Should Business and Government Hop in Bed for Social Good?

One hundred days into the Obama Administration, news outlets across the U.S. were buzzing with commentary on what the new leader had (or had not) accomplished, especially in relation to the bail-out and government’s role in saving America’s businesses.

However, very little attention was given to the role of business in helping set and fulfill the president’s broad social, health and environmental agendas, issues that are of top concern to the public. At the White House press conference marking his 100th day in office, no one asked Obama what kind of help he needed from the private sector. Yes, the topic isn’t as provocative as terrorism or as politically charged as abortion. Yet, the administration has established a unique tone of openness to entrepreneurial approaches to societal problems – it might be time for business and government to hop in bed to find some solutions together.

Earlier this spring, the two parties snuck in a first date. In March, members of The Summit Series, a group of the world's top young entrepreneurs, met with U.S. administration officials at the White House to discuss the economy and critical issues like energy, healthcare and job creation. The meeting brought together young innovators like the founders of Twitter, Zappos.com and others. The Summit Series blog quoted one delegate Doug Imbruce, founder and CEO of TheU.net, as saying, “The White House is creating an ‘open source’ culture” in government that might bring a “new era of public and private sector collaboration.”

With much of this hand holding happening below the radar, entrepreneurs and businesses might be missing an incredible opportunity to pioneer innovative partnerships to solve our tough problems. Social entrepreneurship or philanthrocapitalism is an investment with multiple returns — the potential for profit while simultaneously uplifting communities around the country and getting people the services they need. Tremendous change could happen if entrepreneurs innovate with government to bring low-cost models of health delivery to the millions of un- and under-insured; to address the climate crises and help Americans save on energy bills; and to revitalize the education sector with technology and e-learning platforms.

Here’s a snapshot of some incredible things that are already going on that are making government’s job a little easier. Did you know that Intel says it’s trained more than 6 million teachers in 50 countries, including more than 300,000 in the United States? The Intel Teach Program is helping teachers integrate technology and problem solving into lesson plans so young people can compete in the changing marketplace.

BET is taking on much more than music through RAP-IT-UP, their award-winning grassroots campaign that addresses HIV/AIDS, which is a leading killer of African Americans. Through PSAs, original entertainment and grassroots testing efforts, BET provided education, raising awareness.  BET made it easy to be in the know about HIV; in fact, users can find out where to get an HIV test simply by texting their zip code to “RAPIT” (72748) or find out more information through BET's toll-free hot line.

When it comes to the environment, the workplace furniture makers at Herman Miller are not just sitting around. The company is producing fresh new eco-designs with sustainably sourced materials, and has an energized staff dedicating countless hours to cleaning up rivers and building trails to protect greenbelt and wetlands -- all examples of how they're making the environment core to their business.

As promising as these innovations sound, let’s not be overly idealistic. We are in the middle of the worst recession since the Great Depression, and businesses have other priorities, like simply staying afloat.  But, as The Economist pointed out in May, there are strong incentives in place to keep the good stuff happening, even though the recession has already dented social responsibility and philanthropy budgets. Some of these incentives include: maintaining (or dramatically improving) a company’s reputation in these challenging times, and keeping pace with consumer and employee demands for companies with solid sustainability credentials. Additionally, the analysts at The Economist made the important point that many businesses have learned how to improve the world and make money at the same time. Those companies that are able to balance both social good and the bottom-line will be far ahead of the game, particularly in a climate of tarnished reputations. We’ve mentioned a few companies that have taken the plunge, but the opportunities are endless.

Business and government have been flirting, but how can we make this relationship take off? The administration has set the tone and the White House Office for Social Innovation could emerge as an interesting player in all this. But we need to keep the pressure on and keep the dialogue going between business and government to ensure that the spring meeting the administration held with entrepreneurs isn’t the only one.

Business leaders and public officials need to clearly map the opportunities to maximize impact, foster cross-sector investment and collaboration, and reward success in this space. As credit markets loosen, entrepreneurs can take that leap to test new business models designed to serve both commercial and social priorities.

As Virgin Unite’s Director of Strategy & Business Development, Priya Bery catalyzes social businesses, partnerships and the advocacy agenda to support entrepreneurial approaches to the world’s toughest problems. Bery is on Tonic's Board of Advisors and is writing a monthly column on using business to do good.