ESADE debate on social innovation as a tool for anticipating the future
“Innovation is interesting but unsettling. If we want to tackle great future challenges, 'more of the same' is not the answer. That is why there needs to be an eco-system that fosters social innovation, said Ignasi Carreras, Director of the ESADE’s Social Innovation Institute at the beginning of the 9th Annual Workshop.
“We associate social innovation with new initiatives such as start-ups but we must also ensure that traditional companies, public administration and so on become much more innovative. We need to incorporate diverse individuals who challenge us and bring new ideas. We should hang on to these people because innovation is not only nurtured by collaboration and creativity but is also a process that requires lots of people who are crazy about innovation.
Sally Uren, CEO of ‘Forum for the Future’, a British organisation that seeks to foster sustainable development, said that innovation could provide a highway linking the present and future. “The future is not something that arrives, it is something that we need to forge. Her talk looked at the great problems we currently face, such as: Climate Change; Industrialisation; Empowering Women; Slavery. Uren considered that there were several keys to putting innovation into action. These included the right people, having perspectives of global eco-systems, understanding the system, and (above all) focusing on the future. “We must use the future for transformation purposes, she said.
Sally Uren, Head of Innovation at UNICEF, Kristoffer Gandrup; and Alice Barbe, Associate Director of the Singa Project (a platform fostering co-operation between refugees and the countries sheltering them — for example, France) reflected on the best way of seeking inclusive, realistic and sustainable solutions in organizations.
Methodology, measurement and collaboration
The vital role of impact measurement was discussed in connection with efficiently tackling challenges and justifying change. It was argued that social innovation organisations should not only measure their impact in financial terms but also in terms of the social value they create.
The ‘Dragon Dreaming’ methodology was also covered, in which experts proposed four stages for a project: Dreaming, Planning, Doing, Celebrating.
