Responsible innovation as a catalyst of the firm innovation process

Roadmap for Innovators in the Process of Innovation for Development

“…To deal with complexity and uncertainty in the innovation process, Iakovleva et al [19] proposed a conceptual framework of responsible innovation on the firm level. Responsible innovation can be considered as the purpose, process, and outcome of innovation [11,16].…”

“…Implementation of responsible innovation on the firm level requires the congruence between the purpose for the social benefits and outcomes of innovation. To be able to diffuse innovation in a responsible way, its purpose, process, and outcome with regard to ethical and responsible behavior should consider four elements: anticipation, inclusiveness, reflectiveness, and responsiveness [16,19]. Anticipation is necessary in the early stage of innovation activities to figure out those intended and unintended economic, social, and environmental impacts, and to identify ethical issues.…”

“…Responsiveness ensures the ability to demonstrate care and respect towards stakeholders and societal values. Thus, the process of participation and inclusion of relevant stakeholders becomes crucial during the whole activities of the innovation process [19].…”

“…These three basic functions are corresponding with the four elements of responsible innovation process [16] as discussed in the previous section. However, innovation brokers need to take social and ethical aspects into consideration while conducting innovation activities, and integrate the innovation process with the purpose and outcome of innovation as suggested in the conceptual framework of responsible innovation [19].…”

Innovating Responsibly—Challenges and Future Research Agendas

“…Especially at a time when there is growing recognition of global challenges such as poverty, inequality, aging population or availability of quality healthcare [1], responsible research and innovation (RRI) is suggested as a way to govern innovation development. The core principles of RRI suggest broader stakeholder inclusion during the decision-making process, anticipation of societal needs and reflection of concerns and a capacity to build flexibility into innovation wherever possible [2][3][4]. Aligning with these principles calls for new innovation policies [5,6] without which there may be problems; in particular the failure of institutions to include all layers of society into decisionmaking processes can lead to a sense of an individual powerlessness.…”