Transformative social innovation narrative of the Ecovillage of Schloss Tempelhof (original) (raw)
Social Enterprise Journal, 2021
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the applicability of the complexity-based temporary innovation system (TIS) framework to social innovation and examine the extent to which “nature-based solution” (NBS) projects may be understood through a TIS lens. It is proposed that TIS provides a framework to facilitate multi-actor engagement in social innovation responses to the complexity of wicked problems? The goal is to explore if TIS provides a useful framework for understanding the evolution of social innovation projects and enabling more consciously designed and facilitated social innovation with the potential for large-scale, long-term impact. Design/methodology/approach The research uses a case study methodology in which 10 NBS projects in 3 European cities are examined and compared to the expected features of a TIS as proposed by anonymised for the review process (2018; 2019) Findings Of the 10 NBS projects, only 3 were “TIS-like”, each of which was targeting wicked prob...
Towards a sustainable development through eco-innovation
Eco-innovation plays an important role in the implementation of sustainable development. The overall objective of eco-innovation is to reduce impact on the environment, as well as to create new market opportunities, products, services or processes aimed at improving environmental performance. Eco-innovation generates changes not only in companies but also in their environment, i.e. within existing socio-cultural norms and institutional structures. The aim of this article is to identify how eco-innovations can support sustainable development, as well as to analyze the possibilities and limitations of their implementation in Poland. The study shows that eco-innovations are interpreted in literature, not only-in general-as a tool for sustainable development, but also in terms of process and as a source of ecological and economic effects. The results of this analysis indicate that eco-innovation is a tool for sustainable development at the enterprise, society and state levels, which should be applied throughout the product or service life-cycle in order to contribute to the achievement of economic and environmental benefits. Its implementation is dependent on numerous drivers and barriers. In order to overcome current difficulties, significant support from the state is required because ecoinnovations are associated with multiple barriers independent of companies. Eco-innovations can be supported by changes in the economic-political system.
European Journal of Innovation Management, 2011
Purpose -The study, which compares the success factors for eco-innovations with those factors for other innovations, is intended to improve understanding of how eco-innovations achieve market success. Design/methodology/approach -A case study design is used. Six eco-innovations cases and six other innovations cases are compared. Data were obtained mainly from interviews with the eco-innovators and the other innovators, written materials about the innovations, and secondary data from an earlier quantitative study. Findings -The study shows that there are both similarities and differences in the success factors for the two types of innovations. One similarity is that a network with diverse competences supports successful innovators. However, for eco-innovators the network is used more for solving technological problems. Other innovators use the network to a greater extent for assistance with financing and marketing. In addition, eco-innovators have greater difficulty than other innovators in attracting venture capital for development.
Embedding Radical Innovations in Society
The research project Condecol , Exploring the Conditions for Adapting Existing Techno-Industrial Processes to Ecological Premises, is structured as a multi-disciplinary study of the conditions for moving existing production and consumption patterns in the direction of sustainable development. This will be achieved by working closely with industry and by focusing on cases of technology and product development by industrial partners as an empirical basis for identifying factors that may hinder or promote innovation and the diffusion of new technologies with a high eco-efficiency potential. The aim of the project is to gain a deeper understanding of the barriers to and possibilities for the industrial transformation of production, distribution and consumption in order to design business strategies that can successfully introduce these new technologies and products in the market. This report serves as background and input to the CondEcol project by providing an analytical framework for the study of radical innovations and their embedding in society: the sociotechnical approach. In a first section some of the key elements of this approach are outlined by elaborating on its theoretical underpinnings. The following section provides an overview of Dutch research on environmental innovations and assesses the complementary insights to the sociotechnical approach generated by these studies . This is followed by a further specification of the sociotechnical approach and its key elements in the context of the CondEcol project and of core variables in the emergence and development of alternative systems of production and consumption. A final section suggests a sequence of steps to be taken for the CondEcol project.
The world is growing ever more complex and is facing huge problems like aging societies, energy scarcity and increasing demand for healthcare. To meet these challenges we require new types of systemic solutions, based on a holistic, integrative and multi-dimensional approach. The good news is that the world is moving towards a knowledge economy, which is a suitable basis for developing the solutions for these challenges (Brand & Rocchi, 2011). Yet this in itself presents a new issue; we have to learn to design in a different way, creating ecosystems of interconnected products, services and solutions that can be accessed wherever and whenever users desire. These ecosystems need to offer a meaningful, relevant and coherent experience for the end-user. However, it is no longer possible for a company (or one part of it) to understand all facets of these ecosystems, let alone create meaningful experiences for end-users. In addition, it is evident that these experiences will be delivered by different players, such as businesses, governmental organizations and NGOs. No single entity has all the answers. We therefore need to work towards co-creation. At Philips Design we are in the process of changing our way of working to support this process. We believe that innovation is inherently driven by true collaboration from the onset, and that design thinking is a suitable methodology for facilitating this process. You could say we are innovating innovation, by not only focusing on new ideas, which is the focus of a lot of current innovation literature, but also by developing new ways of working as well as new competences at the same time. With this publication we aim to share the progress we have made so far, stimulate the debate on developing new ways of working and inspire third parties to join us on this journey.
A dialectic on innovation and sustainability
International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development, 2019
This paper discusses concepts of social and technological innovation in order to analyse their relations and contradictions. After a long period in which innovation was related to social processes, it has been related to technological and economic development in the last century. Social innovation as a concept has acquired a restrictive meaning, being defined by many as actions to combat social exclusions and environmental degradation promoted by technological innovation. This study suggests a concept for innovation and its influence upon environmental sustainability through a bibliographical analysis that demonstrates how innovation processes are techno-socially related. It uses an analytic matrix that allows to compare these concepts to understand how socio-technical innovations promote environmental, social and economical sustainability. At the end, it recommends more studies to determine and measure the innovative sustainable practices of an organisation in both the social and technological spheres.
Good Practices in the Field of Eco-Innovation in the Podkarpackie Province
Humanities and Social Sciences quarterly, 2013
The article refers to the concept of sustainable development and eco-innovation. Strengthening the regional economy and building their competitive advantage based on innovation and knowledge are the directions of contemporary development policy of the European Union, expressed in the "Europe 2020" strategy. One of the instruments for the implementation of sustainable development are eco-innovations. As a direct result of the implementation of eco-innovations is the fact that they bring some positive effects on the environment, and in relation to the organization-they bring tangible benefits (such as reducing the consumption of energy and raw materials, increasing resource efficiency, better and cheaper waste management, improving the image of the organization). In Poland, a large part of the economic structure is traditional material-and energy-intensive industrial sectors. Implementation of the modern environmental technologies is becoming a major challenge for the region. The authors of the article present examples of implementation of good eco-innovative solutions for enterprises operating in the Podkarpackie Province. The presented examples show that the implementation of eco-innovations significantly affect the competitiveness of the company and thus also the competitiveness of the region in which the companies operate. High competitive position could in fact be achieved through innovation, at the level of companies, regions and entire economies.