Social innovation

The term "social innovation" in its modern meaning is associated with the name of Muhammad Yunus , the author of the concept of microcredits, the Nobel Peace Prize winner for saving millions of people from poverty.

Innovation is one of the common social processes associated with the transition to a different state and accompanied by an absolute revision of obsolete provisions and norms, the formation of new group communities.

Social innovation was mentioned in the writings of prominent figures such as Michael Young (founder of the Open University and a dozen other organizations) and Peter Drucker in the 1960s. In the 1970s, the term social innovation began to be used by French authors, in particular Jacques Fournier , Jacques Atalli and Pierre Rosanwallon . However, social innovations and their manifestations appeared long before that. For example, Benjamin Franklin , proposed a number of modifications related to the social organization of communities, and with their help they could solve their everyday tasks. Many radical reformers of the 19th century, for example, Robert Owen , who is considered the founder of the cooperative movement, contributed to social transformation, and the greatest sociologists, Max Weber , Karl Marx and Emil Durkheim drew attention to a variety of processes associated with social change.

Research on social innovation became quite popular in the 20th century. Joseph Schumpeter , for example, studied innovative processes in the light of his theory of “creative destruction” and proposed to consider the activities of entrepreneurs as using existing things to create new products and services in other modern ways. In the works devoted to technological changes, since the 1980s, more attention has been paid to social factors and their impact on the diffusion of technology.

1) By the degree of coverage of social factors:

• comprehensive;

• local.

2) In the areas of public life:

• political;

• economic;

• innovations in the cultural and spiritual sphere;

• innovations in the social sphere.

3) According to the implementation period:

• strategic;

• tactical.

4) According to the components of the social sphere of the organization:

• staff;

• working conditions;

• organizational culture;

• social infrastructure.

5) Depending on the implementation environment:

• internal;

• external.

6) According to the form of implementation:

• material;

• organizational;

• cultural.

7) By scale of use:

• single social innovations carried out at one facility;

• diffuse, distributed to many objects.

8) depending on the final goal:

• innovations aimed at updating the principle of implementation of activities;

• innovations aimed at creating a new product of activity.

Social innovation is crucial for economic development and improving the quality of life of people in big cities

• According to a study by Frost & Sullivan in collaboration with Hitachi Europe Ltd., by 2020, 56% of the world's population will live in an urban environment, and by 2025 more than 35 cities will become gigantic megacities .
• By 2025, 26 “smart” cities will appear in the world, and by 2020, the technology market for smart cities will reach a phenomenal volume of 1.57 trillion. US $

“Social innovation” means the deployment of technologies and new business models to improve the quality of life of people and social infrastructure in accordance with global mega-trends. The goal is to achieve sustainable development of society in which the satisfaction of environmental and economic needs is carried out in a balanced manner. The report contains information on how it is possible to capitalize on the social innovation market, and provides recommendations on assessing the impact of innovation on the level of convenience, welfare, choice for citizens, as well as reducing stress and increasing the level of security in society. A detailed report can be studied here. ^[2]

By 2020, 56% of the world's population will live in cities. By 2025, more than 35 cities around the world will become giant megacities. This creates the need for new innovative solutions, and it is here that social innovation comes to the fore. Development is being actively carried out in this area, but little has been done to determine this concept and evaluate its potential impact on the global economy and the quality of life of people.

“A business can help achieve sustainable development as well as balanced environmental, social and economic needs,” said Dieter Rennert, Executive Director of Hitachi Europe Ltd. “However, it is necessary that the business strategy of social innovation be based on measurable indicators of impact on society.”

According to the study, there are five mega-trends and, accordingly, five areas in which social innovation can help solve the challenges facing humanity.

• Urbanization . By 2025, as a result of mass migration, more than 35 cities around the world will turn into giant megacities and, accordingly, large economic centers. Megacities along with the suburbs will form mega-regions, mega-corridors or mega-slums. Cities of the future will have several business centers, and developers will build buildings taking into account the inevitable future changes. The redistribution of wealth will lead to significant economic inequality within the city.
• Intelligence as a new environmental friendliness. Green products and services will increasingly be improved or even replaced by smart products and services. The Internet of Things will bring together more than 80 billion devices worldwide. Intelligent digital technology will be a key factor in efficiency and sustainability. Smart, environmentally sustainable cities will be built “from scratch” using the latest eco-innovations to reduce energy consumption and improve all aspects of human life. By 2025, 26 such smart cities will appear in the world; the volume of the corresponding market will be 1.57 trillion. US $ by 2020
• Energy Urbanization and the pursuit of energy security determine the development of energy, but the future of this industry will not entirely depend on the choice of energy carriers. Rising energy costs and attention to environmental issues have become a catalyst for innovations in the field of energy efficiency management, such as smart grids, which provide control, visualization of infrastructure and, as a result, more environmentally friendly, reliable and intelligent energy consumption.
• Mobile technology. Urbanization and modern communications have a significant impact on urban mobility and logistics . Companies that position themselves as partners and service providers for cities offer attractive business and investment prospects. According to forecasts, by 2020, nearly 1 million parking lots will be equipped with parking space management systems that provide drivers with the information they need in real time. About 26.2 million people will use car sharing services, and the number of such cars will reach 450,000. In the period 2010–2020. Worldwide, more than $ 500 billion will be spent on high-speed rail lines. Their total length will be more than 70,000 km. Railway networks will connect not only cities and countries, but even continents. In 2035, a train ride from London to Beijing will become a reality.
• Healthcare A shift in focus from treatment to disease prevention through timely diagnosis will reduce treatment costs from 70% in 2007 to 56% by 2020. Smart drugs, virtual hospitals and electronic documents will change the face of healthcare. A key element of such a program will be innovation aimed at meeting the needs of a particular patient. In developed countries - despite the requirements of patients - changes in the field of legislation and the provision of medical services are slow, while in developing countries new business models are created that focus on meeting the specific needs of patients through cost-effective innovative developments.

“Companies from various industries today recognize that innovation is not only a strategic tool for making a profit, but an opportunity to help solve the global challenges facing humanity,” said John Raspin, Frost & Sullivan. - Social innovations have a huge impact on the quality of human life, not to mention their environmental benefits. With their help, people will be able to solve pressing problems - it is this real benefit to a real person that makes social innovation such an important and popular area. ”

The concept of social innovation as a technology that can help meet a range of social needs is not new, but different companies look at this phenomenon differently. Some companies have a partnership approach, working with non-governmental organizations and civil society through independent programs, while others use innovation to develop local infrastructure. However, regardless of the definition, the study revealed one general theme related to social innovation - convergence. Convergence of technology, industries, products, and business models. Representatives of different sectors, which in the past worked in isolation from each other, are now joining forces to create innovative products and services that help in the development of society.

Thus, modern innovations should be aimed at supporting economic progress, protecting the environment and developing society. It is such innovations that are truly socially important.

Saving paper ( Russia ): ^[3]

One of the employees of the Russian printing house began to notice that a large amount of unnecessary paper was simply thrown away after the end of the working day. He began to collect this paper and make inexpensive notebooks, jewelry, original notebooks out of it, attracting mothers of many children to work.

School Grandfathers ( Sweden ): ^[4]

In Sweden, about 1,000 unemployed men between the ages of 50 and 65 began to go to school - but not as teachers. They became participants in the project "school grandfathers" and participate in the life of the school, helping children and teachers. The School Grandfathers Initiative was launched in a small Swedish town in 1996, and today it is a national organization with 10 offices located in different parts of the country. This initiative benefited not only the school grandfathers themselves, who began to actively participate in society and felt useful, but also teachers who have become easier to work with. Some "school grandfathers" generally took up a permanent job. Teachers often lack experience in conflict prevention, and with the help of “grandfathers” the situation in the school improves and the children behave better in the classroom.

One of the keys to the success of this initiative, as the founders of the project admitted, is that from the very beginning the project was supported by school principals, teachers and employment centers.

The Big Newspaper ( United Kingdom ): ^[5]

Bolshaya Gazeta is one of the most successful projects in the UK where one organization produces a professional magazine and sells it to the homeless for half the price, and they sell it to passers-by on the street at full price. This project helps the homeless to develop important skills, adapt in society and continue to find work.

The Big Newspaper has become a large-scale project. Newspaper sellers can be seen daily in all UK cities. This is a good example of how an idea can become the foundation of a large national social enterprise.

“Save Food ” ( Finland ) ^[6] :

In Finland, a project called “Save Food” has appeared, the idea of ​​the project is to unite those who need food with those who are willing to share excess food. For this, a special mobile application was created that combines those who need free food (students, large families) with people who have excess food.

• Social Innovation , Center for Social Innovation
• Innovative social technologies (inaccessible link) (inaccessible link from 06/14/2016 [1218 days]) , Encyclopedia of Sociology
• Nagornova A.Yu. Social Innovation: A textbook for students majoring in Social Work . - Ulyanovsk: UlSU, 2003 .-- 87 p.