How to define the social innovation

According to Wikipedia, Social innovation refers to new strategies, concepts, ideas and organizations that meet social needs of all kinds - from working conditions and education to community development and health - and that extend and strengthen civil society. The term has overlapping meanings. It can be used to refer to social processes of innovation, such as open source methods and techniques. Alternatively it refers to innovations which have a social purpose - like microcredit or distance learning. The concept can also be related to social entrepreneurship (entrepreneurship is not necessarily innovative, but it can be a means of innovation) and it also overlaps with innovation in public policy and governance. Social innovation can take place within government, within the for-profit sector, or within the nonprofit sector (also known as the third sector), or in the space between them. Research has focused on the types of platforms needed to facilitate such cross-sector collaborative social innovation. Social innovation is gaining visibility within academia.


Therefore, maybe we can conclude it as do something good for the society. So it will be not as narrow as providing a product, it can be everything.

So far in China, this kind of innovation was laked, maybe because it won't bring lots space of margin, but there still so many things could be done.

-------------------------Mandia Ni/ Ni Yueying 2011969158---------------------------

mandiani wrote:According to Wikipedia, Social innovation refers to new strategies, concepts, ideas and organizations that meet social needs of all kinds - from working conditions and education to community development and health - and that extend and strengthen civil society. The term has overlapping meanings. It can be used to refer to social processes of innovation, such as open source methods and techniques. Alternatively it refers to innovations which have a social purpose - like microcredit or distance learning. The concept can also be related to social entrepreneurship (entrepreneurship is not necessarily innovative, but it can be a means of innovation) and it also overlaps with innovation in public policy and governance. Social innovation can take place within government, within the for-profit sector, or within the nonprofit sector (also known as the third sector), or in the space between them. Research has focused on the types of platforms needed to facilitate such cross-sector collaborative social innovation. Social innovation is gaining visibility within academia.


Therefore, maybe we can conclude it as do something good for the society. So it will be not as narrow as providing a product, it can be everything.

So far in China, this kind of innovation was laked, maybe because it won't bring lots space of margin, but there still so many things could be done.

-------------------------Mandia Ni/ Ni Yueying 2011969158---------------------------

Yes, I think social innovation can be anything that changes people's way of life for good...And for company, it bears risks..

Li fei

mandiani wrote:According to Wikipedia, Social innovation refers to new strategies, concepts, ideas and organizations that meet social needs of all kinds - from working conditions and education to community development and health - and that extend and strengthen civil society. The term has overlapping meanings. It can be used to refer to social processes of innovation, such as open source methods and techniques. Alternatively it refers to innovations which have a social purpose - like microcredit or distance learning. The concept can also be related to social entrepreneurship (entrepreneurship is not necessarily innovative, but it can be a means of innovation) and it also overlaps with innovation in public policy and governance. Social innovation can take place within government, within the for-profit sector, or within the nonprofit sector (also known as the third sector), or in the space between them. Research has focused on the types of platforms needed to facilitate such cross-sector collaborative social innovation. Social innovation is gaining visibility within academia.


Therefore, maybe we can conclude it as do something good for the society. So it will be not as narrow as providing a product, it can be everything.

So far in China, this kind of innovation was laked, maybe because it won't bring lots space of margin, but there still so many things could be done.

-------------------------Mandia Ni/ Ni Yueying 2011969158---------------------------

It happens, but maybe it is too tiny that you didn't see it.....

agree with Li fei.

Social innovation, relationship/ network innovation....

Why is it called Social innovation ? It is because this kind of strategy solved a long existing social problem while taking advantage it to achieve certain business objectives, like earning money or enlarge exposure. Why a social problem that is out there for long time without a good solution? It is because it is very difficult , and pretty demanding to resource to solve it. Anything that can overcome that is something others never did before, so it is innovation from this sense.

Definitely, social innovation is far beyond a product. It starts from a vision, which works for the entrepreneur, the NGO, the community as well as the government and benifit for everyone.

As long as a company promotes a "social innovation" project, it is not only selling the products, but also the vision, to the public. When the public can share the vision and recognize the effort paid and margin sacrified here, the brand and company image is to setup for long term grow in the market. Then, the deal done!


-----Carol Yang/Yang Jiaxun/2011 GA-----

Social innovation literally is certain activities to cultivate the whole human being and the make the socity progress. To stress innovation, I think it's important to break through the current model of compay doing things and the people doing things to make the contribution to society among everyone a habit and to change the mind set of people agianst the social issues. Why it is not easy as company to do innovation? That's becuase the mutivation of people to contribute to society lack of the benefit, compare to company promote the innovation. So the most important it to innovate in the win win situation among people, comapy, governemtn and society.

fanbingrui wrote:Social innovation literally is certain activities to cultivate the whole human being and the make the socity progress. To stress innovation, I think it's important to break through the current model of compay doing things and the people doing things to make the contribution to society among everyone a habit and to change the mind set of people agianst the social issues. Why it is not easy as company to do innovation? That's becuase the mutivation of people to contribute to society lack of the benefit, compare to company promote the innovation. So the most important it to innovate in the win win situation among people, comapy, governemtn and society.

I agree with the understanding of social innovation, which should bring benefit to people's life and take the society forward. If the company can take a second consideration to the social innovation, it can make profit from this activity via the changing of people's life.