Framing the New Social–Service Innovation Mindset

Abstract

This chapter addresses a proposal for an integrated perspective on social–service innovation. In particular, research effort is devoted to developing a framework that captures the challenges of new social issues within the contemporary landscape of service innovation. The research interest is twofold: (1) to understand conceptually how social and service innovation perspectives can be combined into a more integrated approach and (2) to provide a social–service innovation framework within which to understand how social innovation can be built onto concepts and practices of service innovation logic. Building on insights and categories from the existing literature on social innovation and service innovation, the chapter identifies five issues that are integral to the proposed social–service innovation framework. The proposed framework aims to add to the efforts of scholars in developing new ideas, concepts and tools that more deeply explicate the complex and multifaceted nature, structure and processes of social innovation. By combining the main social and service dimensions, it addresses the opportunity for furthering research discussion and practical implications concerning a new social innovation mindset.