Commentary for Unjani clinics: meeting the need for scale through social franchising

This commentary reflects on the social franchising model of Unjani. It discusses the intricate interwoven elements of the model which allows it to flourish. Here, I take a stewardship and social capital view to elaborate on these mechanisms. In the second part of the commentary, I highlight the limitations of the model specifically as it pertains to its potential growth.

Franchising for the social sector

This essay discusses the organizational design of Unjani Clinics as described in Szerb, Kivleneice, and Aggarwal’s organizational zoo case study.

In luck we trust: Capturing the diversity bonus through random selection

Complex tasks often cannot be addressed with expertise, but instead by assembling a diverse cognitive repertoire in teams. In such cases, engaging diversity may enhance performance. Yet various behavioral and social limits often deter organizations from recognizing or integrating valuable diversity. I argue that random selection is an undervalued tool for capturing the diversity bonus because it helps address: (1) the paradox of merit, by avoiding fruitless deliberation; (2) biased reasoning, by deciding on the basis of no reason; and (3) learning traps, by discovering self-confirming false beliefs. More generally, incorporating random selection in organizational design can generate a less-is-more effect: deciding by blind luck means exercising less control over outcomes but achieving more by saving time and resources, as well as detecting and sanitizing biased reasons.

Correction to: Human–AI collaborative decision-making as an organization design problem

A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41469-021-00097-0