Pathways and Mechanisms for Catalyzing Social Impact through Orchestration: Insights from an Open Social Innovation Project

Abstract

There is a rising interest in the literature on entrepreneurship in understanding how groups of entrepreneurs might work together to solve social problems. In this research, the researchers analyze how an open social innovation initiative brought together government agencies, people, and organized civil society to work together to solve several societal problems. By analyzing data collected on-site and in real-time during the project, they show how social impact orchestration may generate influence along four pathways: leading with the lead user, concentrating on the solution, focusing on the problem, and focusing on the ecosystem. They show how orchestration made it feasible to learn and scale, which in turn raised the potential for impact for all parties involved in each route. The findings of our research add to what is already known about impact entrepreneurship and the practice of organizing innovation for social good.