Abstract
The concept of mutual responsiveness is currently based on little empirical data in the literature of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). This paper explores RRI’s idea of mutual responsiveness in the light of recent RRI case studies on private sector research and development (R&D). In RRI, responsible innovation is understood as a joint endeavour of innovators and societal stakeholders, who become mutually responsive to each other in defining the ‘right impacts’ of the innovation in society, and in steering the innovation towards realising those impacts. Yet, the case studies identified several reasons for why the idea of mutual responsiveness does not always appear feasible or desirable in actual R&D situations. Inspired by the discrepancies between theory and practice, we suggest three further elaborations for the concept of responsiveness in RRI. Process-responsiveness is suggested for identifying situations that require stakeholder involvement specifically during R&D. Product-responsiveness is suggested for mobilising the potential of innovation products to be adaptable according to diverse stakeholder needs. Presponsiveness is suggested as responsiveness towards stakeholders that are not (yet) reachable at a given time of R&D. Our aim is to contribute to a more tangible understanding of responsiveness in RRI, and suggest directions for further analysis in upcoming RRI case studies.
Highlights
There are calls on companies to respond to the needs of societies within which they operate, beyond securing short-term profitability and complying with regulations
In Europe, this call has recently been voiced in the field of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), a research policy approach that has been coined in the European Commission’s policy context as the most recent framework to address societal dimensions of science and technology
In summary: With process-responsiveness, we suggest to consider the extent of uncertainty in weighing whether to open-up the innovation at Research and Development (R&D) level to joint societal reflections, and to communicate these uncertainties across the organisation
Summary
There are calls on companies to respond to the needs of societies within which they operate, beyond securing short-term profitability and complying with regulations. RRI is developed further through several emerging research approaches that can be captured under the heading of ‘responsible innovation’. From these premises, RRI posits that Research and Development (R&D) processes should anticipate and reflect societal aspects of the innovation, and that innovators are expected to be. It is emphasised that R&D should be an inclusive process, involving interaction between innovators and societal stakeholders, who become mutually responsive ‘to each other with a view to the (ethical) acceptability, sustainability and societal desirability of the innovation process and its marketable products’ (von Schomberg, 2013)
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