Journal of Community Practice, 22:491–493, 2014
Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 1070-5422 print/1543-3706 online
DOI: 10.1080/10705422.2014.957567
Book Review
Kickul, J., & Lyons, T. S. (2012). Understanding Social
Entrepreneurship: The Relentless Pursuit of Mission in an Ever
Changing World. New York, NY: Routledge. ISBN: 978-0-415-88488-4,
268 pp.
Understanding Social Entrepreneurship is among the latest offerings for
upper-level and graduate-level students interested in the field of social
entrepreneurship (SE). More graduate schools of social work now recognize
student interest in the connections between social enterprise development
and community practice and this book can be an instrument toward that end.
The book strikes a balance between theory and practice that is instrumen-
tal for graduate-level courses. Kickul and Lyons present theories informing
social enterprise planning and implementation while using real world case
studies demonstrating theory and practice at work. Their stated objective is
to “explore both theory and practice of social entrepreneurship and blend
these seamlessly through examples, case studies, the voices of practicing
social entrepreneurs, and special features that put students in a position that
requires creative thinking and strategic problem solving” (p. xvi). More than
a manual for individuals or groups embarking upon social enterprise devel-
opment, Understanding Social Entrepreneurship presents a comprehensive
framework of policies, theories, and practice models that inform SE practice.
As more schools of social work integrate SE into course offerings at
the graduate level, striking the right balance between theory and practice
is critical. This offers students and educators the opportunity to explore the
full spectrum of SE—from contributing to knowledge building to consider-
ing the application of viable models in SE practice—to benefit marginalized
individuals and communities. The book provides content that satisfies both
needs. Existing literature generally provides a historical and conceptual
overview of SE practice, information pertaining to strategic planning pro-
cesses, evaluation strategies, and nuts and bolts on various types of SE
business models, funding and financial management strategies (Brooks,
2008; Dees, Emerson, & Economy, 2001; Wei-Skillern, Austin, Leonard, &
Stevenson, 2007). Remaining focused on their thesis, Kickul and Lyons crit-
ically analyze various approaches to defining mission and organizational
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492 Book Review
structure, measuring impact, capitalization, strategic planning, and oppor-
tunity recognition. They use applied case studies and critical reflection to
demonstrate the connection to theory and practice.
There is a consistent structure throughout the book. Each chapter begins
with a purpose statement and learning objectives, contains case study infor-
mation on individual social entrepreneurs or actual SE initiatives, and ends
with questions for critical reflection. Chapters 1 and 2 are heavily conceptual
and explore the definition of SE. The chapters introduce concepts that inform
SE theory and demonstrate how each theory informs SE models of practice.
SE scholars will recognize some continuing controversies in these chapters:
What is social entrepreneurship? How does one know it when one sees it?
Why is SE successful in solving some social problems where other forms
of intervention have apparently failed? Chapters 1 and 2 braid these ques-
tions into contemporary economic, social, political, and market challenges.
They also present rich opportunities for graduate level discussions within the
context of community practice.
Chapter 3 through Chapter 5 transition the reader from a conceptual
framework and larger context of SE practice to more specific information and
critical analysis of how SE practice is operationalized. Chapter 3 begins with
the social idea and its journey from innovative idea to SE opportunities and
evaluation. Chapter 4 defines how business plan development is a unique
undertaking for SE practitioners and cannot rely on traditional non-profit and
for-profit methods. Chapter 5 continues the conversation with discussion of
developing the best organizational structure to support the SE opportunity.
Chapters 6 through 8 introduce fundamental concepts for planning and
implementation, with emphasis on positioning a social venture for growth
through funding, evaluation, and scaling strategies. Chapter 6 is the most
detailed of all chapters and provides a nuanced analysis of funding strategies.
The chapter presents programing options with relevant models for securing
capital from various sources and through various methods. Kickul and Lyons
speak in the voice of the practitioner, as well as the investor. Key concepts
address the complexities of connecting an organizational mission with invest-
ment opportunities in an understandable way for those less familiar with the
process. Chapter 7 presents information for measuring impact based on busi-
ness principles taught in non-profit management courses. They introduce
various methods for impact measurement while grounding the discussion
in the current language of social problem evaluation. Chapter 8 discusses a
challenge faced by many practitioners and SE scholars: how to increase social
impact through growth. The authors draw on discourse from SE practitioners
and research. This provides a comprehensive and insightful discussion on
challenges to scaling up, strategies that are distinctly applicable to various
SE models, and how to best utilize marketing and networking for enhanced
growth. Chapter 9 examines the future of social entrepreneurship, includ-
ing key challenges, and trends. It extends the discussion on SE theory and
Book Review 493
practice with the voices of practitioners themselves. This chapter lends itself
to a discussion for social work students and faculty to explore how the field
of social work currently contributes to SE practice and how it can contribute
to theory and practice knowledge.
Kickul and Lyons present a well-researched and relevant text for social
work students to use as they consider the ways that SE practice can influence
their work, particularly as community practitioners. It would be difficult to
find a more comprehensive source on SE practice that provides a stronger
theoretical and practice base than this book does. The graphs, charts, and
interactive features of the book are well designed for class discussion. They
also make it a useful supportive text for independent study on the subject.
The writing is crisp and the layout makes good use of balancing text and
graphics. The references in the book are extensive and provide avenues for
extended study beyond the chapters presented.
With all of its strengths, the book is not designed as a text that actually
could be used to design and implement a social enterprise. The concepts
presented require more study of the field and the various options that are
available for SE practitioners. Although the book critically analyzes strengths,
weaknesses, and opportunities in SE practice, faculty members that are look-
ing for a tool to help their students build an SE model through explicit
instruction will not find this book suited for that purpose.
Deidra M. Somerville, MSW, CFRE
PhD Student
Jane Addams College of Social Work
University of Illinois at Chicago
REFERENCES
Brooks, A. C. (2008). Social entrepreneurship: A modern approach to social value
creation. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Dees, J. G., Emerson, J., & Economy, P. (2001). Enterprising nonprofits: A toolkit for
social entrepreneurs. New York, NY: Wiley.
Wei-Skillern, J. C., Austin, J. E., Leonard, H. B., & Stevenson, H. H. (2007).
Entrepreneurship in the social sector. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
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