From practice to theory and back again: Exploring social innovation scaling processes through multiple lenses

Hughes, Jeffrey; Healy, John; Donnelly-Cox, Gemma

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore the theoretical underpinnings of social innovation, and the assumptions key actors make about how the process of social innovation ought to unfold. By studying the practice literature within the social innovation field, the paper develops three contrasting images of the scaling of social innovation and discusses the underlying archetypes of innovation from which these are derived. We identify three ways in which the scaling of social innovation is supported, and we propose that these reflect often underlying assumptions about the process(es) of social innovation. By grouping these into three broad conceptual framings and by making the underlying assumptions explicit we discuss how we can improve how social innovation is supported. We find that each image of social innovation provides a theoretical lens for understanding social innovation and that each individual lens both illuminates and obscures central aspects of social innovation. We suggest that the social innovation field draw more heavily from the field of public administration as it incorporates complexity, service-user voice, contestation, and the role of government into how it conceptualizes innovation and how scaling can best be supported.

Citation

Hughes, J., Healy, J., & Donnelly-Cox, G. (2023, November). From practice to theory and back again: Exploring social innovation scaling processes through multiple lenses. Paper presented at ISBE 2023, Birmingham

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: ISBE 2023
• Start Date: Nov 8, 2023
• End Date: Nov 10, 2023
• Acceptance Date: Oct 17, 2023
• Deposit Date: Jul 24, 2024
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2612298
• Publisher URL: https://www.isbe.org.uk/past-conferences/isbe-2023/