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How to Achieve Large-Scale Social Impact

V. Kasturi Rangan & Courtney Han

California Management Review2026https://doi.org/10.1177/00081256261434465article
AJG 3ABDC A
Weight
0.50

Abstract

The authors combine scholarship from social entrepreneurship and systems literature to identify two dominant pathways used by mission-driven organizations to achieve large-scale social impact. The scaling impact approach expands the reach or depth of a proven solution by unit-level expansion. The impact at scale approach, by contrast, works at a population level to address the problem at scale. Four original case studies illustrate how organizations translate these approaches into strategies to address large-scale social problems. The four strategies are: (1) expanding through scale, (2) expanding through scope, (3) growing through systems optimization, and (4) growing through systems reinvention.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/00081256261434465

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@article{v.2026,
  title        = {{How to Achieve Large-Scale Social Impact}},
  author       = {V. Kasturi Rangan & Courtney Han},
  journal      = {California Management Review},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/00081256261434465},
}

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How to Achieve Large-Scale Social Impact

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

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