Book Chapter

Social innovation in hiring and PathMaking

Shubert, J. Janelle, Kiser, Cheryl, Leipziger, Deborah

2014

Overview

This chapter is based on classroom discussions and interviews from 2011 and 2012, and does not represent a totality of the activities in which the company is engaged. The diagram at the beginning of the chapter is meant to orient the reader as to the contents of the chapter rather than the breadth of issues covered by the company. This chapter examines how a company can foster an environment which supports employees by providing access to affordable housing, daycare, and healthcare. Greyston Bakery is New York State’s first Benefit Corporation and has been a pioneer in creating social value for over three decades. Few social enterprises have been around as long as Greyston Bakery; which has a rich 30-year history as a successful and innovative social enterprise. Greyston Bakery’s open-hiring policy is an excellent example of social innovation. They employ many people who have never had a job before, including immigrants, the disabled, people who have been incarcerated, or those leaving drug rehabilitation programs. The success of the open-hiring policy used by Greyston Bakery is based on the company’s efforts to create systemic and enduring change. In 2013, Greyston opened a PathMaking Center inside the bakery. Greyston Bakery provides an excellent base from which to understand social innovation and social enterprise.

• Publisher: Routledge,Taylor & Francis Group
• Subject: Business ethics / Business innovation / Entrepreneurship
• ISBN: 9781906093990, 1906093997, 9781907643972, 1907643974