An increase in societal challenges is creating more pressure for the public service to meet the needs of its citizens and from the society in general. The greatest challenges that Piteå kommun face are the ageing population and the need of competence provision. This essay aims to examine how Piteå kommun utilizes social innovation. The empiric material has been collected through a series of semi-structured interviews conducted with key figures in Piteå kommun who are well versed in the use of social innovation. The theoretical framework, from which the analysis is based on, is based on Murray, Caulier-Grice och Mulgan’s (2010) theory of the social innovation process. The main results show that the informants share aconsistent view of what an innovation friendly climate should consist of, but how to get there is blurry and difficult to put in to words. The result also show that a politically governed organization faces a challenge when it comes to long-term efforts of social innovation since systematic change is dependent of a stable innovation process to get substantial effect. Among the informants, and in earlier research, social innovation is attributed a wide meaning which can either leads to boosted creativity and ideas or create uncertainty and a disinclination to make use of social innovation in different workplaces since the term seems unfamiliar. Suggestions for further research is examining and comparison of the utilization of social innovation in other municipalities. Another area that can be researched further is how the social innovation process is featured in the nonprofit sector and the private sector, which can lead to insights in how the sectors can collaborate between each other more easily. / De ökade samhällsutmaningarna ställer större krav på offentlig sektor att möta medborgarnas och samhällets behov. De största utmaningarna som Piteå kommun står inför är den åldrande befolkningen och behovet av kompetensförsörjning. Den här uppsatsen har som syfte att undersöka arbetet med social innovation i Piteå kommun. Det empiriska materialet har samlats in genom semi-strukturerade intervjuer med nyckelpersoner inom Piteå kommun som har insyn i innovationsarbetet. Den teoretiska utgångspunkten som utgör grund för analysenär Murray, Caulier-Grice och Mulgans (2010) teori om den sociala innovationsprocessen. De huvudsakliga resultaten visar att informanterna delar en överensstämmande bild över vad ett innovationsvänligt klimat bör innehålla, men att vägen dit är diffus och svårt att beskriva.Resultatet visar även att en politiskt styrd organisation har en utmaning då det gäller att satsa långsiktigt på social innovation, då systematiska förändringar är beroende av en stabil innovationsprocess för att få reell effekt. Bland informanterna och i tidigare forskning finns det en bred tolkning av termen social innovation, vilket antingen kan sporra kreativitet och idérikedom eller skapa osäkerhet och ovilja att jobba med social innovation i olika verksamheter då begreppet är främmande. Förslag till vidare forskning är undersökning och jämförelse av andra kommuners arbete med social innovation för att analysera hur den sociala innovationsprocessen ser ut i andra kommuners organisationer. Ett annat område som kan undersökas ytterligare är hur den sociala innovationsprocessen ser ut i idéburen sektor och privata sektorn, för att på så sätt lättare kunna se vilka samverkansmöjligheter som finns mellan sektorerna.

Mesmo com os avanços tecnológicos e comerciais feitos pelos seres humanos ao longo do tempo, ainda persistem diversos desafios de ordem social e ambiental. O desenvolvimento de inovações sociais torna-se uma alternativa para suplantar parte destes desafios, visto que podem solucionar as necessidades de parte dos indivíduos de uma dada sociedade. O Centre de Recherche sur les Innovations Sociales (CRISES) é um dos centros que realiza pesquisas a respeito das inovações sociais, destacando suas diversas dimensões de análise. Um dos focos de pesquisa deste centro está na Economia Social da província de Quebec, no Canadá. No Brasil, a Economia Solidária vem crescendo significativamente, e o artesanato é um dos setores de destaque no número de empreendimentos coletivos ligados a esta Economia. No Rio Grande do Sul, os empreendimentos econômicos solidários de artesanato são organizados de diferentes formas, sendo alguns deles induzidos por organizações geridas com recursos públicos, enquanto que outros são constituídos pelos próprios artesãos. Por outro lado, o conceito de inovação social geralmente é abordado de maneira superficial na literatura das Ciências Sociais, e ainda existem, no Brasil, poucos estudos a respeito desta modalidade de inovação na área de Administração. Desta forma, o objetivo deste estudo é o de analisar como as dimensões de inovação social, do modelo idealizado pelo CRISES, se refletem nas diferentes formas de organização de empreendimentos econômicos solidários do setor de artesanato gaúcho. A revisão de literatura versou sobre inovações sociais e sobre organizações de Economia Solidária. Foram realizados seis estudos de caso em empreendimentos econômicos solidários do setor de artesanato gaúcho. Os dados primários foram coletados por meio de entrevistas semi-estrututuradas e de anotações no diário de campo. Já os dados secundários foram provenientes de documentos, artigos e websites. A análise dos dados foi feita de acordo com a revisão de literatura do presente estudo. Os resultados evidenciaram grande parte dos elementos das dimensões de inovação social descritas no modelo desenvolvido por autores do CRISES. A análise destas dimensões, nos casos pesquisados, apresentou similaridades e diferenças tanto entre elas quanto quando comparadas às do modelo estabelecido pelo CRISES. De forma geral, os empreendimentos pesquisados foram desenvolvidos a partir de contextos problemáticos, passaram por fases de tentativa e de experimento, as quais foram institucionalizadas, e tais empreendimentos se tornaram modelos de desenvolvimento emergente. Estes empreendimentos também contemplaram a necessidade da coletividade e o bem comum. Diversos atores foram identificados na formação destes empreendimentos, sendo que todos contaram com atores titulares da ideia, financiadores, apoiadores e usuários. A mobilização e a participação dos atores também foram representativas, bem como a aprendizagem gerada pelo processo de desenvolvimento das inovações sociais pesquisadas. Este processo envolveu restrições que geraram incerteza e tensão nos artesãos. Ainda, o processo foi feito por meio da integração e da parceria entre os atores, e ocorreu a difusão das soluções desenvolvidas para outros contextos. Desta forma, o presente estudo contribui para a análise do conceito de inovação social em empreendimentos econômicos solidários do Brasil. / Even with the technological and commercial advances made by human kind over time, there still exist too many social and environmental challenges. The development of social innovations becomes a relevant alternative to overcome some of these challenges, as they can fulfill the needs of a number of the involved individuals. The Centre de Recherche sur les Innovations Sociales (CRISES) is one of the centers that carries out some researches on social innovations, highlighting their dimensions of analysis. One of the researching focus of this center is Social Economy in the Quebec province, in Canada. In Brazil, Solidarity Economy has grown significantly, and handicraft is one of the main sectors which involves collective enterprises linked to this kind of economy. In the state of Rio Grande do Sul, handicraft solidarity enterprises are organized according to different patterns. Some of them were induced by organizations managed with public funds, while others are made up by artisans. On the other hand, the concept of social innovation is usually addressed just in a superficial manner in the social science literature. There are too few studies regarding this type of innovation in the Brazilian business academic area. Thus, the aim of this study is to examine how the dimensions of social innovation established at the framework developed by the CRISES centre are reflected in the different patterns of organization of solidarity enterprises in the handicraft sector of Rio Grande do Sul (RS). The literature review was about social innovations and Solidarity Economy organizations. To achieve the proposed objective, were carried out case studies at six handicraft solidarity enterprises of RS. Primary data were collected through semi-structured interviews and field notes. Secondary data were gathered from documents, articles and websites. The collected data were then analyzed according to the literature review. The results have shown most of the elements of the social innovation dimensions described on the model developed by authors of the CRISES. The analysis made on these dimensions has shown, in the studied cases, similarities and differences, both among themselves and when they were compared to the ones described on the model established by the CRISES. In the main, the enterprises analyzed were developed from problematic contexts, and went through phases of trial and experiment, which were institutionalized, becoming models of emerging development. These enterprises were also concerned with the collective needs and the common good. Several actors were identified in the enterprises formation, and all of them had actors who hold the idea, donors, supporters and users. The involvement and participation of the actors were also most significant, as well as the apprenticeship enabled by the development process of the social innovations researched. This process involved some restrictions which caused uncertainty and tension amidst the artisans. Moreover, the process has occurred by means of integration and partnership of actors, and the attained solutions were diffused to other contexts. Thus, the present study contributes to the analysis of the social innovation concept in Brazilian solidarity enterprises.

Mesmo com os avanços tecnológicos e comerciais feitos pelos seres humanos ao longo do tempo, ainda persistem diversos desafios de ordem social e ambiental. O desenvolvimento de inovações sociais torna-se uma alternativa para suplantar parte destes desafios, visto que podem solucionar as necessidades de parte dos indivíduos de uma dada sociedade. O Centre de Recherche sur les Innovations Sociales (CRISES) é um dos centros que realiza pesquisas a respeito das inovações sociais, destacando suas diversas dimensões de análise. Um dos focos de pesquisa deste centro está na Economia Social da província de Quebec, no Canadá. No Brasil, a Economia Solidária vem crescendo significativamente, e o artesanato é um dos setores de destaque no número de empreendimentos coletivos ligados a esta Economia. No Rio Grande do Sul, os empreendimentos econômicos solidários de artesanato são organizados de diferentes formas, sendo alguns deles induzidos por organizações geridas com recursos públicos, enquanto que outros são constituídos pelos próprios artesãos. Por outro lado, o conceito de inovação social geralmente é abordado de maneira superficial na literatura das Ciências Sociais, e ainda existem, no Brasil, poucos estudos a respeito desta modalidade de inovação na área de Administração. Desta forma, o objetivo deste estudo é o de analisar como as dimensões de inovação social, do modelo idealizado pelo CRISES, se refletem nas diferentes formas de organização de empreendimentos econômicos solidários do setor de artesanato gaúcho. A revisão de literatura versou sobre inovações sociais e sobre organizações de Economia Solidária. Foram realizados seis estudos de caso em empreendimentos econômicos solidários do setor de artesanato gaúcho. Os dados primários foram coletados por meio de entrevistas semi-estrututuradas e de anotações no diário de campo. Já os dados secundários foram provenientes de documentos, artigos e websites. A análise dos dados foi feita de acordo com a revisão de literatura do presente estudo. Os resultados evidenciaram grande parte dos elementos das dimensões de inovação social descritas no modelo desenvolvido por autores do CRISES. A análise destas dimensões, nos casos pesquisados, apresentou similaridades e diferenças tanto entre elas quanto quando comparadas às do modelo estabelecido pelo CRISES. De forma geral, os empreendimentos pesquisados foram desenvolvidos a partir de contextos problemáticos, passaram por fases de tentativa e de experimento, as quais foram institucionalizadas, e tais empreendimentos se tornaram modelos de desenvolvimento emergente. Estes empreendimentos também contemplaram a necessidade da coletividade e o bem comum. Diversos atores foram identificados na formação destes empreendimentos, sendo que todos contaram com atores titulares da ideia, financiadores, apoiadores e usuários. A mobilização e a participação dos atores também foram representativas, bem como a aprendizagem gerada pelo processo de desenvolvimento das inovações sociais pesquisadas. Este processo envolveu restrições que geraram incerteza e tensão nos artesãos. Ainda, o processo foi feito por meio da integração e da parceria entre os atores, e ocorreu a difusão das soluções desenvolvidas para outros contextos. Desta forma, o presente estudo contribui para a análise do conceito de inovação social em empreendimentos econômicos solidários do Brasil. / Even with the technological and commercial advances made by human kind over time, there still exist too many social and environmental challenges. The development of social innovations becomes a relevant alternative to overcome some of these challenges, as they can fulfill the needs of a number of the involved individuals. The Centre de Recherche sur les Innovations Sociales (CRISES) is one of the centers that carries out some researches on social innovations, highlighting their dimensions of analysis. One of the researching focus of this center is Social Economy in the Quebec province, in Canada. In Brazil, Solidarity Economy has grown significantly, and handicraft is one of the main sectors which involves collective enterprises linked to this kind of economy. In the state of Rio Grande do Sul, handicraft solidarity enterprises are organized according to different patterns. Some of them were induced by organizations managed with public funds, while others are made up by artisans. On the other hand, the concept of social innovation is usually addressed just in a superficial manner in the social science literature. There are too few studies regarding this type of innovation in the Brazilian business academic area. Thus, the aim of this study is to examine how the dimensions of social innovation established at the framework developed by the CRISES centre are reflected in the different patterns of organization of solidarity enterprises in the handicraft sector of Rio Grande do Sul (RS). The literature review was about social innovations and Solidarity Economy organizations. To achieve the proposed objective, were carried out case studies at six handicraft solidarity enterprises of RS. Primary data were collected through semi-structured interviews and field notes. Secondary data were gathered from documents, articles and websites. The collected data were then analyzed according to the literature review. The results have shown most of the elements of the social innovation dimensions described on the model developed by authors of the CRISES. The analysis made on these dimensions has shown, in the studied cases, similarities and differences, both among themselves and when they were compared to the ones described on the model established by the CRISES. In the main, the enterprises analyzed were developed from problematic contexts, and went through phases of trial and experiment, which were institutionalized, becoming models of emerging development. These enterprises were also concerned with the collective needs and the common good. Several actors were identified in the enterprises formation, and all of them had actors who hold the idea, donors, supporters and users. The involvement and participation of the actors were also most significant, as well as the apprenticeship enabled by the development process of the social innovations researched. This process involved some restrictions which caused uncertainty and tension amidst the artisans. Moreover, the process has occurred by means of integration and partnership of actors, and the attained solutions were diffused to other contexts. Thus, the present study contributes to the analysis of the social innovation concept in Brazilian solidarity enterprises.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / A presente pesquisa teve por objetivo a anÃlise de dimensÃes da inovaÃÃo social. Adotou-se, como cenÃrio especÃfico, parte da regiÃo semiÃrida localizada no Estado do CearÃ, nordeste do Brasil. Foram investigados os trabalhos desenvolvidos pela AgÃncia de Desenvolvimento EconÃmico Local (Adel), organizaÃÃo voltada à promoÃÃo do desenvolvimento no semiÃrido cearense. Como referÃncia base para a investigaÃÃo, utilizou-se o quadro sÃntese de dimensÃes da inovaÃÃo social elaborado por Tardif e Harrisson (2005), pesquisadores ligados ao Centre de Recherce sur les Innovations Sociales (CRISES), instituiÃÃo canadense referÃncia no campo da inovaÃÃo social. Na literatura sobre o tema sÃo encontradas diversas conceituaÃÃes e classificaÃÃes, devido a isso se pode afirmar que âinovaÃÃo socialâ à um conceito em construÃÃo. Entretanto, as definiÃÃes apresentadas relacionam-se em sua essÃncia quando destacado o objetivo principal desse tipo de inovaÃÃo, que à a melhoria da qualidade de vida dos indivÃduos. Para fins desta pesquisa, utilizou-se a definiÃÃo apontada pelo CRISES (2012), segundo o qual a inovaÃÃo social diz respeito a um processo iniciado por atores com o objetivo de responder a uma aspiraÃÃo social, atender a uma necessidade, oferecer uma soluÃÃo ou beneficiar-se de uma oportunidade para mudar as relaÃÃes sociais, transformando um cenÃrio ou propondo novas orientaÃÃes culturais para a melhoria da qualidade e das condiÃÃes de vida da comunidade. No sentido de atingir o objetivo do trabalho, foram adotadas tÃcnicas qualitativas de pesquisa alicerÃadas na concepÃÃo filosÃfica pÃs-positivista. Quanto à natureza do estudo, caracteriza-se como exploratÃria e descritiva, adota-se como estratÃgia de investigaÃÃo o estudo de caso. Como mÃtodos especÃficos para coleta e anÃlise dos dados foram utilizados: pesquisa documental e entrevistas semiestruturadas com membros da Adel e beneficiados. Os resultados da pesquisa destacaram os trabalhos conduzidos pela Adel e seus principais programas, voltados à agricultura familiar e ao empreendedorismo rural juvenil. Verificaram-se ainda as variÃveis de dimensÃes da inovaÃÃo social presentes e outras emergentes do caso estudado, a partir do quadro sÃntese utilizado como referÃncia. O estudo do caso Adel evidencia a importÃncia e as particularidades da inovaÃÃo social no contexto estudado, revelando a ONG como iniciativa bem sucedida, referÃncia para outras regiÃes nas quais desafios semelhantes sÃo encontrados. / This research aimed to analyze the dimensions of social innovation. It was adopted as a specific scenario, part of the semiarid region located in the state of CearÃ, northeastern Brazil. It was investigated the work of the Local Economic Development Agency (Adel), an initiative that aimed to promote the development in semiarid of CearÃ. As a base reference for this research, it was used the summary table of dimensions of social innovation, developed by Tardif and Harrison (2005) researchers from the Centre de Recherche sur les Innovations Sociales (CRISES), a Canadian institution that is a reference in the field of social innovation. In the literature about this topic, several concepts and classifications can be found. Due to this fact, it is possible to say that this is a concept in construction. However, the definitions here presented are relate in essence when the main subject of this kind of innovation is highlighted, specifically the improving of peopleâs quality of life. For the purposes of this research, it was used the definition by CRISES (2012), that says that social innovation is related to a process initiated by actors in order to respond to social needs, offering a solution or benefiting from an opportunity to change social relations, turning a scenario or proposing new cultural guidelines for improving the quality and conditions of life in the community. In order to achieve the subject of this study, we adopted qualitative research techniques grounded in the positivist philosophical conception. The nature of this study is characterized as exploratory and descriptive research and the strategy adopted was the case study. Specific methods for data and analysis collection were used: documentary research and semi-structured interviews with members of the Adel and people that were benefited by their activities. The results founded highlighted the work conducted by Adel and its major programs, focused on family farming and rural youth entrepreneurship. There were also the variables of dimensions of social innovation and other emerging from this case study, based on the summary table used as a reference. This case study of Adel highlights the importance and characteristics of social innovation in the studied context, revealing that the NGO as successful initiative and reference for other regions where also happen similar challenges.

Mesmo com os avanços tecnológicos e comerciais feitos pelos seres humanos ao longo do tempo, ainda persistem diversos desafios de ordem social e ambiental. O desenvolvimento de inovações sociais torna-se uma alternativa para suplantar parte destes desafios, visto que podem solucionar as necessidades de parte dos indivíduos de uma dada sociedade. O Centre de Recherche sur les Innovations Sociales (CRISES) é um dos centros que realiza pesquisas a respeito das inovações sociais, destacando suas diversas dimensões de análise. Um dos focos de pesquisa deste centro está na Economia Social da província de Quebec, no Canadá. No Brasil, a Economia Solidária vem crescendo significativamente, e o artesanato é um dos setores de destaque no número de empreendimentos coletivos ligados a esta Economia. No Rio Grande do Sul, os empreendimentos econômicos solidários de artesanato são organizados de diferentes formas, sendo alguns deles induzidos por organizações geridas com recursos públicos, enquanto que outros são constituídos pelos próprios artesãos. Por outro lado, o conceito de inovação social geralmente é abordado de maneira superficial na literatura das Ciências Sociais, e ainda existem, no Brasil, poucos estudos a respeito desta modalidade de inovação na área de Administração. Desta forma, o objetivo deste estudo é o de analisar como as dimensões de inovação social, do modelo idealizado pelo CRISES, se refletem nas diferentes formas de organização de empreendimentos econômicos solidários do setor de artesanato gaúcho. A revisão de literatura versou sobre inovações sociais e sobre organizações de Economia Solidária. Foram realizados seis estudos de caso em empreendimentos econômicos solidários do setor de artesanato gaúcho. Os dados primários foram coletados por meio de entrevistas semi-estrututuradas e de anotações no diário de campo. Já os dados secundários foram provenientes de documentos, artigos e websites. A análise dos dados foi feita de acordo com a revisão de literatura do presente estudo. Os resultados evidenciaram grande parte dos elementos das dimensões de inovação social descritas no modelo desenvolvido por autores do CRISES. A análise destas dimensões, nos casos pesquisados, apresentou similaridades e diferenças tanto entre elas quanto quando comparadas às do modelo estabelecido pelo CRISES. De forma geral, os empreendimentos pesquisados foram desenvolvidos a partir de contextos problemáticos, passaram por fases de tentativa e de experimento, as quais foram institucionalizadas, e tais empreendimentos se tornaram modelos de desenvolvimento emergente. Estes empreendimentos também contemplaram a necessidade da coletividade e o bem comum. Diversos atores foram identificados na formação destes empreendimentos, sendo que todos contaram com atores titulares da ideia, financiadores, apoiadores e usuários. A mobilização e a participação dos atores também foram representativas, bem como a aprendizagem gerada pelo processo de desenvolvimento das inovações sociais pesquisadas. Este processo envolveu restrições que geraram incerteza e tensão nos artesãos. Ainda, o processo foi feito por meio da integração e da parceria entre os atores, e ocorreu a difusão das soluções desenvolvidas para outros contextos. Desta forma, o presente estudo contribui para a análise do conceito de inovação social em empreendimentos econômicos solidários do Brasil. / Even with the technological and commercial advances made by human kind over time, there still exist too many social and environmental challenges. The development of social innovations becomes a relevant alternative to overcome some of these challenges, as they can fulfill the needs of a number of the involved individuals. The Centre de Recherche sur les Innovations Sociales (CRISES) is one of the centers that carries out some researches on social innovations, highlighting their dimensions of analysis. One of the researching focus of this center is Social Economy in the Quebec province, in Canada. In Brazil, Solidarity Economy has grown significantly, and handicraft is one of the main sectors which involves collective enterprises linked to this kind of economy. In the state of Rio Grande do Sul, handicraft solidarity enterprises are organized according to different patterns. Some of them were induced by organizations managed with public funds, while others are made up by artisans. On the other hand, the concept of social innovation is usually addressed just in a superficial manner in the social science literature. There are too few studies regarding this type of innovation in the Brazilian business academic area. Thus, the aim of this study is to examine how the dimensions of social innovation established at the framework developed by the CRISES centre are reflected in the different patterns of organization of solidarity enterprises in the handicraft sector of Rio Grande do Sul (RS). The literature review was about social innovations and Solidarity Economy organizations. To achieve the proposed objective, were carried out case studies at six handicraft solidarity enterprises of RS. Primary data were collected through semi-structured interviews and field notes. Secondary data were gathered from documents, articles and websites. The collected data were then analyzed according to the literature review. The results have shown most of the elements of the social innovation dimensions described on the model developed by authors of the CRISES. The analysis made on these dimensions has shown, in the studied cases, similarities and differences, both among themselves and when they were compared to the ones described on the model established by the CRISES. In the main, the enterprises analyzed were developed from problematic contexts, and went through phases of trial and experiment, which were institutionalized, becoming models of emerging development. These enterprises were also concerned with the collective needs and the common good. Several actors were identified in the enterprises formation, and all of them had actors who hold the idea, donors, supporters and users. The involvement and participation of the actors were also most significant, as well as the apprenticeship enabled by the development process of the social innovations researched. This process involved some restrictions which caused uncertainty and tension amidst the artisans. Moreover, the process has occurred by means of integration and partnership of actors, and the attained solutions were diffused to other contexts. Thus, the present study contributes to the analysis of the social innovation concept in Brazilian solidarity enterprises.

Background: The increase in public awareness and rising social expectations have changed the role businesses have in modern society, as they are expected to deliver both organizational and social value. Despite this, most social engagements have previously been philanthropic, which is argued to only scratch the surface of societal issues. The concept of CSI was therefore coined, and it focuses on leveraging companies’ core capabilities to be innovative while forming collaborations and partnerships between units within the company and external organizations to mend social ills. This concept has been described to yield excellent outcomes; however, the initiation and implementation of CSI have been vaguely depicted in literature.  Purpose: Previous research of CSI has centralized around the outcomes, such as innovation capabilities and competitive advantage, and regularly compared them to more basic philanthropic initiatives. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to focus on the origin of CSI in organizations and how partnerships can facilitate its generation. The thesis further intends to collect and summarize the various definitions of CSI to establish the occurrence of CSI in various organizations.  Method: This research adopted a critical realism philosophical stance to perform a multiple case study. We did this with a qualitative research design, including eight semi-structured interviews with participants from different organizations currently engaged in partnerships. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis, which we practically performed using an abductive approach to code data and the subsequent thematization. The findings of this thesis are then, using theory matching and triangulation, presented to discover alternative explanations for the facilitating factors of CSI in partnerships.  Conclusion: We consolidated previous research to construct a definition of CSI. This consolidated concept was used to evaluate the initiatives in the participants’ partnerships. We used thematic analysis to define three distinct facilitating themes for generating CSI in partnerships: People, Partnership Conditions, and Institutional Entity Structure. Conclusively, the purpose was achieved as our findings and subsequent analysis indicates that the three realized themes substantially influence CSI generation. It was found that these facilitating factors are interdependent, as the underdevelopment of one area negatively influenced the ability to engage in CSI.

This dissertation presents the findings of an exploratory collective case-study examining corporate innovations arising from voluntary dyadic engagement between UK firms and nonprofit organisations (NPOs) focused on social issues. Whilst the extant literature demonstrates that pro-active engagement with NPOs can assist firms innovate, there has been no empirical work which explores the relationship between the engagement and the innovation outcome: a gap which this research addresses. In doing so, it illustrates how concepts and constructs from the innovation management literature can be applied usefully to the stakeholder and cross-sector collaboration field. To date, empirical studies addressing firm-NPO engagements have concentrated overwhelmingly on partnerships to address environmental issues. This study provides insights into cross-sector engagements focused on addressing social issues. Using a form of analytic induction to evaluate qualitative case-data from ten dyadic engagements, this dissertation addresses the question: “how do firms innovate through engagement with social issues nonprofit organisations?” The research found that product and service innovations resulted from engagements where the firm had an external stakeholder orientation and was focused on delivering tangible demonstrations of corporate responsibility. Process innovations, by contrast, were produced from engagements where firms had an internal stakeholder orientation. Two distinctions were noted in the innovation process, too. Firstly, a more exploratory approach to dyadic engagement activities, which resulted in an emergent innovation process; and secondly, a focused and pre-determined search activity to exploit the resources of the nonprofit partner which demonstrated a more planned innovation process. In addition, two distinct boundary spanning roles were identified: in dyads with no direct management involvement in the engagement, the role was associated with formal responsibilities from senior management to „manage‟ innovation opportunities and outcomes. In dyads where senior management were involved, there was no such formality; the boundary spanner acted to „facilitate‟ search and exploration to locate opportunities for innovation through idea exchange. The application of innovation constructs to the business and society field has enabled firm engagement with nonprofit stakeholders to be examined through a new lens and demonstrated how firms innovate from such relationships. In particular it has highlighted the key role played by the firm boundary spanner (relationship manager) and how this role alters depending on senior management involvement: a distinction which has not been made in the extant literature and would benefit from further examination.

Kommersiellt entreprenörskap är den vanligaste formen av entreprenörskap, men under de senaste decennierna har samhällsentreprenörskap fått en mer betydande roll (Austin et al., 2006, s. 1). Mycket är ostuderat kring samhällsentreprenörskap, främst gällande processen att starta och utveckla samhällsorienterade företag (Martínez et al., 2018, s. 2). Drivkrafterna hos en samhällsentreprenör fokuserar på att bidra till samhällsnytta till skillnad från en kommersiell entreprenör där fokus ligger på ekonomisk tillväxt (Sastre-Castillo et al., 2015, s. 354). I och med detta fokus kan en del hinder och svårigheter för samhällsentreprenörer identifieras. Dessa är enligt Oganisjana et al.  (2017, s. 34) bristande kompetens, begränsade kontaktnät, höga risker, bristande finansieringsmöjligheter och brist på mätbarhet. För att underlätta dessa hinder finns möjligheten att få vägledning från en accelerator. En accelerator fokuserar på att effektivisera lärandet hos entreprenörer, förbättra deras innovativa förmåga och utbilda entreprenörer inom affärsutveckling (Levinsohn, 2014, s. 4).   Efter vår undersökning av tidigare forskning upplevde vi ett gap i forskningen kring kopplingen mellan en accelerator och samhällsentreprenörer. Med detta som grund är syftet med studien att berika den forskning som finns gällande samhällsentreprenörskap och undersöka hur en accelerator påverkar samhällsentreprenörer i processen från idé till hållbar verksamhet, vilket leder fram till vår frågeställning: Hur påverkar acceleratorer samhällsentreprenörer i processen från idé till hållbar verksamhet? För att svara på denna frågeställning utförde vi en kvalitativ studie med en grupp samhällsentreprenörer som alla är anslutna till en accelerator. Datainsamlingsmetoden som användes var semi-strukturerade intervju i fokusgrupp och därefter genomfördes en analys för att hitta mönster och återkommande teman i datan. Från våra respondenter kunde vi utläsa att det finns ett antal hinder och svårigheter som uppkommer under processen. De största svårigheterna som identifierades är kombinationen av samhällsnytta och lönsamhet, att legitimera verksamheten genom att formulera och förmedla ett värdeerbjudande, finansiering och en förlängd startfas. För att överkomma dessa hinder anser respondenterna att passion och empati är de viktigaste egenskaperna och därmed ses kompetenser som sekundärt.   Resultatet från denna studie påvisar att genom att bortse från vikten av kompetens i uppstarten av verksamheten synliggörs tecken på begränsad rationalitet och samhällsentreprenörerna löper därmed risken att förlänga uppstartsfasen då anskaffning av kompetenser inte får tillräckligt stort fokus. Detta i kombination med de hinder och svårigheter som identifierats leder till en förlängd startfas där samhällsentreprenörerna genomgår både en utvecklingsfas och även en etableringsfas. Etableringsfasen innefattar svårigheter som utveckling av en stabil kundbas och hållbar finansiering. Baserat på detta anser vi att samhällsacceleratorer i stor utsträckning påverkar samhällsentreprenörer i deras process då de kan vägleda och utbilda dem genom att uppmärksamma begränsad rationalitet och därmed även vikten av kompetens. Genom denna vägledning kan processen underlättas och förkortas vilket kan medföra reducerade svårigheter. Således kan denna studie bidra med kunskap kring acceleratorers påverkan på den samhällsentreprenöriella processen.

Socialt entreprenörskap används för att beteckna organisationer som med inslag av affärsmässiga strategier försöker lösa olika samhällsproblem. Syftet med denna studie är att utforska hur social-entreprenöriella diskurser inom sådana organisation upprätthålls och produceras utifrån följande frågeställningar: Hur orienterar sig sociala entreprenörer mellan diskurser om socialt entreprenörskap? Hur legitimeras socialt entreprenörskap inom sådana diskurser? Studien vilar på en socialkonstruktivistisk grund och tillämpar metodologiskt och teoretiskt en hybridansats utgjord av diskursanalys med socialpsykologiska inslag. Sju intervjuer har genomförts med personer som arbetar inom teknik-orienterat socialt entreprenörskap och driver organisationer vars verksamhetsmål kan beskrivas som socialt gynnsamma, utöver ekonomiska. Fokus har legat på att utforska det som av diskursanalytiker beskrivits som tolkningsrepertoarer (interpretative repertoires), det vill säga hur olika retoriska och diskursiva resurser används för att legitimera och upprätthålla en diskurs. Resultatet visar på förekomsten av tre tolkningsrepertoarer; en entreprenörsrepertoar, en förbättrarrepertoar och en harmonirepertoar. Var och en av dessa repertoarer inrymmer diskursiva resurser som kan tillämpas, samt multipla subjektspositioner som kan intas, för att representera och legitimera olika aspekter av fenomenet. En avslutande diskussion behandlar studieresultaten i förhållande till tidigare studier på området och redogör för möjligheterna till framtida forskning. I synnerhet framhålls behovet av att studera relationen mellan resultatet och den mer övergripande samhällsdiskursen om fenomenet.

I apply complex systems thinking to investigate the inner workings of an innovative urban youth leadership program to reveal how development organizations can create an ecosystem to cultivate “change”. The global “youth bulge”, globalization, and a lack of opportunities leave young people without work and skills to survive in a complex world. New approaches, labeled social innovations, focus on finding transformative ways to solving systemic issues through financially sustainable, system-focused, holistic solutions. My dissertation entails a mixed-methods case study of a US-based development organization and program. I bring together trends in international development and youth development, complexity thinking, and the emergence of social innovations to examine how “change” can be cultivated. “Change” in this context refers to intentional advancement of individual capabilities, observed through the Capabilities Approach, and the concepts of “hard” and “soft” skills. The complex systems lens brings attention to the feedback loops (mechanisms), and how the elements and mechanisms come together to form an “ecosystem”. My findings explain how change happens through an ecosystem approach. The ecosystem consists of “Real Talk”, “Real Work”, and “Real Accountability”. These mechanisms work to reinforce each other to cultivate “leaderly” change in youth through a system of feedback loops. I introduce the term Leaderliness to capture the enhanced capabilities in the “soft skills” of self-confidence, interpersonal communication, self-efficacy, experience and understanding of a professional work environment. Specific individual cases of youth reveal the independent, unique experience that each individual pursues through the program. Diverse youth experience their own pathway to change, influenced by various personal factors. Diversity is an important element of the ecosystem, introducing differences for youth to learn from. Relationships encourage leaderly growth in youth, through interactions with peers and with Crew Leaders. The natural environment sets the scene, working to advance youth capabilities through the sun, heat, rain, insects, living plants. The cultivation of living plants in the hot, thick southern air provided meaningful, relevant work for youth. My research study contributes to the field of international development, social innovation and youth development, but also add to others looking to create positive a culture of “change”. / acase@tulane.edu