
  
What	
  is	
  important	
  to	
  remember	
  about	
  jazz	
  and	
  its	
  power	
  as	
  an	
  analogy,	
  is	
  that	
  jazz	
  
was	
  not	
  only	
  the	
  creation	
  of	
  a	
  new	
  music,	
  but	
  of	
  a	
  new	
  musical	
  language.	
  And	
  this	
  language	
  
was	
  created	
  by	
  inventive	
  and	
  intelligent	
  voices	
  among	
  the	
  underserved	
  of	
  our	
  population.	
  
In	
   its	
   earliest	
   history	
   –	
   New	
   Orleans	
   Jazz	
   –	
   the	
   music	
   toggled	
   between	
   the	
   solo	
  
improvisation	
   of	
   the	
   individual	
   and	
   the	
   collective	
   improvisation	
   of	
   the	
   ensemble.	
   Social	
  
Intrapreneurism	
  and	
  All	
  That	
  Jazz	
  shares	
  case	
  studies	
  of	
  individuals	
  and	
  corporations	
  who	
  
are	
  creating	
  a	
  new	
  language	
  within	
  the	
  marketplace	
  of	
  ideas.	
  This	
  new	
  language	
  requires	
  
individual	
   creativity	
   to	
   work	
   hand-­‐in-­‐hand	
   within	
   the	
   collective	
   creative	
   thinking	
   of	
  
corporate	
   leaders	
   and	
   decision-­‐makers,	
   while	
   confronting	
   the	
   additional	
   challenges	
   of	
  
taking	
  creative	
  action	
  within	
  the	
  complex	
  matrix	
  of	
  the	
  global	
  marketplace.	
  
What	
   the	
   authors’	
   promote	
   is	
   a	
   systemic	
   shift	
   away	
   from	
   a	
   narrow	
   focus	
   on	
  
competition	
   to	
   a	
   broader	
   thinking	
   in	
   favor	
   of	
   win-­‐win	
   scenarios.	
   At	
   the	
   core	
   of	
   the	
  
argument	
  we	
  are	
  asked	
  to	
  embrace	
  a	
  true	
  entrepreneurial	
  spirit,	
  challenging	
  us	
  to	
  revisit	
  
the	
   myth	
   that	
   we	
   must	
   choose	
   between	
   the	
   ROI	
   and	
   S(ocial)ROI,	
   and	
   widening	
   our	
  
perspective	
  that	
  indeed	
  both	
  are	
  essential.	
  
In	
  jazz	
  –	
  and	
  I	
  am	
  not	
  aware	
  of	
  any	
  other	
  art	
  form	
  that	
  has	
  a	
  parallel	
  term	
  –	
  we	
  use	
  
the	
  word	
  “stretch”	
  to	
  describe	
  a	
  moment	
  when	
  the	
  improviser	
  reaches	
  beyond	
  their	
  own	
  
knowledge,	
   their	
   own	
   comfort	
   zone,	
   and	
   beyond	
   their	
   own	
   known	
   abilities	
   to	
   say	
  
something	
   new;	
   giving	
   voice	
   to	
   something	
   yet	
   realized,	
   to	
   “speak	
   the	
   truth.”	
   This	
   is	
   the	
  
analogy	
   (not	
   used	
   by	
   the	
   authors)	
   that	
   best	
   fits	
   the	
   parallels	
   between	
   the	
   social	
  
entre/intrapreneurial	
   movement	
   and	
   the	
   solo	
   and	
   collective	
   improvisation	
   of	
   jazz	
  
musicians	
  –	
  Recognizing	
  that	
  a	
  new	
  idea,	
  a	
  new	
  “truth”	
  in	
  how	
  we	
  must	
  navigate	
  our	
  shared	
  
future.	
   What	
   social	
   entre/intrapreneurs	
   and	
   jazz	
   musicians	
   share	
   is	
   their	
   public	
   leap	
   of	
  
faith	
  to	
  usher	
  beauty	
  into	
  the	
  world	
  and	
  give	
  voice	
  to	
  new	
  ways	
  of	
  thinking	
  and	
  doing.	
  
Social	
   Intrapreneurism	
   and	
   All	
   That	
   Jazz:	
   How	
   business	
   innovators	
   are	
   helping	
   to	
  
build	
  a	
  more	
  sustainable	
  world	
  itself	
  is	
  a	
  part	
  of	
  such	
  a	
  movement,	
  leveraging	
  the	
  authors’	
  
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Artivate 3 (2)

52

Rabideau
Book review: Social Intrapreneurism and All That Jazz
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

collective	
  curiosity	
  and	
  creativity	
  to	
  share	
  a	
  hopeful	
  story	
  of	
  how	
  we	
  can	
  all	
  play	
  a	
  central	
  
role	
   in	
   building	
   a	
   more	
   promising	
   future.	
   It	
   only	
   takes	
   a	
   quick	
   glance	
   at	
   the	
   economic,	
  
social,	
   and	
   political	
   climates	
   of	
   today’s	
   world	
   to	
   recognize	
   that	
   a	
   new	
   language	
   of	
   change	
   is	
  
as	
  essential	
  on	
  21st	
  century	
  Wall	
  Street	
  as	
  it	
  was	
  on	
  20th	
  century	
  Bourbon	
  Street.	
  
	
  

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Artivate 3 (2)

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