Social impact evaluation in social enterprises in Estonia: need, readiness and practices
Date
2011-08-26
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Abstract
Käesoleva töö eesmärgiks oli kaardistada arvestatava sotsiaalse mõju hindamise (SMH) kriteeriumid ja teha ettepanekuid SMH tööriistade parandamiseks sotsiaalsetes ettevõttetes (SE). SE on organisatsioon, mille peamiseks eesmärgiks on sotsiaalse lisandväärtuse loomine oma erinevatele sihtrühmadele, kes on kaasatud organisatsiooni tegevuste kujundamisse, ning mis on (vähemalt osaliselt) rahastatud läbi äritegevuse. Sotsiaalne mõju on tuvastatav erinevus inimeste käitumises, mis ilmneb organisatsiooni ja selle erinevate sihtrühmade vastastiktoimes. SMH kriteeriumideks on:
• SMH peab olema seotud pikaajalise strateegiaga ja olema paindlik, et muutuda koos strateegiaga;
• SMH tööriist tuleb luua erinevate huvigruppide koostöös;
• SMH ja jätkusuutlikkuse teemasid tuleb analüüsida eraldi, kuid unustamata nende vastastikuseid seoseid;
• SMH peab keskenduma indiviididele avaldatava mõju hindamisele, sisaldama nii positiivsete kui negatiivsete mõjude hindamist, analüüsima sihtrühma valikut, võimaldama võrdlust teiste organisatsioonidega ja samas arvestama SE eripäraga;
• (võrdlus)andmed peavad olema kättesaadavad mõistlike kuludega, hindamine peab sisaldama nii kvalitatiivseid kui kvantitatiiveid andmeid ning samad andmed peaksid olema kasutatavad nii aruandluseks kui planeerimiseks.
Käesolevas töös tehti kolm soovitust SMH tööriistade täiustamiseks:
1) SMH ja peamine sihtrühm tuleb paigutada konteksti, lähtuvalt SE eesmärgist ja probleemist, mida SE püüab leevendada;
2) sotsiaalset mõju tuleb hinnata kolmedimensiooniliselt, arvesse tuleb võtta nii rakenduspunkti, kvantiteeti kui suunda.
3) SMH peab arvesse võtma kriitilist hulka mõju, mis on vajalik (jätkusuutlikku) sotsiaalse muutuse läbi viimiseks ning hinnata tuleb dünaamilisi muutusi taustsüsteemi raamistikus.
The aim of the present thesis is to chart the criteria required for a valid social impact evaluation (SIE) in social enterprises (SE) and to make suggestions for improving the evaluation tools; this is based on an Estonian example. SE is an organisation whose primary goal is to add social value for its multiple stakeholders, who are engaged in the design of the activities, which are (at least partially) financed through entrepreneurial actions. Social impact is a traceable difference in people’s behaviour; it appears in the interaction between the organisation and its diverse stakeholders. SIE system should: • be incorporated in the for-social-profit performance framework; • be linked to a long-term strategy and be flexible enough to change when the strategy changes; • conceptually focus on evaluating impact on individuals, include evaluation of positive and negative impacts, evaluate the selection of the target group, and end with comparable data for different organisations while considering the uniqueness of the organisation; • be set with the co-operation of stakeholders if it is to be valid for both internal and external users; • consider practical issues: data and comparative data used in social impact evaluation should be available at a reasonable cost, and evaluation should include qualitative and quantitative data. Three suggestions were made for improving SIE tools: 1) SIE has to be set in a reference frame that is based on the social goal that the organisation is trying to achieve or the problem it is trying to solve, and the main target group (point of application) has to be defined within this reference frame; 2) A three-dimensional method is needed (an analogous with the moment of vector of force), which takes quality, quantity and the direction of social impact into consideration; 3) The force needed for the (sustainable) social change needs to be considered while evaluating social impact and the dynamics within the reference frame have to be evaluated.
The aim of the present thesis is to chart the criteria required for a valid social impact evaluation (SIE) in social enterprises (SE) and to make suggestions for improving the evaluation tools; this is based on an Estonian example. SE is an organisation whose primary goal is to add social value for its multiple stakeholders, who are engaged in the design of the activities, which are (at least partially) financed through entrepreneurial actions. Social impact is a traceable difference in people’s behaviour; it appears in the interaction between the organisation and its diverse stakeholders. SIE system should: • be incorporated in the for-social-profit performance framework; • be linked to a long-term strategy and be flexible enough to change when the strategy changes; • conceptually focus on evaluating impact on individuals, include evaluation of positive and negative impacts, evaluate the selection of the target group, and end with comparable data for different organisations while considering the uniqueness of the organisation; • be set with the co-operation of stakeholders if it is to be valid for both internal and external users; • consider practical issues: data and comparative data used in social impact evaluation should be available at a reasonable cost, and evaluation should include qualitative and quantitative data. Three suggestions were made for improving SIE tools: 1) SIE has to be set in a reference frame that is based on the social goal that the organisation is trying to achieve or the problem it is trying to solve, and the main target group (point of application) has to be defined within this reference frame; 2) A three-dimensional method is needed (an analogous with the moment of vector of force), which takes quality, quantity and the direction of social impact into consideration; 3) The force needed for the (sustainable) social change needs to be considered while evaluating social impact and the dynamics within the reference frame have to be evaluated.
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Keywords
sotsiaalsed ettevõtted, Eesti, sotsiaalsed mõjud, hindamine, social enterprises, Estonia, social impacts, evaluation