June 9

Innovation is essential to the advancement of society around the world. Social innovation is even more critical as it represents new social practices that aim to meet social needs in a better way than the existing solutions, resulting from - for example - working conditions, education, community development, or health. These ideas are created to extend and strengthen civil society. New and innovative socially oriented products and services can increase the standard of living and provide people with opportunities to improve their lives. Breakthroughs in medicine and technology have significantly improved living standards around the world. Social innovation has also led to significant improvements in how businesses operate and has closed the gaps between different markets. 

Social innovation has become a cornerstone in solving some of the world’s most complex social problems. The key to solving these problems is supporting and sustaining systems change. One way this can be accomplished is through a multi-sector approach that incorporates innovation into the entire business lifecycle, organization, policy, or the like. Too often, innovation is limited to creating something new instead of modifying or adjusting to what is already in existence. Social innovation can be a powerful tool in solving some of the world’s most pressing problems by leveraging research and development expertise, coupled with evidence-based research and best practice. 

The workshop will engage students in understanding the core principles of social innovation and their role as individuals and members of the larger community. This class will provide students with a time of reflection and personal assessment of one’s ability to develop, implement and evaluate innovation. 

Learning Goals: 

• Understand the opportunities and risks associated with social innovation 

• Perform an individual assessment of innovation, risk tolerance, and cultural competency 

• Retain skills to develop, lead and implement social innovation in an organization or business setting 

Reading:

Slow Ideas, New Yorker Magazine 

Why Business Can be Good at Solving Social Problems, Michael Porter 

Six Theories of Change Pitfalls to Avoid

The Calculus for Commitment: The Power of Involving the Private Sector in Social Impact Networks, SSIR

The Challenges of Scaling innovation