It is often said that the INUIT have dozens of words to refer to snow and ice. From this perspective it's not surprising that the colourful and human concept of social innovation knows many definitions too.

 

1. Social innovation is about new ideas that work to address pressing unmet needs. We simply describe it as innovations that are both social in their ends and in their means. Social innovations are new ideas (products, services and models) that simultaneously meet social needs (more effectively that alternatives) and create new social relationships or collaborations. (Open Book of Social Innovation, Murray, Calulier-Grice and Mulgan, March 2010)

 

2. ‘We’ve reached a new stage of social innovation in which bold ideas are now being turned into real-world projects.’ Neil Kleinman of New York University’s graduate school of public service says social innovation has evolved twice since its creation and right now we’re in a period that he calls social innovation 3.0. The original iteration was the realization that new ideas and tactics were necessary to solve the world’s problems. That was followed by a stage of developing and testing those ideas. Our current stage, perhaps the most important, is about institutionalizing those ideas so that they can take hold in businesses, governments, and organizations around the world. How to?

  • Instead of trying to come up with a brand new idea on your own, work with the people whom you’re actually trying to serve.
  • Punch above your weight. Try to connect with organizations and companies, even if they seem larger scale than your innovation.
  • Make use of technology. This is obvious, but in doing so, also make sure that what you’re designing keeps the end user and the problem you want to solve in focus. (Morgan Clendaniel, editor of Co.Exist, 2012)

 

3. SOCIAL INNOVATIONS, Rediscovering Social Innovation (SSIReview)

Social entrepreneurship and social enterprise have become popular rallying points for those trying to improve the world. These two notions are positive ones, but neither is adequate when it comes to understanding and creating social change in all of its manifestations. The authors make the case that social innovation is a better vehicle for doing this. They also explain why most of today’s innovative social solutions cut across the traditional boundaries separating nonprofits, government, and for-profit businesses. More to read ….

 

4. Social innovations are innovations that are social in both their ends and their means – 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. Social innovations take place across boundaries between the public sector, the private sector, the third sector and the household. (The European Commission)

The European Union has a rich history of social innovation. These solutions find new ways of meeting social needs and create tools for social policy and investment. Social innovation is growing into a vibrant and creative field.

 

5. SIRE blog ‘defining social innovation’, submitted by Anna Davies

Despite the growing interest in social innovation among policymakers, foundations, researchers and academic institutions around the world, there is currently no common definition of social innovation, but rather a large number of different definitions in circulation.  Some of these are very specific and exclude many examples of social innovation, while others are so broad that they describe projects and organisations that are not particularly innovative, even if they are in some way social.

This is partly because social innovation is a practice-led field – understandings, definitions and meanings have emerged through people doing things in new ways rather than thinking about them in an academic way. And since the practice of social innovation looks and feels different in different fields, sectors and continents, it is not surprising that meanings and definitions vary. More to read …..

 

6. Social innovation refers to the application of innovative, practical, sustainable, market-based approaches that achieve transformative social and/or environmental change, with an emphasis on under-served populations. Social innovation is becoming a priority for decision-makers at the most senior levels. In this new age of austerity, as governments search for guidance and inspiration on scaling cost-effective solutions to social problems, social entrepreneurship has taken centre stage. Social enterprises balance a social mission with financial viability and sustainability, existing between the public sector and private markets in both the developed and developing world. 

 

7. ‘Mapping the various meanings of social innovation: Towards a differentiated understanding of an emerging concept’ by Dominik Rüede and Kathrin Lurtz (EBS Business School)

They address the ambiguities on social innovation by giving a detailed overview of the different understandings of social innovation used in current literature. Hence, the research question is “Which social innovation conceptualizations exist and what do they mean?”. Subsequently, we examine the most prominently used social innovation conceptualizations and evaluate how well they meet the criteria of concept clarity (Suddaby, 2010). More to read ….

 

8.  “.. a novel solution to a problem that is more effective, efficient, sustainable, or just… [where] the value created accrues primarily to society as a whole rather than private individuals. Social Innovation focuses attention on the ideas and solutions that create social value—as well as the processes through which they are generated” (Stanford Centre for social innovation).