Stanford Social Innovation Review Podcast

How do you spot an asshole in the workplace—or figure out whether you might be one? Robert Sutton, author of the best-selling book, The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't, provides a sure-fire test and offers tips for keeping your "inner jerk" from rearing its ugly head on the job. Drawing on serious research and analysis, Sutton shows his Stanford 2007 Nonprofit Management Institute audience how managers can eliminate mean-spirited and unproductive behavior. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/robert_sutton_-_building_a_civilized_workplace

During turbulence and social upheaval most people retreat into themselves and focus on only one task—survival. Fortunately for the women and children of Afghanistan, Sakena Yacoobi did more. With only $20,000, Yacoobi formed what is now the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL). Until the fall of the Taliban in 2001, AIL operated underground. AIL now serves 350,000 women and children each year. Yacoobi explains her vision for AIL to Design for Change host Sheela Sethuraman as well as her incredible journey and experiences along the way. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/sakena_yacoobi_-_creating_hope_for_afghan_women

In this audio lecture, Majora Carter talks about sustainability and environmental justice. Tracing the development of the South Bronx Greenway, Carter discusses community involvement within a neglected area that generates jobs, strengthens people's community spirit, and creates sustainable industries to meet the future ecological vision for New York City. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/majora_carter_-_sustainability_and_environmental_justice

In the United States, at least 60% of the population wears corrective lenses. Worldwide, in contrast, only 5% of the population does. Such statistics have led Josh Silver, Oxford atomic physicist, to conclude that more than half the world needs vision correction but doesn't have access to it. In this audio lecture, host of the Center for Social Innovation at Stanford, Silver shares how he decided to "do something useful for the world" by creating specialized, liquid-filled corrective lenses that are now worn by some 26,000 people in developing countries. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/joshua_silver_-_bringing_vision_to_the_masses

How can philanthropy and markets be used to promote international development? In this audio lecture, Yasmina Zaidman describes how the Acumen model supports microenterprises that are helping to alleviate poverty. She also shares the opportunities and challenges the organization faces. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/yasmina_zaidman_-_using_market-based_philanthropy

Why are social entrepreneurs sometimes considered "unreasonable," and how are they different from business entrepreneurs? In this audio interview, author Pamela Hartigan discusses with Design for Change host Sheela Sethuraman how these pesky pioneers are creating markets that are changing the world. She also talks about Volans Ventures, her new enterprise dedicated to integrating the worlds of social and environmental innovation with business-driven wealth creation. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/pamela_hartigan_-_the_power_of_unreasonable_people

With crude oil over $100 a barrel and continuing to rise, concerns about increased prices at the pump and at home—intensified by political unrest in other parts of the world—have put energy issues into heightened focus for the American public. In this audio interveiw, Jim Lehrer conducts "A Conversation About Oil" with Chevron's Peter J. Robertson. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/jim_lehrer_peter_j._robertson_-_a_conversation_about_oil

In remote rural areas in India, 18 million people suffer isolation and poverty due to their inability to work. In this audio interview, Jennifer Roberts, associate editor of the Stanford Social Innovation Review, converses with D.R. Mehta, whose NGO gives mobility to 20,000 people a year through the fitting of a high-tech prosthetic limb known as the Jaipur Foot. Mehta discusses the genesis of his organization, which makes the prosthesis freely available to the poor. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/devendra_raj_mehta_-_bringing_mobility_to_the_disabled

In an effort to narrow the gap in educational opportunities, Teach For America currently places over 5,000 teachers in low-income and poorly performing schools across the country. Its growing corps of alumni is also taking their educational experiences into careers in law, public health, policy making, and leadership. In this audio interview, Wendy Kopp, founder and chief executive officer of Teach For America, tells host Sheela Sethuraman about the history, goals, and ideals of that program. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/wendy_kopp_-_narrowing_educational_gaps_across_america

In developing countries, many tests for infectious diseases never reach the market because there is little financial incentive to pharmaceutical companies to get them there. In this audio interveiw, Alana Conner, senior editor at the Stanford Social Innovation Review, converses with Helen Lee, whose research department at the University of Cambridge has developed tests that allow for the rapid detection—and thus treatment—of diseases in rural settings around the world. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/dr._helen_lee_-_improved_disease_tests_for_the_developing_world

In Chile, the farming of salmon seemed the ideal solution to the depletion of world fish populations—until it became clear that acquiculture causes its own environmental problems. In an audio interview by Eric Nee, managing editor of the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Rodrigo Pizarro explores the challenges of acquiculture and the foundation's project to reduce the impact of salmon farming through a sustainable system of seaweed cultivation. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/rodrigo_pizarro_-_making_salmon_farming_more_sustainable

Jeroo Billimoria is the founder of six successful enterprises. Her most recent effort is Aflatoun, a nonprofit organization that provides social and financial education to children. In this audio lecture, Billimoria shares the wisdom she's acquired over the years with Design for Change host Sheela Sethuraman. She talks about her successes with Aflatoun, including securing pro-bono support from various corporations, developing a scalable training model, and creating a global network of organizations. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/jeroo_billimoria_-_empower_children_through_financial_literacy

TakingITGlobal is an online social network that enables socially conscious youth worldwide to learn about and take action on global issues. Kriss Deiglmeier, the Center for Social Innovation Center executive director, conducts an audio interview with Nick Yeo about how the endeavor leverages its online platform to partner with other organizations and inspire youth to make a difference. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/nick_yeo_-_inspiring_youth_through_global_communications

Timberland, the footwear and apparel company headquartered in New Hampshire, is putting good old New England values to work to integrate socially responsible management practices throughout the value chain. Speaking at Stanford during the 2007 Responsible Supply Chains Conference, Gary Smith demonstrates in this audio lecture how in the more than 35 countries where his firm has a business presence, doing good does not have to be at odds with doing well. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/gary_smith_-_doing_well_and_doing_good_in_the_supply_chain

With energy costs on the rise and the U.S. government expected to push for reduced carbon emissions, environmental sustainability has become a market imperative for Hewlett-Packard. Speaking at Stanford for the 2007 Responsible Supply Chains Conference, HP's senior VP of personal systems, Tony Prophet, shares how his company is working to reduce its environmental footprint throughout the product life cycle. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/tony_prophet_-_social_good_and_environmental_sustainability_at_hp

When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Stuart Smolkin's conveyor belt manufacturing company, Intralox, had no disaster plan in place. The company had to deal with the disruption of electricity, phones, and computer systems in order to organize evacuated employees into recovery teams. How did Intralox get running again in a mere 30 days? In this Stanford podcast, Smolkin offers lessons on preparedness for businesses faced with disruption. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/stuart_smolkin_-_disaster_managment_lessons_from_katrina

Nike has taken pains to clean up its act since the media brought public attention to human rights violations in its supplier factories in the 1990s. Through the Nike Foundation, the sports and fitness giant is taking a proactive approach to some of the world's most challenging social problems. In this audio lecture, Nike Foundation president Maria Eitel talks to a Stanford MBA audience about how the organization is focusing on creating economic opportunities for adolescent girls around the world as a means of alleviating poverty. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/maria_eitel_-_nikes_efforts_to_empower_young_girls

Starbucks has developed guidelines for creating and maintaining a sustainable supply chain, which it calls Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices. These coffee-buying guidelines help the company establish equitable relationships with farmers, workers, and communities. In this audio lecture recorded at Stanford during the 2007 Responsible Supply Chains Conference, Willard Hay explores what's making C.A.F.E. Practices successful. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/making_supply_chains_socially_responsible_-_promoting_sustainability_in_the

Environmental sustainability is now an imperative for supply chains, and buyers and procurement professionals have more power than ever to exert pressure on suppliers to provide green products. Businesses are also partnering with government and nonprofits to create change in this arena. How do you communicate with suppliers on environmental innovation? At the Stanford 2007 Responsible Supply Chains Conference, executives from an HMO, a government agency, and an entrepreneurial company share successes in greening the supply chains. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/making_supply_chains_socially_responsible_-_environmental_sustainability_an

Social enterprise and innovation are about more than just invention. In this panel discussion, experts argue that diffusion or scaling up ideas is an integral part of making truly effective social change. Educators, nonprofit executives, and philanthropists share their perspectives about how to take innovative ideas for social change to that tipping point where they can create large-scale, lasting positive effects. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/social_enterprise_where_do_we_go_from_here_-_skoll_world_forum_2007