SOCIAL INNOVATION:

Theoretical and methodological

approach

Mónica Edwards-Schachter, Phd - moed@ingenio.upv.es

INGENIO (CSIC-UPV)

DIMENSIONES DE LA INNOVACION SOCIAL Workshop del equipo de investigación PRACTIS 2 (CSIC-CCHS)

Madrid, 16-17 de febrero de 2012

Social Innovation (SI) as research topic

Exploring theoretical perspectives and definitions of SI

How is SI defined/interpreted by different disciplines?

Research question: What SI is?

Methodological approach 1: Content Analysis and discourses on SI

Methodological approach 2 (Annex) - Bibliometric analysis

2

Plan

3

4

Outstanding paradigm?

In Kuhnian sense, a new accepted scientific

realisation/’construction’ which explains a particular

phenomenon

New disciplinar field?

‘New nature’ of innovation

(and more innovation measurement problems)?

What SI is?

INNOVACIÓN

SI

SI SI

SI

SI

SI DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT

TECHNOLOGY

TECHNOLOGY

SI?

6

Hidden INNOVATION

INNOVACIÓN

Non-technological and technological

innovation: strange bedfellows?

Aproximaciones?

8

The SOCIAL

side of

technological

innovation

The

TECHNOLOGICAL

side of Social

Innovation

≠

SOCIAL IMPACT

OF

TECHNOLOGICAL

& NON-

TECHNOLOGICAL

INNOVATION

≠ DIFFUSION OF

INNOVATION

(TECHNOLOGICAL

& NON-

TECHNOLOGICAL)

Social

Innovation?

10

Are all technologies social?

11

Economy of solidarity already generated a million jobs in

the country

Télam. National News Agency of Argentina. Nov. 14, 2011.

Co-ops, mutual associations, producer associations; that

heterogeneous group of economic entities formed by the union of

people more than by the contribution of capital and which is normally

labeled social economy, has created over a million jobs in Argentina.

[…] social economy currently produces 10% of the Gross Domestic

Product (GDP)

SI: beyond buzz words (evidences …)

without INNOVATION?

12

Year Organization

1986 Centre de Recherché sur les Innovations Socials (CRISES), Canada

1990 Zentrum für Soziale Innovation (ZSI), Austria

2000 Center for Social Innovation de Stanford, US

2000 Instituto de Innovacion Social de ESADE, Spain

2004 ‘Centre for Social Innovation’, social enterprise, Toronto, Canada

2005 The ‘Young Foundation‘, London , UK

2005 ‘Social Innovation Japan’, NGO, Tokyo

2006 ‘Netherlands Centre for Social Innovation’, Rotterdam

2006 ‘New Zealand Social Innovation Investment Group’ (key group of

philanthropists, grant-givers, and community leaders), and ‘New

Zealand Centre for Social Innovation’ (Foundation), Auckland

Emergence of SI research organizations and initiatives

13

Year Organization

2007 ’Social Innovation Generation’ (SiG), Kitchener/Ont., Canada;

2008 ‘Business Panel on future EU innovation policy’, focused on SI

2009 President Obama announces the setting up of an ‘Office of Social

Innovation’ in the White House

2009 ‘Australian Centre for Social Innovation’, state-financed, Adelaide

2010 ‘Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship Research Centre’ at the

Massey University Palmerston North, New Zealand

2010 Waterloo Institute for Social Innovation and Resilience (WISIR), Canada

2010 Empowering people, driving change: Social innovation in the European

Union’; a report written by Agnès Hubert et al. from the Bureau of

European Policy Advisers (BEPA)

2011 Vienna Declaration (draft), Challenge Social Innovation Conference,

September 2011.

Emergence of SI research organizations and initiatives

14

‘A new nature of innovation is emerging. In order

to formulate appropriate innovation

policy encompassing a new nature of innovation,

it is important to understand how the nature of

innovation is changing’

OECD Report (2009). ‘New Nature of Innovation’

http://www.newnatureofinnovation.org/full_report.pdf

15

‘Innovation is no longer mainly about science

and technology.

Firms can innovate in other ways.

Co-creation, user involvement, environmental and

societal challenges increasingly drive innovation today.

Collaborative, global networking and new public

private partnerships are becoming crucial elements in

companies’ innovation process’

OECD Report (2009). ‘New Nature of Innovation’

16

But …

The term has overlapping meanings

SI concept is often used interchangeably with a number

of different topics including

innovation activities in the non-profit sector,

social entrepreneurship,

social economy and social enterprise,

Corporate Social Responsibility … etc.

(Moulaert et al, 2005; Mulgan et al., 2007; Rodríguez & Alvarado,

2008; Andrew & Klein, 2010; Howaldt & Shwartz, 2010).

17

B. Lévesque F. Moulaert

J. Howaldt

J. Hochgerner G. Mulgan

A. Hubert

A. Rodríguez & Alvarado

D. Harrison

J. Echeverría

S. Conger

SOCIAL

innovation

A. Gurrutxaga

18 18

Within or outside of the innovation studies field?

Opportunity for developing an integral theory (or

theoretical framework) of socio-technical

innovation?

SI as research topic

Google scholar search.‘innovation’ about 2.280.000 (0.17 s)

Google scholar ‘social & innovation’ about 18.000 (0.23 s)

19

SI as research topic:

Within or outside the innovation studies field?

The introduction of the social to innovation –and viceversa, as well as

of innovation to the social– has been considered from multiple

research perspectives, embracing social science and economic

literatures, as well as in the socio-political practice

Brooks (1982) has analyzed the social dimensions of invention and

innovation. When distinguishing between "pure social inventions and

innovations, socio-technical system innovations, and pure technical

innovations" he cautions that "there are no entirely pure types"

20

Sociology

Social inventions as

sources of social change

(Weber, 1920, William F.

Ogburn, 1922; Chapin,

1928; Chambon et al.,

1982)

Economics (& sociology?)

Schumpeter

Social entrepreneurship

The social market?

What the market is?

(Gault, Globelics, 2011,

Where indicators are going?)

21

But …

“Schumpeter underscores the necessity of social

innovation occurring in tandem in both the

economic arena as well as in culture, politics and a

society's way of life in order to guarantee the

economic efficacy of technical innovations”

(Howaldt & Schwarz , 2010: p. 9) .

The presence of SI in innovation research

literature is still scarce and marginal …

22

Definition Author

‘practices more or least directly allow to an individual

-or a group- of taking in charge of a social need –or a set

of social needs – which are not satisfied’

Chambon et

al.(1982, p. 8)

‘concern conceptual, process or product change organizational

change and changes in financing, and can deal with new

relationships with stakeholders and territories’

OECD LEED

Forum on social

innovation (2000)

By SI, we mean new organizational and institutional forms, new

ways of doing things, new social practices, new mechanisms, new

approaches and new concepts that give rise to concrete

achievements and improvements

CRISES (2004)

“SI is the development and application of new or improved

activities, initiatives, services, processes, or products designed

to address social and economic challenges faced by individuals

and communities”.

Goldenberg

(2004, p.1)

23

Definition Author

“refers to new forms of social relations, including institutional and

organizational innovations, new forms of production and

consumption, and new relationships between economic and social

development”.

Neamtan and

Downing

(2005, p. 12)

‘refers to innovative activities and services that are

motivated by the goal of meeting a social need and

that are predominantly diffused through organizations whose

primary purposes are social’

Mulgan

(2006b, p. 8)

‘social innovations are changes in the cultural, normative or

regulative structures of the society which enhance its collective

power resources and improve its economic and social performance’

Heiscala

(2007, p. 59)

‘Social innovations are new concepts and measures for

solving social challenges that are accepted and utilized by

social groups affected’

ZSI (2008, p. 2)

24

‘innovations that are social in both their ends and their means.

Specifically, we define SIs as new ideas (products, services and

models) that simultaneously meet social needs (more effectively

than alternatives) and create new social relationships or

collaborations. They are innovations that are not only good for

society but also enhance society’s capacity to act’

Hubbert (2010)

‘social innovation can be broadly described as the development of

new concepts, strategies and tools that support groups in achieving

the objective of improved well-being’

Dawson and

Daniel

(2010, p. 10)

‘innovations that are social both in their ends and in their

means’. Specifically, social innovations are defined as new ideas

(products, services and models) that simultaneously meet social

needs and create new social relationships or collaborations. In other

words, they are innovations that are both good for society and

enhance society’s capacity to act"

Murray et al.

(2010, p. 3)

25

SI: An approach for a new nature (and new

measurement problems) of innovation ?

A recent report of The Young Foundation (2010, p. 10) identifies

four drivers of future innovation:

1) Co-creating value with customers and tapping

knowledge about users;

2) Global knowledge sourcing and collaborative networks;

3) Global challenges as a driver of innovation;

4) Public sector challenges as a driver of innovation

26

• detection of social needs (opposite to detection of non-socially

relevant needs )

• principal social aims of improvement well-being, particularly of

disfavored and marginalized populations and with purposes to

obtain both profit and non-profit benefits, including social value

generation and quality of life improvement (justice)

• model of ‘placed-based innovation’ –contextualized and path-

dependent- for the innovation activities

• active role of the users/people and creation of new social

relationships and co-generation of innovation products,

processes, social practices and norms in socio-cultural contexts

• civic active participation/collaboration in decision-making

and local governance processes

What SI is?

Re-orienting the user-producer interaction concept

• the kind of interactive learning that interconnects users and

producers in processes aiming at new products may have a

major impact on economic performance of the economy

(Lundvall, 2005. Interactive learning, social capital and

economic performance)

27

Only market?

The ‘social’ market?

Or the ‘previous’

question: What market

is?

28

In particular SI should aim at identifying and delivering new services

that improve the QL of individuals and communities by addressing:

• Social demands that are traditionally not addressed by the

market or existing institutions and are directed towards

vulnerable groups in society.

• Societal challenges in which the boundary between ‘social’ and

‘economic’ blurs, and which are directed towards society as a

whole.

• The need to reform society in the direction of a more

participative arena where empowerment and learning are

sources and outcomes of well-being (Hubert, 2010).

SI and Quality of Life

29

Example: Cvida Case-study http://www.cvida.com

http://es-es.facebook.com/CvidaVilareal

CVida Vilareal is an

association of multiple actors

in the city of Vilareal

(Castellon, Spain) .

Goals

• The improvement of

people’s quality of life and

the creation of employment.

• The city as a local social

innovation space.

ITC SYSTEM

PEOPLE NEEDS

LOCAL RESOURCES

PEO

PLE

LOCAL COMPANIES AND AUTHORITIES

Quality of life

•Innovation opportunities•Improvement opportunities•Governance support

30

The Association for Quality of Life Care (CVida) was founded in

2006 with the support of Valencian Government with the following

purposes:

• The design and implementation of local programmes for

improving local economic (sustainable) development and

people quality of life

• The organization of activities using a Living Lab

methodology under the concept of the city + people as a ‘SI

space’

• The empowerment of citizen participation and decision-

making in local governance

• The improvement professional development, generation of

employment opportunities and social entrepreneurship,

focusing in the interrelationship between users and

producers and adopting quality and socially responsible

business practices

CONCLUSIONS & FINAL COMMENTS

Social Innovation is a multi-faceted concept which can be

placed at the intersection of spontaneous and rationally

organized movements at the micro, meso or macro levels of

society (bottom-up) … and which is contributing to change of

social practices and the building of innovation systems

Further research on SI will be important in order to increase our

understanding of the concept and theoretical interrelationships

between technological, non-technological and social

innovation (and the development of appropriate measurement

methodologies and instruments).

Part of innovation studies … or a new discipline?

32

Characteristics of SI

Aims & Focus

global challenges as driver (and search of opportunities) of innovation

social profit & value generation …… vs ‘only’ profits (market)

attention to ‘real needs ….. Vs satisfactors generation

SOCIETY VERSUS MARKET?

‘SOCIAL’ MARKET?

Process

Co-creating innovation (and value) with customers and tapping

knowledge about users;

Global knowledge sourcing and collaborative networks;

Public sector challenges as a driver of innovation

FINAL COMMENTS …

In Cvida initiative, our principal purpose is to explore the

transformational potential of mechanisms of the process of

collective action and urban governance practices, promoting

both the intentional cross-sector fertilization and a system-

building or “scaffolding” endeavour that accomplishes the

mechanisms of social innovation.

We are also exploring the development of indicators,

considering in-puts, process and out-puts ...

34

Source: Moulaert et al. (2005)

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1958

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1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

2009

2011

Business

Computer Science, Information Systems

Economics

Education & Educational Research

Environmental Studies

Information Science & Library Science

Management

Operations Research & Management Science

Planning & Development

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0

50

100

150

200

250

Business

Computer Science, Information Systems

Economics

Education & Educational Research

Environmental Studies

Information Science & Library Science

Management

Operations Research & Management Science

Planning & Development

37

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80 Business

Computer Science, Information Systems

Economics

Education & Educational Research

Environmental Studies

Information Science & Library Science

Management

Operations Research & Management Science

Planning & Development

Evolution of publications with topics ‘social’ and ‘innovation’

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0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Business

Computer Science, Information Systems

Economics

Management

Operations Research & Management Science

Planning & Development

Sociology

39

WC f %

Management 1889 12%

Business 1216 8%

Economics 809 5%

Operations Research & Management Science 546 4%

Planning & Development 518 3%

Computer Science, Information Systems 483 3%

Sociology 482 3%

Environmental Studies 415 3%

Information Science & Library Science 403 3%

Education & Educational Research 389 3%

Engineering, Industrial 342 2%

Geography 321 2%

Public, Environmental & Occupational Health 261 2%

Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary 255 2%

Environmental Sciences 252 2%

Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications 217 1%

Computer Science, Theory & Methods 209 1%

Public Administration 201 1%

Political Science 193 1%

Engineering, Electrical & Electronic 187 1%

Social Work 175 1%

Urban Studies 170 1%

40

41

ANDREW, C. and KLEIN, J. L. (2010). Social Innovation: What is it and why

is it important to understand it better. ET10003. Ontario Ministry of Research

and Innovation. Toronto. Cahiers du Centre de recherche sur les innovations

sociales (CRISBROOKS, H. (1982). ES). Collection Études théoriques, no

ET1003.

BROOKS, H. (1982). Social and technological innovation. In Lundstedt, Sven

B. and Colglazier, E. William, Jr. (Eds.), Managing innovation. Elmsford, NY:

Pergamon Press, 9-10.

EUROPEAN UNION/THE YOUNG FOUNDATION. (YF) (2010). Study on

social innovation. Report prepared by the Social Innovation eXchange

(SIX) and the Young Foundation for the Bureau of European Policy Advisors.

HOCHGERNER, j. (2011). The Analysis of Social Innovations as Social

Practice. Published in Zentrum für Soziale Innovation (ed.). 2011. Pendeln

zwischen Wissenschaft und Praxis. ZSI-Beiträge zu sozialen Innovationen.

Vienna and Berlin: LIT. 173-189.

HOWALDT, J. and SCHWARTZ, M. (2010). Social innovation: concepts,

research fields and international trends. Report of ESF, EU and Aachen

University. Dortmund, May 2010.

HUBERT, A. (2010). Empowering people, driving change: Social innovation in

the European Union.

http://ec.europa.eu/bepa/pdf/publications_pdf/social_innovation.pdf

References

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KUHN, T. (1962). The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Chicago: University

MACCALLUM, D.; MOULAERT, F.; HILLIER, J. an VICARI HADDOCK, S.

(2009). Social Innovation and Territorial Development. Ashgate.

MOULAERT, F.; MARTINELLI, F. and SWYNGEDOUW, E. (Eds.). (2005).

Social innovation in the governance of urban communities: a multidisciplinary

perspective. Urban Studies Vol. 42(11).

MULGAN, G.; TUCKER, S.; RUSHANARA, A. and SANDERS, B. (2007).

Social Innovation: What it is, Why it matters and How it can be accelerated.

Oxford: Said Business School.

MULGAN, G. (2006). The Process of Social Innovation, Innovations, pp. 145-

162.

MURRAY, R.; MULGAN, G. and CAULIER-GRICE, J. (2009). How to

innovate: The tools for Social Innovation. NESTA and the Young Foundation.

PHILLS JR., J. A., DEIGLMEIER, K., and MILLER, D. T. (2008).

Rediscovering social innovation. Stanford Social Innovation Review, Vol. 6(4):

34-44. RODRÍGUEZ HERRERA, A. and ALVARADO UGARTE, H.

RODRÍGUEZ HERRERA, A. and ALVARADO UGARTE, H. (2008). Claves de

la innovación social en América Latina y el Caribe. CEPAL: Santiago de Chile

References

www.ingenio.upv.es

INGENIO (CSIC-UPV)

INSTITUTE OF INNOVATION DE GESTIÓN DE LA INNOVACIÓN Y DEL CONOCIMIENTO

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