Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to navigation
Sleepy delegate
Bored of the conference season? Allow Jonathan Jenkins to introduce a stimulating discussion on, erm, infrastructure. Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian
Bored of the conference season? Allow Jonathan Jenkins to introduce a stimulating discussion on, erm, infrastructure. Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian

Sexing up the most important word in the sector

This article is more than 13 years old
There's a word in social enterprise that evokes nothing but boredom. But it's key to solving the sector's spectacularly inefficient and fragmented marketplace of supply and demand

I am hoping that we are finally coming to the end of the social enterprise conference season, which has seemingly been running since early September. I hate to admit this, but due to the fact there are far too many events with far too many of the same names on the same panels debating the same issues with the same audience, I have occasionally had to amuse myself by playing a mental game of buzzword bingo to while away during yet another entirely theoretical debate on the importance of "something" (metrics, definitions, "big society" – delete as appropriate).

I know that I am not alone. Across crowded rooms, I have seen the glint in my peers' eyes as someone launches into a plenary on the "process of a multi-stakeholder consultation on social performance indicators". I have shared the collective sigh as an audience member asks "so how do you define social enterprise?". You do it, because if you go to a lot of these things, it's frankly the only way to survive. Curiosity didn't kill the cat. Powerpoint did.

And before anyone starts, I know I am on some of those panels, and I know I do come out with sector jargon from time to time, but believe me I try to keep it practical, real, and edgy where I can (mostly with occasional but gentle swearing) and I believe every time I say "contextualise" a small part of my soul does actually die.

There is one word, however, that doesn't evoke any sniggering, snobbery nor debate. In fact it evokes nothing but boredom. If you use it in a conference water cooler moment, the effect on others is that tell-tale change in eye line as they glance over your shoulder for someone else more interesting to talk to. And that effect is pretty instantaneous. To be honest, it's such a passion killer, I left it out of the title of this piece and have refused to mention it till nearly halfway through with hope that if I didn't drop it in now, you might carry on to the end having got this far.

That word is infrastructure.

Still reading? Sadly, I bet some aren't, but bear with me. It is, quite simply, the most important word in this sector. And we need to sex it up and get it on the agenda.

Why? Well, I don't think we have a shortage of social entrepreneurs in this country, far from it. I don't think we have a shortage of ideas, passion or commitment to make the world a better place. I also don't think there is a shortage of available and willing capital (both financial and human) on the sidelines desperate to get involved. In fact, there is a real momentum, a groundswell of mainstream people wanting to get involved in some capacity.

The trouble is we have a spectacularly inefficient and fragmented marketplace of supply and demand. We need credibility and independence of information. We need a central wholesale bank, underwriters, guarantors, exchange mechanisms, insurers, angels and so on. But these do not seem to quicken the pulse of many within the sector. They are not easy sells to potential investors (private, public or charitable). But they are vital.

Without them, the sector will continue to scrabble and inwardly compete for diminishing resources. We need access to new money, new talent and new challenges to the status quo. We need to provide machinery for those outside the sector to get involved. It may involve compromise on some values and beliefs, but now is not the time to be puritanical and protectionist.

Many will say that it is too early to look at these structures, that sector capacity isn't there yet. And I entirely agree it is far too early for these infrastructure plays to be fully utilised and hit the ground running. But let's just get some off the ground, give them a bit of air, and let the sector evolve around them. Because, to be honest, there is never going to be a "right time" for some of this, and we might as well just get on with it.

Just think, 10 years ago, there was a debate over if anyone other than corporates really needed internet broadband access. The vast sums spent on 3G networks were ridiculed. Was the demand there when it was all built? No, but look at it now.

We need infrastructure, we need bandwidth. Could the volumes of that flow through it be miniscule or overpowering? Yes, but we'll survive and adapt, and either way we'll be better off.

Infrastructure is sexy. You heard it here first.

Jonathan Jenkins is director of Ventures at UnLtd. Find Jonathan on Twitter. All views expressed here are Jonathan's, and not those of UnLtd, NESTA or Bright.

This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To get more articles like this direct to your inbox, sign up to the social enterprise network.

Comments (…)

Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion

Most viewed

Most viewed