Social Innovation Processes Research Articles

Modeling Social Product Development Process, Technology, and Governance

Social product development (SPD) is an open innovation model in which social technologies and social mechanisms are employed to mobilize individuals in ideation, development, and commercialization of new products. This model holds the promise of engaging a broad and varied community of individuals in innovation activities. However, SPD platforms have struggled to scale early successes and build momentum to become sustainable. To critically assess the viability and paths forward for SPD, we examine social innovation processes, technologies, and platform governance that underlie this open innovation model. We identify six process functions—social engagement, ideation, experiential communication, social validation, codevelopment, and cocommercialization—to model SPD. We examine how these functions are enabled or supported by social technologies and cogoverned by an innovation community, innovation sponsor, and partners in manufacturing and retailing. We assessed the proposed SPD model with case studies of two SPD platforms. This article contributes to the innovation process modeling literature a comprehensive, integrated model of SPD processes, technology, and governance. This holistic model provides a new framework for systematic investigations of SPD for further theorization and empirical study. The proposed model is sufficiently general yet grounded in the phenomenon to guide design, deployment, and governance of socially enabled open innovation.

Project Titli – product development for women at the bottom of the pyramid

Learning outcomes The learning outcomes are as follows: Understand the concept and characteristics of Bottom of Pyramid (BoP) markets; understand the concept and characteristics of frugal innovations; understand the Design Thinking approach to product design and how it might be useful to develop frugal innovations for BoP markets. Case overview/Synopsis The case details the journey of a group of students at a premier engineering college in India. The group aimed to develop and implement a social innovation that addressed a serious and important health issue – menstrual hygiene practices among urban slum dwellers in India. The case begins with how a chance visit to an NGO inspired a pair of students to take up this issue, how the project unfolded at their college, the challenges faced in their journey and, finally, an outcome that was only a partial success. It raises important questions of challenges that are specific to bottom of pyramid markets in emerging economies. The case can provide a context for discussions on approaching frugal innovations from a Design Thinking perspective. Complexity academic level This case can be used in social innovation courses/modules at an undergraduate or graduate level in social innovation and social entrepreneurship courses. The case is best positioned towards the beginning of the course as an overview of the process of Social Innovation, and to discuss the relevance of concepts of BoP markets and frugal innovation. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 7: Management Science.

The interconnected influences of institutional and social embeddedness on processes of social innovation: A Polanyian perspective

ABSTRACT Theorizing embeddedness requires sensitivity to the dynamic and multi-layered contexts of entrepreneurship. Social or network embeddedness influences how social and for-profit entrepreneurs leverage resources within their local environment, and institutional embeddedness explains how the (social) entrepreneurial environment is shaped by societal structures.. To understand social innovation (SI) processes – meeting social needs, transforming social relations, and reconfiguring institutional structures – we need to account for social and institutional embeddedness. This paper explores how institutional structures shape the environment for SI, influencing social networks and how actors within organizations are able to respond to contextual changes. Ethnographic case studies of two UK social enterprises uncover different levels and types of embeddedness influencing social organizations. We connect macro and micro interactions using a Polanyian view of embeddedness, placing SI within institutional structures and examining how reciprocal social relationships are critical to SI’s transformative potential. Findings reveal the interconnectedness of embeddedness, whereby embeddedness in institutional structures led to a breakdown of the social embeddedness necessary for collectivism critical to SI. Our multi-layered analytical approach has potential beyond understanding SI, making theorizing sensitive to processes of embeddedness of entrepreneurship in other contexts.

Processes of frugal social innovation: Creative approaches in underserved South African communities

AbstractThe article presents three case studies of frugal social innovation developed by groups of citizens from underserved communities of Cape Town, South Africa. The processes are analyzed to highlight how innovation emerged. Three factors were crucial: lack of resources, social transformation goals, and flexibility of the approach to technologies. Their combination allowed for creativity and inclusivity to become the drivers of the processes. The information and communication technology outcomes are innovative in the context and for the participants. More innovative are the processes, which maintained a high level of participation, a collective collaboration and a focus on the social transformative impact of the digital solutions. Furthermore, while much of the literature on frugal and social innovation has a business perspective whereby users are referred to as customers, the cases present community groups as innovators. This approach contributes to the development of a theory, which expands existing ones on frugal and social innovation. The principles derived from the analysis represent the contribution to practice in the ICT4D domain. They show how in a space with limited technical and procedural knowledge, it is possible to reduce the blinders toward innovation and operate in an ecosystem where participation, inclusion, and growth develop.

The role of Islamic ethics in shaping passion for social innovation

PurposeThis paper aims to study the role of ethics in the social innovation process and its effect on entrepreneurial passion. It explores the factors that encourage social entrepreneurs to innovate by examining the concepts of harmonious and obsessive passion and ethics.Design/methodology/approachThe database consists of 97 entrepreneurs who benefited from the services offered by the support organizations for social entrepreneurs. The data are analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results show that Islamic ethics has a positive effect on social innovation. This effect can be further amplified by harmonious passion (HP). Such passion certainly strengthens social entrepreneurs throughout the innovation process and consolidates the implementation phase of their projects.Practical implicationsThis study highlights the importance of ethics in the process of social innovation. Ethics acts directly or through HP to stimulate social innovation. This passion enables taking actions and favors the creation of innovative social projects.Originality/valueThese findings add value to the previous literature by introducing ethics into the entrepreneurial passion theory and exploring new factors that promote social innovation.

The emergence of social innovation in rural revitalisation practices: A comparative case study from Taiwan

Social innovation is considered a promising strategy for coping with societal challenges in rural areas. It is even viewed as essential to revitalisation. The literature suggests that social innovation is driven by the will to pursue a better quality of life, which includes the tangible and practical needs of residents (digital connectivity, healthcare facilities, environmental improvement, etc.), and results in tangible and intangible changes in society. In this paper, we aim to clarify the emergence of social innovation in rural revitalisation from community-driven practices and identify the relevant actors (actants). In doing so, we use the lens of actor-network theory (ANT) to analyse two rural communities from Taiwan. Both were confronted with environmental issues but they addressed in different ways and with different outcomes. Identifying the emergence of social innovation processes and their key actants, we conclude that rural social innovation can be an unintended outcome of continuous engagement in which practical interests result in both tangible and intangible changes. Therefore, it is difficult to predict at the outset whether community-driven rural revitalisation will facilitate social innovation. Nevertheless, staying connected with a group of engaged residents who are driven by a shared vision seems to be essential for fuelling social innovation, regardless of whether the actors are conscious of social innovation.

Social innovation in extreme institutional contexts: the case of Palestine

PurposeThis paper focuses on social innovation dynamics in extreme contexts where institutional volatility is deeply rooted and enduring. In other words, the authors focus their discussion on the challenges that social innovators are facing in their endeavor of solving wicked social problems within an extreme institutional environment. This research is guided by the following question: How does an extreme institutional environment influence social innovation processes?Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative research builds on the unique case of the Palestinian non-governmental organization (NGO) sector, a rarely studied context in organizational studies. The authors combine archival sources with 24 semi-structured interviews with Palestinian NGOs.FindingsThe authors theorize three barriers that hinder social innovation in such contexts: institutional trap, effectiveness trap and sustainability trap. The authors also theorize five mechanisms through which these barriers influence each other dynamically: mingling, surviving, undermining, binding and reinforcing. Taken together, these barriers and mechanisms shed light on social innovation processes taking place within extreme institutional environments.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation of this study is the methodological design, based on an extreme single case-study which, on a bunch of features, is quite unique in the world. The authors argue that the results are all the same transferable to other relatively similar contexts.Practical implicationsBy theorizing the institutional barriers to social innovation in an extreme institutional context, the research thus sheds light on how social innovation could be sustained and stimulated in Palestine and other contexts that face similar institutional challenges.Social implicationsFrom an engaged scholarship perspective, studying Palestine cannot be more relevant than today considering the turmoil in which Palestinians are. The research thus provides a deeper understanding of organizational and institutional dynamics with crucial social repercussions.Originality/valueThe social innovation literature has overemphasized success stories to the detriment of the struggles that hinder social innovations in extreme institutional environments. By focusing on the barriers that social innovators experience in these contexts, the authors provide novel empirical insight. Furthermore, this study enriches the understanding of the institutional dynamics of social innovations by proposing a process model that elucidates how an extreme institutional context can influence social innovations.

A typology for unpacking the diversity of social innovation in energy transitions

Academic research and policy have focused on sustainable energy transitions for addressing the societal challenge of climate change for a long time, but the concept of ‘social innovation’ has only been recently taken up. This concept refers to different social phenomena relating to changes in socio-technical systems. Moving beyond narrow perspectives on social innovation, this article asks how we can capture the diversity of social innovation, taking the example of the energy sector. It proposes a comprehensive typology of social innovation that allows to capture the phenomenon in its empirical diversity, and to more systematically investigate processes of social innovation and their contributions to making socio-technical systems more sustainable. The typology is based on a conceptual understanding of social innovation in energy (SIE) as comprising changing social relations involving new ways of doing, thinking and/or organising energy. It is empirically grounded in mapping and analysing 500 SIE-initiatives across eight European countries. Such a conceptually-informed and empirically-grounded understanding of SIE sheds light on the ‘social’ as an object of innovation, the agency of a multitude of actors, and the different types of social relations and activities pursued by energy system actors. It also opens the possibility to publicly discuss the diverse social innovations and their interdependencies, (un)desirability, as well as transformative potentials in energy transitions.

Digital Transformation among SMEs: Does Gender Matter?

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated some of the challenges that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) face in times of crisis, disrupting their operations, weakening their financial positions, and exposing them to a wide range of financial risks. While previous studies have viewed digital transformation as a vital source of innovation and productivity growth for economic recovery in SMEs, there has been limited focus on digital transformation in the regional context, with very little attention focused on women-led enterprises. This study aims to investigate (i) the determinants of perception of digital transformation among regional SMEs, and (ii) whether the gender of the SME owner or manager has an impact on the drivers of the digital transformation experiences of SMEs operating in regional Australia. Building upon the resource-based view, this study uses a unique dataset of 281 SMEs collected from a survey conducted within a regional area of Queensland, Australia. Employing Feasible Generalised Least Squares and Generalised Least Squares estimations, the study found that the perceptions of digital transformation can be explained by the use of social network platforms, innovation processes, workplace culture, and information and communication technologies. This study also found that there is a significant difference between female-led and male-led SMEs regarding their perceptions of digital transformation. This study offers two key policy and practical insights: (i) digital transformation of regional SMEs should be used as a fundamental tool for crisis recovery strategies, and (ii) the need for policymakers to mainstream gender into postcrisis transformative interventions and policies should be fast tracked.

The activities that constitute the phases of the social innovation process: a study in the context of social impact businesses

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the activities that constitute the phases of the social innovation process in the context of social impact businesses. Theoretical framework – It was used the literature on social innovation, social impact businesses and the social innovation process. The Bhatt and Altinay (2013) model was applied as the basis for the study. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a qualitative case study approach, nine Brazilian cases of social impact businesses that generate social innovation were investigated. Data were collected from direct observation, documents, visual data and semi-structured interviews, analyzed using the content analysis technique. Findings – The main findings indicate the disposition of a complex process involving numerous activities in its different phases (initiation, development, restructuring and dimensioning), as well as the importance of the entrepreneur's role, considered as a highly relevant member of the process. Research Practical & Social implications – The study demonstrates that the process of social innovation is more complex than the literature has shown. The findings may also contribute to the practical field, whether with beginner entrepreneurs seeking to structure their businesses, or with more advanced initiatives that seek to give scalability to their proposals. Originality/value – This study contributes to the literature by exploring the activities that make up the social innovation process and identifying a complementary phase in the process proposed by Bhatt and Altinay (2013). Keywords – Social Innovation; Social Innovation Process; Social Impact Business.

A complex-systems perspective on the role of universities in social innovation

• There is a growing interest in the role universities play in promoting social innovation • This work remains largely disconnected from the branch of social innovation grounded in systems thinking and complexity. • A systems and complexity perspective challenges currently prominent approaches in key ways • In particular, the popular ‘triple helix’ approach is unlikely to be effective for social innovation. • This research suggests that in promoting social innovation, universities may be wise to focus on their core activities A lack of agreement on what is included in social innovation processes and outcomes has not stopped universities in exploring their possible role(s) in the phenomena; yet these efforts have largely replicated existing approaches to technological and business innovation, which is ill-aligned with much current scholarship in social innovation. We argue that universities’ social innovation support should emerge from the lessons of social innovation scholarship itself: specifically, we assert based on cross-case analysis that universities have important roles in: providing the space for initial discovery or descriptions of new phenomena and ways of doing; destabilizing the dominant system arrangements; supporting niches for idea generation and development; sustaining shadow networks for emergent innovations and innovators; and leveraging cross-scale networks to facilitate social innovation growth. While these examples are pulled from history, they provide a potential set of road maps for social innovation programming at universities, some of which is consistent with current work but others that will require serious re-examination and redevelopment of universities’ roles in the broader social innovation ecosystem.

Skills Intelligence in the Steel Sector

To implement Intelligent Production Systems, two innovation approaches are to be combined: on the one hand, technological innovations produce intelligent solutions which harvest the potential of digital technologies and huge volumes of available data. On the other hand, social innovation processes are needed which introduce the skills perspective into innovative production systems. Skills Intelligence is a helpful concept that provides a good information base for informed decisions on skill needs and skill development. The article shows that this target can be achieved best through innovative tools which are developed based on an effective integration of different stakeholders and perspectives.

СТРАТЕГІЯ РОЗВИТКУ ЯК КЛЮЧОВИЙ ФАКТОР ПІДВИЩЕННЯ ЕФЕКТИВНОСТІ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ УНІВЕРСИТЕТУ

The article seeks to search for new pathways to increase the performance efficiency of higher education institutions. In particular, it is argued that the key point in shaping a new role of universities in society, which assumes building a development strategy, is the idea of a "technological mode". The social innovation process paradigm is being realized through technological change accompanied by the emergence of products with new functional properties to meet new demands. The role of higher education institutions within a certain technological mode is not limited to traditional issues of workforce training for the economy, it should be also focused towards developing organizational and economic innovations to reduce the implementation cycle and building an innovation-driven management system in an organization. Modern universities not only maintain but also expand their role in the transition to the sixth technological mode of the economy, as they are viewed as the few institutional societal structures that are capable to build relevant competencies for a successive technological mode in the process of their educational, research and innovative activities. The paradigm to enhance the research potential of universities should rely upon a fundamentally new development strategy for higher education institutions which can ensure their active participation in the new technological mode on a regular, sustainable basis and thus realize the new role of universities in society. Insights into development strategies of domestic universities have revealed that on the whole they are quite typical consisting of following sections: general provisions, mission, strategic goal and objectives of university development, program activities and stages of their implementation, financial support for the program; expected outcomes and program implementation risks. The research findings on higher education practices in Ukraine demonstrate that they are based on competitive strategies which are viewed as a set of actions to meet the overall goals of HEIs with due regard to education and labour market demands. It is argued that a robust development strategy and its consistent implementation might become a driving factor to boost the efficiency of higher education institutions.

СТРАТЕГІЯ РОЗВИТКУ ЯК КЛЮЧОВИЙ ФАКТОР ПІДВИЩЕННЯ ЕФЕКТИВНОСТІ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ УНІВЕРСИТЕТУ

The article seeks to search for new pathways to increase the performance efficiency of higher education institutions. In particular, it is argued that the key point in shaping a new role of universities in society, which assumes building a development strategy, is the idea of a "technological mode". The social innovation process paradigm is being realized through technological change accompanied by the emergence of products with new functional properties to meet new demands. The role of higher education institutions within a certain technological mode is not limited to traditional issues of workforce training for the economy, it should be also focused towards developing organizational and economic innovations to reduce the implementation cycle and building an innovation-driven management system in an organization. Modern universities not only maintain but also expand their role in the transition to the sixth technological mode of the economy, as they are viewed as the few institutional societal structures that are capable to build relevant competencies for a successive technological mode in the process of their educational, research and innovative activities. The paradigm to enhance the research potential of universities should rely upon a fundamentally new development strategy for higher education institutions which can ensure their active participation in the new technological mode on a regular, sustainable basis and thus realize the new role of universities in society. Insights into development strategies of domestic universities have revealed that on the whole they are quite typical consisting of following sections: general provisions, mission, strategic goal and objectives of university development, program activities and stages of their implementation, financial support for the program; expected outcomes and program implementation risks. The research findings on higher education practices in Ukraine demonstrate that they are based on competitive strategies which are viewed as a set of actions to meet the overall goals of HEIs with due regard to education and labour market demands. It is argued that a robust development strategy and its consistent implementation might become a driving factor to boost the efficiency of higher education institutions.

Social Innovation and Co-creation in Smallscale Renewable Energy: an Asset-based Approach

Abstract This paper makes a novel contribution by turning an ‘asset’ lens onto social and technical innovation in the context of the small-scale generation of renewable energy. The authors draw on learning from an international project that aimed to develop innovative technologies for the micro generation of energy using wastes and residues. Variations on innovation that cut across the social and technical are introduced. It is noted that although emanating from different traditions, a common theme is emphasis on a distributed knowledge base in which the roles of innovator, producer and consumer overlap or merge. This implies that the (social) innovation process is also one of co-creation. The authors borrow from international development studies the Sustainable Livelihood Analysis (SLA) framework, which is usually used for working with poor households to foreground strengths and resources rather than needs and deficits. To illustrate the utility of SLA for social innovation at local and community level, findings are presented from UK fieldwork on socio economic barriers and opportunities affecting the feasibility of new community energy generation and enterprise options. The importance and the fragility of human assets are highlighted.

The social innovation process: exploring the specificities in a developing context

PurposeSocial innovation has been attracting attention in the literature and the practice field due to its intention to create social value. However, the social innovation process is still poorly studied and is marked by several disagreements in the existing models, often built from data coming from developed countries. So, the focus of this study is to answer the following research question: how is the social innovation process configured in a developing context?Design/methodology/approachThe study investigated three cases of Brazilian social innovation processes through a qualitative approach. The authors also use the institutional levels perspectives to analyse the cases.FindingsThe main findings indicate that the social innovation process comprises five phases and occurs between the micro, meso and macro institutional levels. Besides, the social innovation process relies on the participation of different partners, in a non-sequential process, with the possibility of returning from one stage to another and is evaluated continuously over time.Practical implicationsThis study may be useful for social entrepreneurs and their teams in organisations that generate social innovations (such as social enterprises) to understand how well-established initiatives have organised themselves over time. Public policymakers may also use the insights provided to create more favourable environments to create new social innovation initiatives and expand the existing ones.Originality/valueThe characteristics of the social innovation process revealed in this study contributes to the advancement of the area, mainly because it considers the perspective of institutional levels and is based on data from a developing country.

Social innovations in rural communities in Africa's Great Lakes region. A social work perspective

In Africa's Great Lakes region, many rural communities face serious challenges including chronic poverty, lack of infrastructure, high unemployment, inadequate education systems and healthcare services, as well as a fundamental absence of public social protection mechanisms. In some contexts, rural dwellers suffer from the additional burden of armed conflict and political violence. Yet, rural populations show remarkable indications of resilience and exhibit innovative ways of handling their problems by themselves. Some of these approaches can be qualified as social innovations.With its focus on the role of social work in rural social innovation processes, this article aims to contribute to some under-researched aspects at the intersection of social innovation, rural studies, and social work practice. Empirical evidence of rural social innovations is based on a regional study on indigenous and innovative models of problem solving in five African countries. Here, the focus is on two case examples from Uganda and Rwanda. For Uganda, a community-based concept of household clusters to promote rural development called akabondo is presented. The example from Rwanda is called umugoroba w'ababyeyi and refers to a family strengthening and community development program that has been mainstreamed into government policies. This model is located in the challenging context of a post-genocide society.A critical analysis of these models refers to the question whether they fall into the category of a social innovation; to major players in implementing such innovations; to their impact on rural communities and the wider society; as well as to challenges facing such innovations.

Improving Knowledge about Risks Related to Alpine Sports: A Collaborative Laboratory on Accidentology

The risks associated with the practice of alpine sports are a major concern in mountain environments. Quantifying and explaining the causes of accidents are key to improving knowledge about this sensitive issue. To this end, since 2015, the Laboratory of Vulnerabilities and Innovation in Sport (L-VIS) has been participating in collaborative action research in France involving parties from several spheres: the Petzl Foundation (Petzl is a French climbing and caving equipment company), the online community Camptocamp (aimed at those who practice mountain sports), stakeholders from the public sector (mountain rescue services and the National Observatory of Mountain Safety, SNOSM) and the non-profit sector (sports federations), and professionals (guide organizations). At the end of 2015, this collaborative project resulted in the launch of an online system to collect participatory testimonials on accidents and incidents occurring during the practice of mountain sports: the SERAC database. The development, implementation and growing interest of multiple stakeholders regarding this collaborative approach to sharing experiences mark it as an innovative way to understand and optimize alpine accidentology. Seen through the lens of the sociology of science and technology, the process of social innovation the SERAC database represents is a form of knowledge production that links researchers, communities of alpine sports practitioners and their sporting culture, the alpine environments where they are practiced, and specific safety agencies. This article describes the creation, socialization and evolution of the research project associated with the SERAC database, highlighting the hybrid and uncertain nature of the knowledge produced and how it is inextricably linked with the mountain environment. At its source, the SERAC project has two complementary but also divergent aims: that of collaborative action research to support social innovation, and the production of contextualized knowledge that can ideally be translated into accident prevention recommendations and a better understanding of risky alpine practices.

University Medialabs: New Learning Spaces for Educational Innovation

Higher Education Institutions, like many other organizations, are facing pressure from the development of digital technologies as a push towards the digitization of their activities and towards a type of change that some describe as disruptive and that forces them to review their processes and structures. This article describes the case of the medialab of the University of Salamanca, MEDIALAB USAL, as an experience of new learning space in higher education. Its origin is explained from the experiences of citizen technology laboratories and experimental laboratories at the point of intersection between Art, Science and Technology. Its structure and working methods are explained, and its activities are illustrated through the description of four educational innovation projects based on different digital technologies: a mathematics didactics project using AppInventor, Wikipedia as a tool for knowledge generation, Arduino for innovation in the teaching of Fine Arts and a university Hackathon as an activity to introduce students to social and entrepreneurial innovation processes.

Reliable role of public relations in social innovation processes

Reliable role of public relations in social innovation processes