Should you work for a big corporation or a social enterprise?

Scale for Impact model, from the article “Leading from Purpose”

Imagine you are deciding what your next career role might be. Now, imagine both of these are valid and available choices:

1. Join a billion-dollar multinational corporation in an executive role and, make a 1% difference in the positive impact they have for the broader community, or
2. Join a million-dollar budget social enterprise and double that size and impact

Let’s do the rational calculation here around options 1 and 2:

1. 1% of £1bn = £10 million more in impact
2. Doubling $1m = $1m growth

So, option 1 means you will have 10x the impact, so rationally if you are yourself driven by purpose and wanting to make a greater impact, you’ll always choose to join the corporation that you can only make 1% better, rather than the pure and wonderful social enterprise where you can double their impact, right?

I can imagine readers arguing with themselves and with me about this, saying:

• “No! I’d always go to the social enterprise, but then, wait {they will question themselves}, is that really where I can make the most difference?
• “No! This is a false equivalence, not everybody could get that high level corporoate executive role, they aren’t qualified or…