9 Moderating processes of social innovation: insights from a case study on labour market activation
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Koen Dortmans
Abstract
This chapter presents the results of our responsive evaluation of the Neighbourhood Job Agency (NJA). The NJA is a social innovation initiative from a group of Dutch social entrepreneurs who aim at relating unemployed residents with (paid) jobs in the neighbourhood in a novel way. With our case study we demonstrate the importance of the social aspects of innovation processes and the potential roles of social work practitioners and researchers in these processes by: (1) enhancing the capability of voice of end users, (2) acknowledging the diversity of needs and experiences of joint stakeholders, primarily end users, (3) monitoring, averting or mitigating the unintended effects of innovation and (4) preventing well-intended paternalism of innovators striving for (radical) social change to develop a blind spot for the systemic partnerships necessary to sustainably embed their social innovations. We argue that social workers can act as moderators of change within social innovation development requiring: (1) the awareness of where and by whom social innovation initiatives take place within their local working practices, (2) the position to relate to all stakeholders involved to influence the course of development, as it is taking place, in accordance with public and democratic values and (3) the guidance of the societal learning process that (social) innovation ultimately is.
Abstract
This chapter presents the results of our responsive evaluation of the Neighbourhood Job Agency (NJA). The NJA is a social innovation initiative from a group of Dutch social entrepreneurs who aim at relating unemployed residents with (paid) jobs in the neighbourhood in a novel way. With our case study we demonstrate the importance of the social aspects of innovation processes and the potential roles of social work practitioners and researchers in these processes by: (1) enhancing the capability of voice of end users, (2) acknowledging the diversity of needs and experiences of joint stakeholders, primarily end users, (3) monitoring, averting or mitigating the unintended effects of innovation and (4) preventing well-intended paternalism of innovators striving for (radical) social change to develop a blind spot for the systemic partnerships necessary to sustainably embed their social innovations. We argue that social workers can act as moderators of change within social innovation development requiring: (1) the awareness of where and by whom social innovation initiatives take place within their local working practices, (2) the position to relate to all stakeholders involved to influence the course of development, as it is taking place, in accordance with public and democratic values and (3) the guidance of the societal learning process that (social) innovation ultimately is.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents vii
- List of figures and tables x
- List of abbreviations xi
- Notes on contributors xiii
- Introduction 1
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Framing social innovation and social work
- Social work and social innovation: how the twain can meet 11
- How to change our neighbourhoods, regions and the world: using symptoms, systems and transformation as a framework for social innovation and social work 24
- Social work, social innovation, discretion and creativity: day-to-day innovation of practice 41
- Potential for social innovation in social work: applying the capability approach 54
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Examples of social innovations in social work across Europe
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Co-creation and co-production of social services: social innovation in practice
- The art of co-creation: service innovation in Europe 71
- Promoting social services innovation: regional and local examples from across Europe 84
- Co-creation in action: lessons from the CoSIE project 98
- Social innovation and service users’ involvement: enhancing the knowledge of social work 112
- Moderating processes of social innovation: insights from a case study on labour market activation 124
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Education and learning: social innovation in social work education and learning
- Regional learning networks in the social welfare domain: drivers of social innovation in social work 139
- Putting learning communities into practice: innovation of social work education 150
- Learning from innovation processes: introducing Easy Language in adult protection services 164
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Community work, community-led innovation and collective action
- The rediscovery of community: community development as social innovation 179
- Climate change from a green social work perspective: responding to a constantly evolving crisis challenging social work practice 193
- Co-creation of nature-based solutions: guidelines for citizen engagement 208
- Innovating social work practices to better address homelessness: participatory action research with community services in Italy 223
- Challenging the power status quo: paradoxes in grassroots social innovation 236
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Social entrepreneurship: inclusive and regenerative models of social business and innovation for sustainable impact
- Social entrepreneurship as social innovation: what about social work? 251
- The growing rhetoric of entrepreneurship in times of crisis: future challenges of social work in the case of Portugal 263
- Unlimited incubators for belonging, cohesion and impact: nurturing ‘what is already there’ 276
- Developing the innovative power of social work: synthesis and future directions 289
- Index 298
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents vii
- List of figures and tables x
- List of abbreviations xi
- Notes on contributors xiii
- Introduction 1
-
Framing social innovation and social work
- Social work and social innovation: how the twain can meet 11
- How to change our neighbourhoods, regions and the world: using symptoms, systems and transformation as a framework for social innovation and social work 24
- Social work, social innovation, discretion and creativity: day-to-day innovation of practice 41
- Potential for social innovation in social work: applying the capability approach 54
-
Examples of social innovations in social work across Europe
-
Co-creation and co-production of social services: social innovation in practice
- The art of co-creation: service innovation in Europe 71
- Promoting social services innovation: regional and local examples from across Europe 84
- Co-creation in action: lessons from the CoSIE project 98
- Social innovation and service users’ involvement: enhancing the knowledge of social work 112
- Moderating processes of social innovation: insights from a case study on labour market activation 124
-
Education and learning: social innovation in social work education and learning
- Regional learning networks in the social welfare domain: drivers of social innovation in social work 139
- Putting learning communities into practice: innovation of social work education 150
- Learning from innovation processes: introducing Easy Language in adult protection services 164
-
Community work, community-led innovation and collective action
- The rediscovery of community: community development as social innovation 179
- Climate change from a green social work perspective: responding to a constantly evolving crisis challenging social work practice 193
- Co-creation of nature-based solutions: guidelines for citizen engagement 208
- Innovating social work practices to better address homelessness: participatory action research with community services in Italy 223
- Challenging the power status quo: paradoxes in grassroots social innovation 236
-
Social entrepreneurship: inclusive and regenerative models of social business and innovation for sustainable impact
- Social entrepreneurship as social innovation: what about social work? 251
- The growing rhetoric of entrepreneurship in times of crisis: future challenges of social work in the case of Portugal 263
- Unlimited incubators for belonging, cohesion and impact: nurturing ‘what is already there’ 276
- Developing the innovative power of social work: synthesis and future directions 289
- Index 298
