Strong Together

“A timely, insightful, short, well-organized, and highly readable book. Highly relevant to the themes of decolonization and democratization of power facing our world today” – Jonathan Quick, MD, MPH, Managing Director, Pandemic Response, Preparedness, and Prevention, Health Initiative, The Rockefeller Foundation

“Drawing from interviews with 90 leaders, this book contrasts the approaches, goals, and values of social entrepreneurs in the USA and Majority World. With numerous examples from various sectors and countries, Trice describes what’s worked and what hasn’t. In my twenty years of social investing, I have seen many of the issues described here. This book’s findings and its practical recommendations are an invaluable resource for all budding as well as seasoned social entrepreneurs from the West wanting to build social enterprises in the Majority World” – Dato Dr. Kim Tan, Chairman of SpringHill Management Ltd. and Co-Founder of the Transformational Business Network

“Understanding the values, goals, and assumptions of others is at the heart of building a better world together. This insightful, research-based book will help you think, speak, and act in ways which lead to true collaboration for the benefit of us all” – David Nussbaum, Chief Executive, The Elders Foundation

“Giving help should be fulfilling and receiving help should be a lasting delight. However, my cross-cultural social enterprise experiences attest to Dr. Trice’s finding that friction, and in some cases hurt, are often unavoidable in these collaborations. The practices highlighted in this book will minimize our chances for hurt and increase opportunities for lasting fulfilment” – Stephen Mbogo, Ph.D., CEO, African Enterprise

“If we want lasting impact, we must courageously shift the locus of power to the people we seek to help so that they can more relevantly and sustainably control their own futures. Giving people today’s meal may address an urgent need and make us feel better about ourselves, but that is not enough for them after we are gone. No one, rich or poor, wants to remain perpetually dependent on others’ ‘help’”. Dr. Trice provides a comprehensive, well-documented, insightful framework of how to re-think and tackle the tricky, entrenched challenge of partnering more wisely with the people we seek to help. She shows how to localize power where it really belongs, pointing the way to more sustainable impact and the lasting hope we all hunger for” – Randy Welsch, Co-Founder Jibu, Winner of the Financial Times Transformational Business Award

“How do we bridge the gulf between us and them? Many American entrepreneurs may not be aware that such a gulf even exists. This is an insightful and practical book for any social entrepreneur seeking to bring about change in a community or culture that is not their own. It’s packed with great real-life examples and useful solutions. Before charging forth blindly with good intentions, I’d strongly recommend reading this book” – Reuben Coulter, Social Entrepreneur, Investor, and Fellow of the World Economic Forum

“In Strong Together, Trice has the courage and curiosity to hold up the cultural mirror on American and Majority World social enterprises to reveal what works, what doesn’t, and why. It is no surprise that the author’s cross-cultural immersion as a child—with a close up view of poverty—helped hone that curiosity as well as the keen observation and deep listening skills with which she interviews people around the world. The book is a fascinating and transparent interrogation of her research findings, informed by Trice’s multidisciplinary mindset and the indispensable voice of Majority World entrepreneurs themselves. What Trice reveals in the process is a nuanced analysis of the complex and unacknowledged web of cultural frictions and power imbalances common to American efforts to “do good.” Even more compelling are the insights into the creative and collaborative strengths—the cultural humility—of successful social entrepreneurs, which point us to meaningful practices that speak to our shared humanity. Strong Together provides both the understanding and the practical steps that can engender hope for the dignity, empowerment, and flourishing of all—and that is what is needed to fuel sustainable development partnerships. Everyone in development and its interlinking sectors, of any nationality, in any capacity from student, to investor, to policymaker will find this book foundational. The critical “knowledge” presented here has exciting transformational and peacebuilding potential!” – Michèle Lewis O’Donnell, PsyD, Consulting Psychologist, Member Care Associates, Inc. and Representative to the United Nations for the World Federation for Mental Health

“Having supported millions of women entrepreneurs to start, maintain, and grow their micro businesses in thousands of communities, we have learned the pitfalls of coming in with ‘our’ solution to ‘their’ problems. Dr. Trice’s book challenges all to engage across cultures in a manner that respects local voices and recognizes the value of difference for forming fruitful, collaborative partnerships. This is a thought-provoking read for all who are trying their hand at social entrepreneurship around the world” – Atul Tandon, CEO, Opportunity International

“In Strong Together, Andrea Nelson Trice speaks from and for the perspective of cross-cultural dialogue – as an anthropologist, a student of organizational behavior, and a person who has lived those lessons and commitments from her earliest days.  Clear prose makes this book highly accessible and its probing discussion questions offer an opportunity for critical reflection – powerful as a means of shaping the reader’s experience of the book as a growth journey. Strong Together contributes to the understanding of organizational culture within international development, a perspective that is under-researched, and hence, under-recognized for its capacity to illuminate the challenges and potentials of our work.  It gives practical appeal to the argument that any development enterprise must have patience and learning at its core. The book gives voice to the critical lesson that social enterprise – and development more generally – carries very different expectations when it originates from within the communities it is meant to serve” – Nina Miller, Ph.D., Program Director, Master of Development Practice, Regis University

“How often do we graduate young adults who possess great theoretical knowledge but lack cultural understanding as they seek to do good around the world? This research-based book uses the lenses of culture and of power to explain areas of common friction in international development work, amplifying Majority World voices to chart a more effective path forward. As someone who is deeply committed to intercultural learning, I highly recommend this book to anyone who leads globally-focused academic programs” – Michael A. Brzezinski, Ed.D., Dean, International Programs, Purdue University