From Social Entrepreneurship to Social Interpreneurship

The following blog entry was written in April 2010 as part of my coverage of the Skoll World Forum 2010. Please add your comments to the original post on Social Edge.

At this year’s Skoll World Forum, an unusually contagious and bold energy flowed through the conversations, panel topics, and tweets. Perhaps the new energy was a direct response to the incredible effort of the Forum organizers, who clearly set out this year to acknowledge, celebrate, and encourage participation from the talent that shows up to the Forum each year.

Perhaps the Skoll Centre doubled the caffeine in the coffee and added extra powder to the social entrepreneurship Kool-Aid we all drink. Or maybe they changed the mix altogether, substituting the original flavor with a new top secret blend called social interpreneurship.

What is social interpreneurship you ask?  I’m not entirely sure, in light of its classified nature, but I would hazard a guess that it’s two parts Internet, five parts Interaction, and ten parts Interdependence. Flipping through the Skoll World Forum program and rerunning the highlights in my head, I see evidence of social interpreneurship at every turn.

The sessions on “social media” and “reimagining networks” inspired new ways of thinking about how Internet culture is reshaping our field into one characterized by open platforms and peer-to-peer communications.

All five sessions located in the “Reception” room were designed for Interaction among delegates in small groups, tapping the immense renewable energy of activated smart people. (The “compelling action” session ran twice due to popular demand and an innovative panel format resembling musical chairs.)

As for the Interdependence piece, plenary speakers, panelists, and audience questions reminded us that large scale impact requires a new appreciation and harnessing of the Interdependence of people, planet, and purpose initiatives. These reminders gave new meaning to the sometimes tired rituals of conference networking.

The ascendance of Internet, Interaction and Interdependence is to be celebrated. As the saying goes, you are what you eat. Personally, I’m hoping that social interpreneurship stays on the menu at the Skoll World Forum.

The questions I have for discussion are:

• Have we, as a field of study and community, evolved beyond social entrepreneurship?
• To what extent does the ascendance of Internet, Interaction, and Interdependence represent a new paradigm in which to consider our work?
• If you could drop everything and become a highly influential social entrepreneur, social intrapreneur, or social interpreneur, which one would you choose?