Overview

There is growing interest in how social innovation can help address the grand challenges of our time. In this edited collection, we recommend and discuss historical and systems perspectives as especially valuable in broadening our view of the kinds of dynamics underpinning social transformation. A historical perspective shows how past experiences, cultural narratives, and institutional legacies shape social innovation efforts. It emphasizes that transformation emerges through contested and evolving narratives rather than simple diffusion. The volume includes papers that discuss such narrative and dialectical dynamics in diverse forms and settings, such as, for example, the multi-decadal efforts to address homelessness in the United States. A systems perspective, meanwhile, highlights the social innovation implications of the interconnected and adaptive nature of social and environmental challenges. It views transformation as an emergent outcome of complex interactions across scales, emphasizing resilience and unintended consequences. Papers apply this lens, for instance, in studying shifting approaches to supporting the disabled, and we also include papers offering related principles and guidelines, as well as systems mapping advice for practitioners and scholars. The volume concludes with reflections from prominent scholars who examine definitional issues and underscore the need for Big Picture Approaches to the Impact of Social Innovations.

Full Product Details

Author:   Silvia Dorado (University of Massachusetts Boston, USA) ,  Helen Haugh (University of Cambridge, UK) ,  R. Daniel Wadhwani (University of Southern California, USA) ,  Ralph Hamann (University of Cape Town, South Africa)
Publisher:   Emerald Publishing Limited
Imprint:   Emerald Publishing Limited
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.10cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.541kg
ISBN:  

9781836085294

ISBN 10:   183608529
Pages:   328
Publication Date:   24 November 2025
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  College/higher education ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Introduction: Big picture perspectives on social innovation; Silvia Dorado, Helen Haugh, R. Daniel Wadhwani, and Ralph Hamann Part I. Historical Perspective Chapter 1. Advancing phenomenon-based research on complex societal challenges: The case of homelessness; Christian Seelos, Johanna Mair, Charlotte Traeger, and Fenja Nolting Chapter 2. Productizing pedagogy: Educational television, wicked problems, and the study of social innovation; Amal Kumar Chapter 3. A temporal narrative view of social innovations: How world central kitchen delivers food relief as ‘A Plate of Hope’; Silviya Svejenova, Miriam Feuls, and Iben Stjerne Chapter 4. Social enterprises as chameleons: The rise of social enterprises as innovative solutions to complex challenges in Italy; Francesca Capo, Riccardo Maiolini, and Tommaso Ramus Chapter 5. Property rights regime change and business model social innovation; Helen Haugh Part II. Systems Perspective Chapter 6. Design guidelines for transformative social innovation and change; Sandra Waddock Chapter 7. Zooming out and zooming in: Studying social innovation through systems thinking and leverage points; Jonah Zankl and Matthew Grimes Chapter 8. Systems mapping, social innovation and social-ecological transformations across scales; Domenico Dentoni and Marija Roglic Chapter 9. The adaptive cycle: A model of the evolution of social innovations for wicked problems; Silvia Dorado, Jill Purdy, and Nino Antadze Part III. Discussion Chapter 10. At the roots of social innovation; Ola Tjörnbo and Frances Westley Chapter 11. Grand challenges: An historical institutional analysis; Roy Suddaby, Amit Sharma, and Sudhir Nair Chapter 12. The ironies of social innovation: The role of history in democratic views of social transformation; R. Daniel Wadhwani

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Author Information

Silvia Dorado is Associate Professor of Management at University of Massachusetts Boston, USA. Helen Haugh is Associate Professor and Research Director for the Centre for Social Innovation, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, UK. R. Daniel Wadhwani is a Professor of Entrepreneurship at the USC Marshall School of Business and Professor of History (by courtesy) in the USC History Department, USA. Ralph Hamann is Professor and Deputy Director, Faculty and Research at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, South Africa.

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