Communicorn: How can collaborative entrepreneurship succeed?

What does the term Communicorn mean?

Communicorn is an abbreviation for Community Unicorn. In the start-up world, unicorns are companies that grow particularly quickly and achieve enormous valuations. We want to take up this idea, but not in a financial sense. We are interested in how we can have the strongest possible impact on a community. That's why: Communicorn.

And why is that so important?

There are many reasons for this. Entrepreneurship is characterised above all by seeing opportunities in problems and developing creative solutions. But this is usually thought of in a one-dimensional way in terms of economic profits. However, this spirit can also be translated when communities come together, act entrepreneurially and develop solutions collaboratively. There is incredible potential when local communities tackle local problems and create sustainable solutions.

What role does the local connection play in this?

Entrepreneurship is always embedded in a local socio-ecological system. Most community entrepreneurship activities first address problems at the local level. This means taking global problems, projecting them onto a local context and trying to solve them there. For this, it is essential that people know each other and visit the same places.

In the Communicorn podcast by the Leuphana Social Innovation Community, you present examples that demonstrate exactly that. What can we learn from this?

With the podcast, we want to show that there are examples of community entrepreneurship everywhere – including in Lüneburg and the surrounding region. We know from research that several factors have to come together for this to happen. Human capital, i.e. the resources in the community, is one of them, but so are physical locations and good role models in the area. When these factors are in place, collaboration is much more likely to succeed than when the focus is on profit.

A good example is FC St. Pauli. In a totally competitive environment, the club manages to be successful with a cooperative approach. One example from Lüneburg is the Avenir Café. The members of the cooperative make decisions together – even on issues such as how much money the coffee farmers receive in advance so that they can plan with certainty. These are completely different ways of thinking: not profit maximisation, but joint action. And yet – and this is important – economic efficiency is always taken into account.

What conditions are necessary for something like this to work?

In our studies, we have identified three pillars for this. First: attitude. In other words, the willingness to think inclusively and act participatively. Second: work culture. How do we work together, how do we make decisions – collaboratively rather than hierarchically. Third: structures. This means there is room for feedback, clear rules for resolving conflicts and opportunities to participate.

But not everyone can or wants to start a new business. How can existing companies change and integrate this mindset?

In the past, I would have said it was a question of morality. But thanks to TrICo and SINTRA, we know that in times of multiple crises, it is simply an economic necessity. At the SINTRA Academy, many companies were sceptical at first. They have fears – that it will be inefficient and won't work in everyday life. But our studies show that as soon as there is real contact with these models, the fears disappear. Companies then report greater psychological security, better cooperation and even new ideas. The important thing is not to just tweak one small aspect. The three big points are always needed: attitude, culture and structures. Only then will the transformation work.

And why is science needed in this process?

Many companies make changes because they think, ‘It feels right.’ But they don't know exactly why it works – or why it doesn't. And that's where we come in. We conduct scientific tests to determine which factors contribute to success and what can be transferred. In addition, science can develop concepts and solutions that have a positive influence on transformation, i.e. that also inspire.