Advanced Leadership Pathways: Raymond Jetson's MetroMorphosis and the Effort to Transform Baton Rouge

Rosabeth Moss Kanter; Tessa Natanay Hamilton; Ai-Ling Jamila Malone

Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | February 2016

Advanced Leadership Pathways: Raymond Jetson's MetroMorphosis and the Effort to Transform Baton Rouge

by Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Tessa Natanay Hamilton and Ai-Ling Jamila Malone

Abstract

Building on his successes as a politician and preacher in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Rev. Raymond Jetson sought to empower Baton Rouge citizens to innovate solutions for their community challenges. After stepping down as the head of the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps, Jetson became interested in the Advanced Leadership Initiative (ALI) at Harvard University. When his ALI cohort expressed interest in visiting his hometown of Baton Rouge, Jetson arranged an innovation summit that allowed his cohort members to engage in discussions with Baton Rouge citizens about the challenges facing the community and develop innovative solutions to address them. These conversations led to the establishment of an initiative called Better Baton Rouge, which later became part of a nonprofit organization called MetroMorphosis. This case provides an overview of Jetson's personal and professional experiences, how the surrounding environment shaped these experiences, and how Jetson's convening power transformed a community. This case may be used for courses related to change management, social enterprise, leadership, and entrepreneurship.

Keywords: social entrepreneurship; leadership; health ＆ wellness; communities; community impact; farm; Agriculture; Leading Change; Change Management; Social Entrepreneurship; Business and Community Relations; Louisiana;

Language: English

Format: Print

17 pages

Citation:

Kanter, Rosabeth Moss, Tessa Natanay Hamilton, and Ai-Ling Jamila Malone. "Advanced Leadership Pathways: Raymond Jetson's MetroMorphosis and the Effort to Transform Baton Rouge." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 316-033, February 2016.

Gun violence was a significant problem in America. Three Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellows Christy Wood, Russell Sternlicht, and Gareth Glaser each decided to do something about gun safety. They each used their professional and leadership experience to identify their own solutions to the issue. Wood created a set of principles for investments funds to pressure gun manufacturers and gun sellers within their portfolios to adopt safety standards. Sternlicht designed a membership-based lobbying and advocacy group in order to harness the power of mass movements to create positive change. And Glaser founded a smart-gun company whose product could help reduce certain types of deaths and injuries. Would any of these three innovations move beyond the historical gridlock on gun safety?

This is a teaching note to the original case: Gun violence was a significant problem in America. Three Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellows Christy Wood, Russell Sternlicht, and Gareth Glaser each decided to do something about gun safety. They each used their professional and leadership experience to identify their own solutions to the issue. Wood created a set of principles for investments funds to pressure gun manufacturers and gun sellers within their portfolios to adopt safety standards. Sternlicht designed a membership-based lobbying and advocacy group in order to harness the power of mass movements to create positive change. And Glaser founded a smart-gun company whose product could help reduce certain types of deaths and injuries. Would any of these three innovations move beyond the historical gridlock on gun safety?

From 2008-2010 Anand Piramal ran a series of pilots for his digital healthcare startup, Piramal e-Swasthya (PeS) to “democratize healthcare” in rural areas of India. PeS ran into difficulties so Anand Piramal had to decide whether to continue the organization and if so how. In 2010, an unexpected opportunity emerged that could have significant implications for PeS’s organizational structure and future prospects. Anand Piramal now faced several options for PeS. He needed to weigh the pros and cons of each option to make the best decision to fulfill his vision of providing quality healthcare services to “bottom-of-the-pyramid” populations. This case exemplifies the strategic decisions an entrepreneur must make to ensure that a social impact venture can be sustainable and scalable.

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Advanced Leadership Pathways: Raymond Jetson's MetroMorphosis and the Effort to Transform Baton Rouge

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