Hustling for Others

Earlier in the week, the class discussed management, milestones and risks for new ventures. When reviewing the notes, the slide with the company hierarchy got me thinking as to what the structure will be for my re-entry program. I don't love the idea of operating at a hierarchical structure, as I'm working with incarcerated men. These men are often at the bottom of the hierarchy in their daily lives  and the idea of my program is working together. I then considered a circular hierarchy but that would imply one person in the middle, or that one position was more important than the rest. Thinking on it, I also realized this visualization would not work either because the program heavily relies on all positions in order to work. I've finally settled on a network-type approach as seen below:

                                      

When evaluating my "team" based on the common characteristics of a powerful team discussed in class, the biggest struggle I currently have is the number of people. When breaking down the network as seen above, I have one currently incarcerated individual who would like to work with me both for the remainder of his incarceration and after he is released. I have 6+ men who are serving life who are interested in working with the program and currently 0 community partners, although I'm connecting with an individual starting a halfway house/housing program for the formerly incarcerated and a woman starting a re-entry employment program who will match people with skill sets to mentors. After deciding on a facility/the men in Pittsburgh are transferred out, these numbers will change drastically.

Another consideration I had when reviewing these notes was the skill sets I will be looking for within these partners. For community partners, I will be seeking skills specialized in a particular service area, but what about the incarcerated? I am connected to incarcerated men who I feel would have the business skills and perspective I am looking for, but they are currently being transferred across the state and may not end up in my pilot facility. I found a really great article from the Huffington Post called "A Hustler for Social Innovation." The discusses a program called DEFY Ventures, an entrepreneurship program for individuals with criminal histories to provide them with entrepreneurship, leadership and employment opportunities. The article has a quotation from the CEO of DEFY Ventures that I love: As Catherine says, is a hustling for something so why not hustle for the good of others?" The article also gave me an idea of who to consider for formerly and currently incarcerated partners:
     "The best and the brightest men of the prison system are often former drug dealers or         gang leaders who DEFY recognizes as having a similar skill set to top business leaders in secular society. The fact that they were able to build strong businesses models in the past, irrespective of the fact that they were illegal, makes them prime contenders for the DEFY entrepreneurship program. These are men who could go back to their lives of illegal activity, and make ten times what they would make in an honest trade, but they choose not to. That was their past, and DEFY is their future."

This idea will help guide me in finding partners to help run the business, given that incarcerated individuals don't always have a portfolio of work or a resume to provide me with. This will certainly be an unconventional method, but one that I feel will help this venture. Is anyone else utilizing unconventional methods for their management search? Why have you chosen that method over something more conventional?


Article Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alexandra-pyke/social-innovation-incarcerated-men-_b_1627250.html