This work was the first attempt at creating and assessing a framework of governments role within the open social innovation space as well as testing the roles correlation with perceived project success.
Open social innovation (OSI) is a framework applicable in the context of social issues in an increasingly complex world. It is an extension of open innovation (OI) into the social sphere, particularly incorporating concepts of social innovation (SI). OI is conceptualized as innovation, based on the flow of information beyond and across organizational limits. SI is concerned with providing or developing goods with public goods characteristics, hence non-excludable and non-rivalrous goods, contributing to societal well-being. Thus, SIs are addressing non-monetary objectives, such as social needs or social values. Thus, OSI is defined as innovation founded interorganizational knowledge flows along a business model to derive social change. Innovation is generally described as part of the process ensuring organizations survival and growth by renewing services, products or processes. SI, and consequentially OSI, can be characterized by an absence of financial incentives for participation and are thus generally at risk of being underproduced. Recent research indicates that the involvement of governments in OSI projects might bridge this shortfall, and that governments' engagement might be a crucial determinant of OSI as well as of its potential outcomes. However, it is hitherto unclear how governments act within OSI.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Conceptual background
2.1 Incentives for innovation
2.2 Social innovation
2.3 Open innovation
2.4 Open social innovation
2.4.1 Open innovation in a social context
2.4.2 Governments in open social innovation
3. Typology conception
3.1 Typology formulation
3.2 Typology of governmental roles in OSI
4. Methodology
4.1 Sample frame
4.2 Survey method
5. Results
6. Discussion
6.1 Theoretical implications
6.2 Practical implications
6.3 Limitations and future research
7. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Key Topics
This thesis investigates the roles governments assume in Open Social Innovation (OSI) projects to overcome the lack of market-based incentives for social innovations. The research aims to answer how government involvement bridges the innovation gap by defining a typology of action-based roles and empirically analyzing their influence on perceived project success.
- Interdisciplinary analysis of innovation incentives (economics, political science, finance).
- Development of a conceptual typology of four governmental roles in OSI (Facilitator, Idea creator, Investor, External devote).
- Construction and validation of an empirical assessment tool to measure governmental roles.
- Empirical investigation of the correlation between governmental activities and perceived OSI project success.
Excerpt from the Book
Typology conception
Role theory and typologies can be utilized to structure prior conceptual knowledge and form a starting point for quantitative research. Measures such as typologies strongly contribute to concept formation in a quantitative and qualitative sense. Emphasis is placed on clarifying and defining roles’ meanings, instituting connections among roles, establishing roles within the general research, categorizing existing data and setting up hierarchies (Box-Steffensmeier, Brady, Collier, LaPorte, & Seawright, 2009, p. 159; Collier, LaPorte, & Seawright, 2012, p. 222). Detailed assessments of actions and roles within OSI research have been hitherto neglected. In the following, I introduce four roles’ governments can assume in an OSI context: 1) the Facilitator; 2) the Idea creator; 3) the Investor; 4) the External devote. These roles as well as the dimensions used during their formulation can help clarify in the assessment, assembly, evaluation or execution stages of OSI projects.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Defines the framework of Open Social Innovation (OSI) and outlines the research gap regarding the role of government in balancing the lack of traditional market incentives.
2. Conceptual background: Reviews literature on innovation incentives, social innovation, and open innovation to establish a theoretical foundation for the government's role.
3. Typology conception: Formulates a new typology of government roles—Facilitator, Idea creator, Investor, and External devote—within OSI projects.
4. Methodology: Details the development of a scaling tool and a survey-based approach to measure governmental roles and project success empirically.
5. Results: Presents the findings of the survey and the statistical reliability/validity testing of the constructed assessment tool.
6. Discussion: Interprets the empirical findings, addresses limitations of the study, and discusses theoretical and practical implications.
7. Conclusion: Summarizes the thesis, highlighting the importance of government active engagement as a success-driver for OSI projects.
Keywords
Open Social Innovation, Government Roles, Public Policy, Social Innovation Success, Role Theory, Innovation Incentives, Public Goods, Collaborative Innovation, Empirical Assessment, Typology Formulation, Governmental Engagement, Market Failure, Network Coordination, Policy Implementation, Social Change.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental research scope of this work?
The work examines how governments interact within Open Social Innovation (OSI) projects. It specifically addresses how governments compensate for the lack of financial incentives that typically hinder social innovation.
What are the primary thematic fields addressed?
The research intersects innovation studies, public administration, and economics, specifically focusing on the intersection of Open Innovation (OI) and Social Innovation (SI).
What is the core research question?
The study seeks to identify which roles governments adopt to drive the success of OSI projects when there are no respective market incentives for innovation.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The author uses a mixed-methods approach: first, developing a conceptual typology via case study analysis, and second, performing empirical testing through a quantitative survey analyzed with Smart PLS.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the paper?
The main part covers the theoretical background of innovation, the development of a four-role typology, the creation of a survey-based assessment tool, and the evaluation of correlations between government roles and project success.
Which keywords best characterize the research?
Key terms include Open Social Innovation, Government Roles, Innovation Incentives, Typology, and Perceived Project Success.
How does the author define "success" in the context of OSI?
Success is defined binary as the creation of an actual innovation—a product, service, or process—in the social sphere in response to existing social issues.
What are the identified roles for governments in OSI?
The four identified archetypes are the 'Facilitator' (coordinating), the 'Idea creator' (entrepreneurial), the 'Investor' (funding/resource contribution), and the 'External devote' (advising/legislating).
- Quote paper
- Nick Mornhinweg (Author), 2021, Open Social Innovation Projects. The Role of Governments, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1365148
