SOCIAL INNOVATION: Theoretical and methodological

approach
Mnica Edwards-Schachter, Phd - moed@ingenio.upv.es INGENIO (CSIC-UPV)

DIMENSIONES DE LA INNOVACION SOCIAL

Workshop del equipo de investigacin PRACTIS 2 (CSIC-CCHS) Madrid, 16-17 de febrero de 2012

Plan
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

What SI is?
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)?

INNOVACIN

TECHNOLOGY

TECHNOLOGY

SI SI
DEVELOPMENT

SI

DEVELOPMENT

SI

SI

SI
SI?

Hidden INNOVATION

INNOVACIN

Aproximaciones?

Non-technological and technological innovation: strange bedfellows?

The SOCIAL

side of technological innovation

The TECHNOLOGICAL side of Social Innovation

DIFFUSION OF

SOCIAL IMPACT
OF TECHNOLOGICAL & NONTECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION

INNOVATION (TECHNOLOGICAL & NONTECHNOLOGICAL)

Social Innovation?

Are all technologies social?

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SI: beyond buzz words (evidences )

Economy of solidarity already generated a million jobs in the country
Tlam. 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)

without INNOVATION?

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Emergence of SI research organizations and initiatives

Year
1986 1990 2000 2000 2004 2005 2005 2006 2006

Organization
Centre de Recherch sur les Innovations Socials (CRISES), Canada Zentrum fr Soziale Innovation (ZSI), Austria Center for Social Innovation de Stanford, US Instituto de Innovacion Social de ESADE, Spain Centre for Social Innovation, social enterprise, Toronto, Canada The Young Foundation, London , UK Social Innovation Japan, NGO, Tokyo Netherlands Centre for Social Innovation, Rotterdam New Zealand Social Innovation Investment Group (key group of philanthropists, grant-givers, and community leaders), and New Zealand Centre for Social Innovation (Foundation), Auckland

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Emergence of SI research organizations and initiatives

Year
2007 2008 2009 2009 2010

Organization
Social Innovation Generation (SiG), Kitchener/Ont., Canada; Business Panel on future EU innovation policy, focused on SI President Obama announces the setting up of an Ofce of Social Innovation in the White House Australian Centre for Social Innovation, state-financed, Adelaide Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship Research Centre at the Massey University Palmerston North, New Zealand

2010
2010

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

Empowering people, driving change: Social innovation in the European Union; a report written by Agns Hubert et al. from the Bureau of European Policy Advisers (BEPA) Vienna Declaration (draft), Challenge Social Innovation Conference, September 2011.

2011

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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

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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

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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; Rodrguez & Alvarado, 2008; Andrew & Klein, 2010; Howaldt & Shwartz, 2010).
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F. Moulaert

D. Harrison B. Lvesque

S. Conger

A. Hubert

SOCIAL
J. Howaldt

innovation

A. Gurrutxaga J. Echeverra

J. Hochgerner 17

G. Mulgan

A. Rodrguez & Alvarado

SI as research topic
Within or outside of the innovation studies field? Opportunity for developing an integral theory (or theoretical framework) of socio-technical innovation?

Google scholar search.innovation about 2.280.000 (0.17 s) Google scholar social & innovation about 18.000 (0.23 s)

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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"

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Sociology Social inventions as sources of social change (Weber, 1920, William F. Ogburn, 1922; Chapin, 1928; Chambon et al., 1982)
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Economics (& sociology?) Schumpeter Social entrepreneurship The social market? What the market is? (Gault, Globelics, 2011, Where indicators are going?)

 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) .

But

The presence of SI in innovation research

literature is still scarce and marginal
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Definition 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

Author 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 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

OECD LEED
Forum on social innovation (2000)

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.
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Goldenberg (2004, p.1)

Definition 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

Author Neamtan and Downing (2005, p. 12)

development.
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 social innovations are changes in the cultural, normative or regulative structures of the society which enhance its collective

Mulgan (2006b, p. 8)

Heiscala (2007, p. 59)

power resources and improve its economic and social performance

Social innovations are new concepts and measures for solving social challenges that are accepted and utilized by social groups affected
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ZSI (2008, p. 2)

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 Hubbert (2010)

than alternatives) and create new social relationships or

collaborations. They are innovations that are not only good for society but also enhance societys capacity to act 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 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

Dawson and Daniel (2010, p. 10)

Murray et al. (2010, p. 3)

words, they are innovations that are both good for society and
enhance societys capacity to act"
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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

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What SI is?
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 pathdependent- 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

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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)

Only market?
The social market? Or the previous question: What market is?
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SI and Quality of Life

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).

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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) .

LOCAL COMPANIES AND AUTHORITIES LOCAL RESOURCES Innovation opportunities Improvement opportunities Governance support

PEOPLE

Goals
The improvement of peoples quality of life and the creation of employment.
The city as a local social innovation space.

ITC SYSTEM

PEOPLE NEEDS

Quality of life

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 decisionmaking 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

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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?

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

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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 ...

Source: Moulaert et al. (2005)

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80
Business 70 Computer Science, Information Systems 60 Economics 50 40 30 20 10 0 Education & Educational Research Environmental Studies Information Science & Library Science Management Operations Research & Management Science

1985

1958

1963

1968

1971

1973

1975

1977

1979

1981

1983

1987

1989

1991

1993

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

2009

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2011

Planning & Development

250
Business Computer Science, Information Systems Economics 150 Education & Educational Research Environmental Studies 100 Information Science & Library Science Management Operations Research & Management Science 0 Planning & Development

200

50

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Evolution of publications with topics social and innovation

80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

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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80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

Business Computer Science, Information Systems Economics Management Operations Research & Management Science Planning & Development Sociology

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WC Management Business Economics Operations Research & Management Science Planning & Development Computer Science, Information Systems Sociology Environmental Studies Information Science & Library Science Education & Educational Research Engineering, Industrial Geography Public, Environmental & Occupational Health Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary Environmental Sciences Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications Computer Science, Theory & Methods Public Administration Political Science Engineering, Electrical & Electronic Social Work Urban Studies
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f 1889 1216 809 546 518 483 482 415 403 389 342 321 261 255 252 217 209 201 193 187 175 170

% 12% 8% 5% 4% 3% 3% 3% 3% 3% 3% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%

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References
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 tudes thoriques, 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 fr Soziale Innovation (ed.). 2011. Pendeln zwischen Wissenschaft und Praxis. ZSI-Beitrge 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
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References
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. 145162. 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. RODRGUEZ HERRERA, A. and ALVARADO UGARTE, H. RODRGUEZ HERRERA, A. and ALVARADO UGARTE, H. (2008). Claves de la innovacin social en Amrica Latina y el Caribe. CEPAL: Santiago de Chile

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INGENIO (CSIC-UPV) INSTITUTE OF INNOVATION DE GESTIN DE LA INNOVACIN Y DEL CONOCIMIENTO