Howaldt/Wien September 2011 Sozialforschungsstelle Dortmund Central Scientific Institute 1 Shaping Social Innovation by Social Research Challenge Social

Howaldt/Wien September 2011

Sozialforschungsstelle DortmundCentral Scientific Institute

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Shaping Social Innovation by Social Research

Challenge Social Innovation

Parallel Session 2.5: Social sciences and social innovation

20th September 2011

Prof. Dr. Jürgen HowaldtSozialforschungsstelle Dortmund – TU Dortmund



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My Topics

I want to

outline the main characteristics of a sociologically enlightened new paradigm of innovation

touch upon the increasing relevance of social innovation as important part of the new innovation paradigm

provide a definition of social innovation

draft the possible new role of social sciences



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Basic assumption

Transition from an industrial to a knowledge and services-based society corresponds to a paradigm shift of the innovation system.

This paradigm shift also implies an increasing importance of social innovation as compared to technological innovation.



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Main characteristics

Co-ordination and mediation between different groups of stakeholders involved in innovation activities

Interdisciplinarity, heterogeneity and reflectivity of the processes of creation

Emphasis on historical, cultural and organizational preconditions

Increased involvement of users/citizens in processes of “co-development”



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Social Innovation moves from the margins to the mainstream

At the start of 2009 President Obama announced the establishment of a new “Office for Social Innovation at the White House“ and allocated USD 50million to a fund for social innovation.The Fund will focus on priority policy areas, including education, health care, and economic opportunity.



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Social Innovation

a new combination or new configuration of social practices

in certain areas of action or social contexts

prompted by certain actors or constellations of actors

in an intentional targeted manner with the goal of better satisfying or answering needs and problems than is possible on the basis of established practices

socially accepted and diffused widely throughout society or in certain societal sub-areas

finally institutionalized as a new social practice



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In this light innovation can be understood

“as a process of collective creation, in the course of which the members of a particular total population learn, i.e. invent and establish, new ways of playing the social game of collaboration and conflict, in a word a new social practice, and in the course of which they acquire the necessary … abilities to do this.”

(Crozier/Friedberg 1993)



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Areas of social innovation

civil society: the increase in the significance of cohabitation or the environmental movement

state action: the introduction of social security and national insurance

business world: the advent of assembly line work, knowledge management and fast food chains

(cf. Gillwald 2000)



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In recent years, social science research has contributed largely to developing the social preconditions for innovations and the social character of innovation processes.

The social sciences have analysed the innovation process.

But the question regarding their contribution to the development and organization of innovations remains open.



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Division of Labor

"Natural and engineering sciences are different than social sciences and the arts primarily in that the former produce innovations or the prerequisites for innovations while the latter reflects on the emergence, the implementation and the success of innovation or also seek to explain the process”

(Blättel-Mink 2006, 31).



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Zapf emphasizes that it is precisely the application-oriented "tools for making decisions [delivered by the social sciences] – forecasts, incremental planning, social experiments, evaluation, practices for mobilization and motivation – (…) that [can] indeed enhance the ability of modern societies to solve problems and direct themselves" (Ibid.: 183).



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Potential contributions the social sciences can make to social innovation:

Decision-making help (survey research, personality tests, advisors risks and technology repercussions, human resources planning, etc.)

Sources of social technologies (quality compass, co- determination model, group therapy)

Approaches for general theory in order to better understand innovation and productivity

(Zapf 1989: 182 et seq.)



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The core competence of the social sciences in innovation activities lies in the shaping of social contexts in which

the exchange of knowledge circulates between problem-solvers, experts, key users and the users of various sub-systems in society,

and learning processes can be initiated

(cf. Gustavsen 2005)



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Social Innovation is to be

"regarded as the interface point between sociological reflection and social action as it requires reflecting on social problems and intentional action."

Kesselring and Leitner (2008, p. 14 et seq.)



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Main characteristics of research projects

Orientation towards being useful by solving specific practical problems

Problem development and definition as a process of consensus building and negotiation

Problem solving and knowledge production in the framework of cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional networks

New approaches, methods and tools of working

Multi-dimensional criteria of evaluation



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“More than a few social scientists believe that a stronger emphasis on application and innovation would give their discipline a better status, better career opportunities and greater relevance.”

(Zapf 1989)



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[email protected]

Social Innovation: Concepts, Research Fields and International TrendsStudies for Innovation in a Modern Working Environment 5

Jürgen Howaldt/Michael Schwarz

Documents

Howaldt/Wien September 2011 Sozialforschungsstelle Dortmund Central Scientific Institute 1 Shaping Social Innovation by Social Research Challenge Social