SOCIAL INNOVATION

OCASI Executive Directors ForumNovember 11, 2011

Copyright Margaret Hancock 2011. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permissions granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.

Definition of social innovation abound and a casual observer can quickly become entangled in a debate over meaning and nuance. We’re not too hung about it so we’ve adopted a simple working definition:

Social innovation refers to new ideas that resolve existing social, cultural, economic and environmental challenges for the benefit of people and planet.

A true social innovation is systems-changing – it permanently alters the perceptions, behaviours and structures that previously gave rise to these challenges.

Even more simply, a social innovation is an idea that works for the public good.

Social innovations come from individuals, groups or organizations and can take place in the for-profit, nonprofit and public sectors. Increasingly, they are happening in the spaces between these three sectors as perspectives collide to spark new ways of thinking.

Advise. Convene. Accelerate.

Challenging what it means to be a do-gooder

Do good better.

This is SiG@MaRS

Advise. Convene. Accelerate.

Most simply, social innovation is about new ideas that work to address old social problems.

Poverty, homelessness, violence are all examples of social problems that need dedicated solution-seeking space. Social innovation addresses these challenges by applying new learning and strategies to solve these problems.

Social innovation is an initiative, product or process that profoundly changes beliefs, basic routines, resource and authority flows of any social system in the direction of greater resilience. Successful social innovations have durability, impact and scale.

Social Innovation is Canadian

“social” entrepreneur

business idea

non-profit

financing

Social Enterprise

Financially sustainable

businesses with measurable social

impact

business expertise

product or

service

market

What is a Social Enterprise?

What is a Social Entrepreneur?

"Social entrepreneurs identify resources where people only see problems. They view the villagers as the solution, not the passive beneficiary. They begin with the assumption of competence and unleash resources in the communities they're serving.”

-- David Bornstein, author of How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas

What is a Social Enterprise?

Create the enabling environment

Develop supportive policies for tax and regulatory environment

Enable social finance tools to mobilize capital

SOCIAL INNOVATION -ROLE OF GOVERNMENT

PRIVATE $ + PUBLIC GOOD

Phillip Blond - Architect of The Big Society

THE BIG SOCIETY

THE OWNERSHIP STATE

New model of public sector delivery

Services provided by social enterprises

Led by frontline workers

Owned by them and their communities

New power of civil association

New civil company = social enterprise

THE OWNERSHIP STATE

THE OWNERSHIP STATE