Social innovation drivers in social enterprises: systematic review

Abstract

PurposeIdentify the drivers of social innovation (SI) that bring together the main management tools and approaches associated with the creation of SI in social enterprises (SEs).Design/methodology/approachA systematic review was developed in the Web of Science, Scopus and EBSCO databases, using the keywords: social innovation, social enterprise and management. After analysis of quality and application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 54 articles were selected for full analysis.FindingsSI process was systemised into four steps: mapping and development, consolidation, scaling up and evaluation. The drivers of SI were mapped and classified into three main factors: contextual, organisational and managerial.Practical implicationsIn organisational factors, business model was emphasised, as well as partnerships, participatory culture and intrapreneurship, adequate levels of bricolage and continuous learning. The management factors included the characteristics of the entrepreneur/innovator and managerial practices, where those that facilitate teamwork and the participation of all involved are best suited. In contextual factors, the highlight was the need for support from policy makers; community participation and demand for innovations that consider local context and usability.Originality/valueThis study connects previously scattered knowledge in a generic model of SI, highlighting routines and processes used, and provides a starting point for innovators and social entrepreneurs in the complex, uncertain and often unknown process of SI. Additionally, several research gaps were identified to be addressed by future research in the context of SI management.

Sustainable Business Model Innovation: An Umbrella Review

“…Connected to the notion of strong institutions and supportive government incentives and initiatives are the conditions necessary to foster sustainable business model innovation. Examples of such incentives and initiatives include environment taxes [25], directives to promote sustainable energy sources [46], efforts to reduce material consumption [11] and initiatives to collaborate and develop strategic relationships with businesses [67]. Further, strong institutions at the supranational level provide incentives to drive transformation.…”

“…This value ideation process [43] may also require significant co-creation and partnership capabilities because developing meaningful links to stakeholders is key to sustainable business model innovation [20,78]. Knowledge and talent management capabilities enable organisations to develop the necessary expertise and build capacity for business model adaptation or transformation [56,67]. A specific form of capacity building is the development of technological capabilities, including digital capabilities, lean and green capabilities and capabilities related to Industry 4.0 technologies [9,61].…”

“…Sustainability-oriented leaders create a shared vision [79], develop entrepreneurial and innovative competencies [58], drive collaborations with external stakeholders [63] and promote change [42] to transform organisations. Similarly, passionate employees with entrepreneurial and innovative mindsets [67] drive sustainability transformation by actively participating in the decision-making process and the development and implementation of sustainable business model innovations [25,67].…”

Exploring the Social Innovation Research Field Based on a Comprehensive Bibliometric Analysis

“…In some studies, bibliometric analyses were performed for a limited number of publications due to the selection of publications from only one research domain [85] or the selection of publications containing the term social innovation only in the title [86]. Furthermore, the purpose of some analyses was to explore relationships between social innovation and other terms, such as: sustainable development [87], entrepreneurship [88][89][90], nonprofit organization [91] or energy governance and transmission [92], which undoubtedly influenced the selection of the analyzed publications and the conclusions drawn on their basis. Another important issue is the fact that a significant part of recent publications presenting the results of descriptive bibliometric analyses and network analyses in the field of social innovation is based on publications published until 2018 [8,[93][94][95][96].…”

Understanding social innovation leadership in universities: empirical insights from a group concept mapping study

“…SI is used as an umbrella term to describe a range of initiatives and activities and to refer to new mechanisms for addressing social needs (e.g. social finance, social enterprises, social entrepreneurship) (de Souza João-Roland and Granados, 2020; Moulaert et al , 2017; Mulgan et al , 2007). Various organizational forms, such as networks, labs, hubs, and incubators, are seen to be distinctive parts of the SI “family” (Westley et al , 2014).…”