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PAPER
Social innovation drivers in social enterprises: systematic review

By gathering and organizing dispersed knowledge about the SI process in SEs, this paper can help the social entrepreneurs, policy makers and supporting organisations of SEs to direct their attention to appropriate drivers that can enhance the SE’s ability to innovate socially. The study examines how SI can be encouraged and managed effectively in the SE. By investigating the drivers of SI in the context of SE, the authors structure knowledge into three main factors and a four-stage process. 

The main contribution of the article was to improve understanding of how SI is created in the context of SEs, as only 17% of the reviewed articles have any mention of the SI process.

social innovation topicsAdditionally, conclusion is made. SI happens within a system of SI (community, institutions and government) in which SE plays a fundamental role initiating the process, articulating the various actors involved, and balancing social value generation and financial sustainability.

To this end, it uses participatory management tools, organizational learning, partnership networks, adaptation of SI to the local context, and support from community and the government.

The full article is available HERE or as a download below.

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To cite this article: de Souza João-Roland, I., & Granados, M. L. (2020). Social innovation drivers in social enterprises: Systematic review. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 27(5), 775-795.
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-12-2019-0396 

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Photo by Skye Studios on Unsplash

This publication has been prepared within SENBS project No. 2020- 1-EE01-KA204-077999. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

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STUDY
Systemic Design Principles in Social Innovation: A Study of Expert Practices and Design Rationale

In recent decades, design has expanded from a practice aimed at designing things to one that helps to address complex societal challenges. In this context, a field of practice called systemic design has emerged, which combines elements of systems thinking with elements of design. We use a case study approach to investigate how expert practitioners carry out systemic design work in the context of public and social innovation, and explore what we can learn from their practices and design rationales when we compare them to systems thinking theories and approaches.

Based on findings from five case studies, the authors present five systemic design principles:

  1. opening up and acknowledging the interrelatedness of problems;
  2. developing empathy with the system;
  3. strengthening human relationships to enable creativity and learning;
  4. influencing mental models to enable change;
  5. adopting an evolutionary design approach to desired systemic change.

One way that scholars can contribute to this field is by continuing to monitor and describe emerging systemic design principles developed and performed at the forefront of the field, strengthening these learnings by building on the body of knowledge about systems thinking and design.

While the authors argue in this paper that designerly practices contribute to addressing complex problem situations, the findings from this study highlight that practitioners at the forefront of social innovation are developing more diverse forms of systemic design to effect change.

In this paper it is shown how the interdiscipline of systemic design contributes to tackling complex societal challenges. Even though authors have homed in on one area of knowledge and practice that social innovation practitioners draw on, systemic design is part of a larger body of transdisciplinary approaches.

For example, in addition to systems thinking and design, social innovators may use academic knowledge from social sciences and humanities, or other types of knowledge such as indigenous ways of knowing or community involvement. Transdisciplinary innovation is about placing interactions between disciplines and other types of knowledge in an integrated system with a social purpose, resulting in a continuously evolving and adapting practice.

Key to such transdisciplinary approaches is learning. As each complex problem situation is different, there is not one way of doing things and we must rely on adaptive practice, where practices are adapted to the problem context at hand.

Such adaptations require every actor concerned to engage in a continual and mutual learning process. Authors therefore stress the need for ongoing education together, through learning communities that include academics and practitioners across multiple disciplines. Learning engagements may include studies integrating multiple disciplines, such as the one presented in this paper, action research, and academic-practitioner collaborations.

The full article is available HERE or as a download below.

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To cite this article: Van der Bijl-Brouwer, M., & Malcolm, B. (2020). Systemic design principles in social innovation: A study of expert practices and design rationales. She Ji: The Journal of Design, Economics, and Innovation, 6(3), 386-407.
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sheji.2020.06.001

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Photo by Hugo Rocha on Unsplash

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This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

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The Social Procurement Manual

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This manual is a practical guide to integrating social businesses into corporate value chains created by Yunus Social Business as a part of research series “Business as Usual“. 

What is social procurement?

We de-ladder fine ‘Social Procurement’ as the purchase of goods and services by companies from social businesses. Through social procurement, companies integrate social businesses into their supply chains with the explicit intention of creating social or environmental impact through their procurement. Social Procurement enables companies to drive impact directly via their supply chains (‘do good’ approach), extending beyond awareness building and mitigating supply chain risks (‘do no harm approach’).

More about the background of the manual

Today, there are already many successful examples of commercial partnerships between large corporations and social businesses. For instance, IKEA began working with the Indian social business Rangsutra in 2013, procuring small batches of handcrafted cushions. Eight years on, Rangsutra provides IKEA with more than 400,000 pieces a year, working with 2,000 artisans under a model in which most of them are also shareholders of the social enterprise.

Inspired by these stories, we wanted to understand the range of challenges that both sides face when working with each other, and the practices that are key success factors for both business value and social/ environmental impacts. For this research, we conducted qualitative interviews with over forty corporate leaders, social entrepreneurs and intermediary organisations that have extensive experience in these partnerships (our sample composition is available in the Appendix). We then created a survey for our research participants to validate some of the assumptions that we extrapolated from our interviews and preliminary research.

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Our Social Procurement Manual is designed for companies who want to engage with the topic of Social Procurement. We share insights and frameworks to help them better understand the concept of Social Procurement, its value for corporations and the tools needed to create partnerships with social businesses more efficiently, increasing the impact on social businesses and corporate partners alike.

This publication has been prepared within SENBS project No. 2020- 1-EE01-KA204-077999. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

 

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Research paper / Social entrepreneurship education: changemaker training at the university

Social entrepreneurship education: changemaker training at the university.

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A study has been made to to contribute to the body of scientific knowledge about teaching and promoting social entrepreneurship in higher education institutions (HEIs) based on a measurement before and after concluding an educational experience. It indicated that incorporating transversal social entrepreneurship projects in various courses resulted in students feeling more capable regarding their social entrepreneurship potential.

Changemakers are active and resilient social entrepreneurs or innovators who can design and implement innovative solutions for social and environmental problems. Since 1980, Ashoka has been an example of a training platform for social entrepreneurs with a vision that goes beyond training, becoming a global community made up of the Ashoka Fellows.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) have increasingly been engaged in promoting education for social entrepreneurship. In recent years, several trends and pedagogical practices for social entrepreneurs’ training have emerged, bringing new challenges to the academic sector. HEIs are challenged to provide training in skills for the knowledge economy, develop creative thinking, promote entrepreneurship and make a social impact. Current university education must equip students to understand the new economy and react swiftly to its socioeconomic crises. Businesses and other organizations must be ready to mitigate social and environmental problems. Therefore, training programs should focus on students’ awareness of social welfare while developing business-and-public sector logic to implement problem-solving actions. Although studies investigate university best practices in social-entrepreneurial training, more studies are still needed.

You can download the paper HERE.

SOCENT EDU

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This publication has been prepared within SENBS project No. 2020- 1-EE01-KA204-077999. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

 

 

 

 

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“Theorizing On Social Enterprise Behaviors In Challenging Environments – Evidence From Five Social Cooperatives In Poland”

This content is delivered to you in the framework of the SEBS2 project co-funded by the Erasmus+, as our aim is to popularize social business and social entrepreneurship in the Baltic Sea Region.

 

We recommend great reading on polish social entrepreneurship sector by PhD Marzena Starnawska from Gdansk Technical University. Her paper:  THEORIZING ON SOCIAL ENTERPRISE BEHAVIORS IN CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENTS – EVIDENCE FROM FIVE SOCIAL COOPERATIVES IN POLAND concentrates on the following:THEORIZING ON SOCIAL ENTERPRISE BEHAVIORS IN CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENTS – EVIDENCE FROM FIVE SOCIAL COOPERATIVES IN POLAND

 

Entrepreneurial behaviour in challenging institutional environments have been widely investigated in the literature. One of the characteristics of these environments is resource scarcity. This is particularly valid in the context of social entrepreneurship and social enterprises. The aim of this paper is to identify entrepreneurial behaviours in social entrepreneurship and what is happening behind these processes in the context of transition country, against the backdrop of challenging environment and weak institutional framework in particular in Poland. We use a purposive sample of 5 social cooperatives, and report the data from several in-depth interviews with their representatives as well as an observation from the cooperatives. We have attempted to widen the existing categories on entrepreneurial behaviour namely boundary blurring and diversification, and discuss them in social entrepreneurship context.

 

Read the full text here: Theorizing on social enterprise behaviors in Poland

 

Marzena Starnawska, 2015.
"Theorizing On Social Enterprise Behaviors In Challenging Environments – Evidence From Five Social Cooperatives In Poland,"
GUT FME Working Paper Series A 28, Faculty of Management and Economics, Gdansk University of Technology.
<https://ideas.repec.org/p/gdk/wpaper/28.html>
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Sotsiaalse ettevõtluse tugisüsteemi analüüs

Tartu Ülikooli sotsiaalteaduslike rakendusuuringute keskus RAKE on koostanud sotsiaalse ettevõtluse tugisüsteemi uuringu (2017). Uuringus on analüüsitud nii Eesti kui ka teiste riikide sotsiaalse ettevõtluse tugisüsteeme ning on tehtud ettepanekud sotsiaalse ettevõtluse tugisüsteemi parendamiseks Eestis.

Uuringus on põhjalikult käsitletud olemasoleva tugisüsteemi elemente, sh regulatsioonid, juriidilised vormid, rahastusmeetmed, arenguprogrammid, võrgustikud jm.

Uuring on kättesaadav eesti keeles Riigikantselei kodulehel: https://riigikantselei.ee/sites/default/files/content-editors/Failid/kaust/sotsiaalse_ettevotlus_tugisysteem_rake.pdf.