Social Innovation
1. Definition and Importance of Social Innovation.
Importance:
Definition: Social innovation involves developing and implementing new ideas to meet social needs, improve social relations, and create new social collaborations.
Solves socio-economic problems.
Strengthens territorial sustainability.
Better responds to future crises.
Requires supportive policy conditions (OECD).
2. Comparison with Other Types of Innovation
Differences:
Processes: Methods and metrics from commercial sectors are not always applicable.
Relationships: Involves complex cooperation and collaboration among public, non-profit, and private sectors.
Outcomes: Focuses on social benefits rather than commercial gains.
Contexts:
Social economy vs. technology sector.
3. Six Stages of Social Innovation
Prompts, Inspirations, and Diagnoses:
Drivers: Creative imagination, new evidence.
Focus: Identifying causes of problems, not just symptoms.
Factors: Crisis, public spending cuts, poor performance, strategy.
Proposals and Ideas:
Insights: Drawing from a wide range of sources.
Idea Generation: Formal methods (design, creativity).
Prototyping and Pilots:
Success Measures: Agreed during this phase.
Testing: Trying out ideas, pilot projects, prototypes, controlled trials.
Sustaining:
Revenue Streams: Identifying financial sources.
Public Sector: Defining budgets, teams, resources.
Sharpening Ideas: Streamlining for long-term sustainability.
Scaling and Diffusion:
Methods: Inspiration, replication, support, and know-how for organic growth.
Strategies: Organizational growth, licensing, franchising, alliances, free dissemination.
Systemic Change:
Change: New ways of thinking and acting.
Goal: Interaction of social movements, business models, laws, regulations, information, infrastructure.
4.Barriers and Conditions for Social Innovation
Barriers:
Economic viability.
Resistance to systemic change.
Conditions:
Creating economically viable innovations.
Long-term changes in public, private, support economy, and household sectors.
5. Synergistic Relationship
Open Innovation: Acts as a catalyst.
Social Entrepreneurship: Utilizes open innovation for holistic solutions.
Result: Amplified impact and reach of social ventures.