Building creative capacity: bridging the gap between social businesses and young professionals in Kenya

Abstract

This report describes the results of a thesis commissioned by Proportion, a global design agency, situated in Amsterdam. Proportion aims to innovate for social impact by applying the human-centred design approach to current problems in society (proportion.global). One of the challenges Proportion wants to tackle is youth unemployment in Kenya. There are two parties connected to this challenge of youth unemployment within this graduation project. Firstly, there is a significant problem of youth unemployment in Kenya. This problem was addressed by Proportion, whereby they want to explore possible interventions against this unemployment. Secondly, social businesses in Kenya aim to create employment. Therefore, this graduation project seeks to redefine the relationship between social businesses and young professionals in Kenya, tackling the problem of youth unemployment. To be able to redefine the relationship between social businesses and young professionals, in-depth context research was required. This context exploration consisted of desk and field research with social entrepreneurs and inspiring youth alike. Additionally, creative sessions with Kenyan youth and social business owners were carried out. The qualitative information was used to identify the challenges of the current situation of youth unemployment. Furthermore, this helped to gain insights into the desired condition for both social businesses and young professionals. This qualitative research resulted in three problem areas of youth unemployment; the challenge of personal identity, the difficulty of what journey to take in life and the gap between theory and practice. These problem areas are linked to three opportunity areas: identifying the capabilities of the youth, creating an open company culture and providing mentorship. These opportunity areas, which were derived from identified problems, created a frame of reference for the future relationship between social businesses and young professionals. This frame of reference initiated secondary literature research on employee engagement. The findings of the theory on employee engagement led to an adapted diagram of the employee performance pyramid (Stum, 2011). Several levels need to be fulfilled to create employee engagement. These are the following in chronological order; rewards, comfort, collaboration, relations and growth. The designed concept needs to incorporate these levels to create a relationship between social enterprises and young professionals where engagement is enhanced. The findings of the research resulted in a strategic framework, in the form of a future vision on the relationship between social businesses and young professionals. It indicates the boundaries of the solution space and future developments. The future vision describes a collaborative working environment, where support and involvement for every individual are essential. Moreover, personal and organisational development is established by creating independent goals and future expectations for the company and youth alike. The final creative capacity-building concept (CCB-concept), is a solution within this framework. It supports social businesses in their employees’ journey, specifically in the onboarding process of young professionals. The CCB-concept bridges the gap between social enterprises and young professionals in Kenya by identifying the skills and goals of the employees and translating them into personal performance journeys. The proposed concept comprises three steps: an experience workshop, a reflective moment, and a group reflection and planning. It relies on a cycle of action, reflection and planning (Kolb, 1984). Through collaboration and creative capacity-building, the CCB-concept aims for better personal and organisational development. In this way, it enhances the relationship between social businesses and young professionals in Kenya. It is recommended to do a pilot test of the proposed concept in Kenya to evaluate the feasibility, viability and desirability. Furthermore, it is suggested to explore the several service packages. Lastly, a partner able to financially fund the project for early implementation is recommended.