There were also strongly held views that there were two estates in the Australian economy represented by the for-profit and social economy sectors. In the latter, most issues were seen to be about personnel, capability, and skills reflecting social mission involving workers driven by “passion” and social mission.

In contrast, the for-profit world was seen to be more dispassionate about. No one observed the significant changes that might currently be observed in modern business organisations.

Participants concluded the discussion on this issue by briefly reflecting on the strengths of the Social Economy and its potential contributions to the for-profit sector.

Participants felt that the Social Economy could teach For-Profits a thing or two about:

* Management of complexity;
* Relationships management (witnessed in the diverse and multiple relationships observed in the sector);
* Efficiencies in expenditure;
* Turning innovative ideas into attractive opportunities;
* Being an agile and adaptable organisation;
* Perseverance (especially in start-up phases);
* Cooperating and partnering with multiple stakeholders.