Social Dimensions of Innovation
Social dimensions of innovation? What’s that? First off, I’ll start by letting you know that innovation in and of itself has a big social element to it. Doesn’t answer much until we look at this; the process of every innovation involves social actors that come together to create a product or service that gets a job done for the user.
The user could be a singular individual, a group of people, an institution, a community, and even a whole nation. All of which are social entities. The solutions birthed through innovations are made for people, so they cannot be removed from the equation. In fact, innovation stems from a reaction to social problems.
As our society changes and develops, the challenges and needs we face change as well. We thrive on innovation to overcome these challenges and various members of the society are engaged throughout the process.
Now that all of that is said, if you have been following the series, you might have come across the term ‘social innovation’. I would simply define social innovation as endorsing new practices and methods to meet social needs.
The World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Social Innovation defines social innovation as “the application of innovative, practical, sustainable, market-based approaches to benefit society in general, and low-income or underserved populations in particular”. Social innovation could be in various forms such as ideas, models, structures, processes, systems, regulations, etc. Whatever form it takes, it requires a need for strategy, collaboration, and ambition to create new outcomes, processes, and outputs.
Why Is Social Innovation Important?
At the very core, social innovation is aimed at the welfare and the wellbeing of the society. It serves as a solution to long standing issues such as the need for better healthcare, lack of proper education, inequality, climate change and environmental degradation. These are issues which current institutions and policies have a hard time addressing. Every day, we are faced with a new array of challenges which cannot be solved the way they used to be. Yet, there have been little to no changes in our institutions and policies as regards to methods and practices.
Social innovation calls for collaboration and understanding between institutions and the users, the community and organization or government, etc. It stems from understanding the experience of the people and finding a way to improve it for their sustainability and wellbeing. This would give room for new ideas, perspectives, skills, and shared experiences which helps in providing solutions. Hence social innovation is important to overcome the obstacles of sustainable growth.
Social Innovation in Healthcare
In our last post on case studies, we saw how the people in Serenje, Zambia were able to substantially reduce cases of malaria by 96% through the introduction of new practices to their healthcare system. Despite the advance in medicines and diagnosis, a lot of people are still left behind hence the need to include practices to level out the boundaries through the engagement of health-system actors and community members.
Inclusion and collaboration of community participants have given rise to a smooth diffusion of healthcare resources and knowledge. Through newfound knowledge and practices, individuals within the society become better equipped on how to take a hold of their wellbeing. Social innovation can come into place in the delivery of healthcare services, diagnostics as well as the structure of the system.
Social Innovation in Education
As the population in Nigeria continues to rise and limited resources such as land become more limited, there are large numbers of children who are out of school, adults who have no form of education, and individuals who are forced to leave school. The issues surrounding education are vast, expense involved, availability of school to fit the population, availability of properly trained teachers, outdated curriculum, religious and cultural barriers, etc.
How do we tackle all these? Social innovation has challenged the approach to education. There are changes in how, when, and where to learn and it isn’t just limited to a select few. Involving everyone (parents, peers, skilled adults, and social networks) in the learning process and the introduction of informal avenues to learning has improved the lives of so many, those who were otherwise marginalized are now able to positively contribute to society.
Even more innovation is required in identifying what should be thought of and how to practically prepare high quality individuals for a dynamic world. The relationship between education and social innovation is such that education is an important foundation to innovation as social innovation is important to improve the accessibility and quality of education.
Social Innovation Within the Organizational Context
Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Chairman of the Nestlé Board puts it nicely, “We get our license to function from society, not the other way around. If we do not figure out how to address today’s social issues, then we will not have a company to run in the future”.
Stay Above the Tide
The capacity of an organization to adapt to its surroundings is critical to its success. An organization concerned with the wellbeing of the people is always aware of their arising needs and problems and finds a way to create products and services to meet those needs. In doing so, it makes it possible for a company to stay abreast of social concerns and be ahead of the competition. Redesigning and reevaluating working conditions are two ways organizations might pursue social innovation. Employers can find ways to enhance the daily lives of their employees by identifying common problems they encounter.
Build Trust and Value
It’s a common perception that businesses are mainly concerned with their pockets without concern for the effect on surrounding communities. Being concerned with the welfare of the society and contributing to its sustainable development helps build the trust and support of the surrounding community and stakeholders. What’s more? It also increases shareholders’ trust and attracts investors.
Attract Talent
In contrast to previous generations, today’s workers place a higher value on long-term sustainability than short-term profit maximization. According to Mind the gaps: The 2015 Deloitte Millennial survey, six out of ten millennials said that their current employer’s “sense of purpose” is a crucial influence on their choice to work at the organization.
Given that this generation has little loyalty to their current employers — two-thirds of those polled anticipated switching jobs by 2020. We can already see this come into play today. Hence it is important that businesses are attractive and remain attractive to retain and acquire talents to avoid incurring substantial turnover costs.
How to Socially Innovate
- Identify the problem
- Create a connection with your community
- Collaborate
- Take actions
Identify
The best place to start is always the place nearest to us. Observe structures and practices in place within your organization and community and think of a better way to go about it. It’s important to ask, “What can I do to efficiently improve the community around me?” The answer to this question would involve a better understanding of the target which brings us to the next point.
Connect
What better way to get answers than from the people at the forefront? It’s time to step out and connect with the people. It’s important to familiarize and create a platform for them to be open with you as much as possible.
Collaborate
Working together is great as it helps build strong relationships as well as lay the groundwork for diverse perspectives and skills. Once all those ideas are mixed, you’ll be sure to come up with a perfect personalized long-lasting solution.
Act
Create prototypes and run pilot tests to see how your idea might play out. Spot out areas that need improvement, need to be removed entirely or replaced. This would prevent wasting of resources on ideas that wouldn’t work or are not sustainable. Once you confirm that it passes the social innovation test, it’s time to bring it to life!
Social Innovation can happen anywhere, it requires collaboration between users and drivers of the innovation to create solutions specific to target users. Through social innovation, we can build sustainable societies and cities for future generations.
In the next article in this series, we will be looking at a new theme, Innovation, and the organization. We’ll delve into Innovation governance and best practices. If you would like to discuss new ways to think about your business model or start an innovation program, send us a message at hello@gumi.company.
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Mfonido
