Capacity Building

A new way of thinking about corporate purpose and climate risks Businesses have an important role to play in transitioning our planet to a sustainable and green future, but the idea that businesses should care about the climate, even from a materiality perspective, let alone a moral or existential one, is still relatively new.  The ... Philanthropy can advance business for good around climate ambitions and beyond

The power of young people, activism and the role of government have been the focus of our team discussions at SIX over the last month. This month, the team have been to Cape Town and Bangkok for our work challenging universities to experiment and co-create social innovation, Canada and Australia for our work encouraging the ... What’s the role of young people in social innovation?

We are living in turbulent times. Poverty, inequality, youth unemployment and climate change are among the challenges we are facing. Business for good is becoming the new norm in this new era.  Over 2019/2020, a global consulting team came together to produce a new piece of research: Business for Good: Understanding the Motivations for Business to ... From social innovation to business for good – a global dialogue

Introduction In partnership with the International Forum for Social Innovation 2020 (ISIF), which was organised in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, SIX brought together a group of speakers and panellists from ISIF to discuss what is needed to build more support for social innovation in the future. Participants represented 11 countries across the Arab region and ... The Future of Social Innovation in the Arab Region

The coronavirus outbreak has triggered the biggest global economic, health care and social crisis in centuries. This is a time for all sectors to reflect on their approaches and develop new ways of doing things. And it includes the private sector. In the post-pandemic world, the new business landscape is complex and uncertain. Amongst technological ... Report: Motivations for Business to Create Shared Value in Hong Kong

CEO of SIX, Louise Pulford, joined Geoff Mulgan, Siyad Abdullahi and Lujain AlUbaid in a session on The future of social innovation in the post-COVID-19 world at The ISIF conference. The ISIF conference addressed several pillars, most notably: educational programs specialised in social innovation, the role of educational institutions and methodologies of systemic thinking. ISIF 2020 is organized by the ... The future of social innovation in the post-COVID-19 world

The Robin Murray Living Library has been created by the Trellis Foundation, set up in memory of Robin to continue his life’s work in social and environmental innovation. As part of this project we have digitised and made available hundreds of unpublished papers, as well as articles, reports and other publications, dating from the 1960s to ... The Robin Murray Living Library is now live

This article summarises highlights from the first SIX Dialogue Series: Social innovation for Resilience – the Taiwan Approach, between Audrey Tang and Geoff Mulgan.  When we see “internet of things”, let’s make it an internet of beings. When we see “virtual reality”, let’s make it a shared reality. When we see “machine learning”, let’s make it ... 5 things we should learn from Taiwan to build a resilient society

On Tuesday 21st July, Social Innovation Exchange held our first Global Dialogue.  Speaking with Audrey Tang, Digital Minister of the Taiwan government and Geoff Mulgan, Professor at UCL on Collective Intelligence and Social Innovation, Marco Shek, Asia Lead- Partnerships, Capacity Building and Development at SIX, spoke about how collective intelligence and trust-building has enabled Taiwan to be resilient. The hour-long discussion ... WATCH: Social Innovation for Resilience – the Taiwan Approach

Questions for the social sector in Hong Kong With the rapid development of East Asia in recent years, individuals and corporates are accumulating wealth. This is leading to the establishment of new foundations and making both public and private funds widely available.  We have worked in East Asia for several years, our SIX colleague and ... Making the case for foundations in East Asia to embrace systems thinking

By Fábio Deboni, Executive Manager at the Sabin Institute. While Social Innovation seems to continue to be on the rise, there is also some disagreement as to what it actually means. This issue has been previously discussed, and the purpose of this article is to discuss the need for the approaches of/for/about social innovation to also be able to innovate ... It’s time to innovate social innovation

‘Taking collaborative action to reduce inequalities’ was an event hosted by the Health Foundation at the People’s History Museum in Manchester on the 22nd and 23rd January 2020. This two-day conference provided a space and a framework to explore how working across multiple determinants of health can improve health outcomes and reduce health inequalities in the ... Taking Collaborative Action to Reduce Inequalities

This year, we at the Social Innovation Exchange (SIX) hosted a  Winter School for Hallym University. The 5-day programme in London tackled pressing social issues and started students on their journey to become changemakers.  Focusing on the theme of ‘Community Spaces in the 21st Century’, we explored how place and social innovation interact to create thriving ... 5 ways community spaces are using social innovation to #ReimagineSpace

During a work trip to South Africa, to participate in the final symposium of the Erasmus+ funded Common Good First project, I arranged a meeting with Sonja Giese to learn about the work of Innovation Edge. I had heard about them from a former colleague who participated in a funders roundtable several years earlier and I had ... Think Future Reflections- Designing Events for Innovation

In our rapidly changing and volatile world, funders need to build more capacity to better deal with the new challenges that come their way. This August, SIX is hosting a retreat with our Funders Node to explore how they can fund strategically with future foresight and adaptive capacity for emergent change. Below is a selection of readings ... Top 11 Things to Read on Strategic Foresight and Philanthropy

Director of SIX, Louise Pulford recently contributed a chapter towards the Atlas of Social Innovation publication. The Atlas offers a comprehensive overview of the world of Social Innovation in a lucid way. It is featuring the manifold results of SI-DRIVE as well as the perspectives of leading experts. It gives insights into the various types of ... Book chapter: Networks and capacity building in social innovation

Author: Mark Cabaj The idea for this resource emerged during a retreat on Wasan Island for the SIX Funders Node devoted to exploring the challenges and opportunities of getting alignment on tackling tough social, economic and political issues.   The retreat focused on the changing role of foundations, why foundations need to align and how they ... Getting Alignment: Some Helpful Aides for Action

The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise — with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. Abraham Lincoln  It’s been another eventful year at SIX, with a growing team, activities and ... Highlights 2017 – How has social innovation shifted and how has SIX contributed?

Introduction – What are universities for? For many, universities and higher educational institutions continue to be viewed as elitist and isolated institutions, with little connection to the society, communities and organisations around them. Indeed, universities are large, bureaucratic organisations, and many still operate in this stereotyped ‘traditional’ way. However, at a time when the challenges ... Report: Five ways universities are organising themselves to increase societal impact

In February 2017, SIX hosted our first global Wayfinder event in London. We brought together more than 160 leaders from 34 countries to explore the future of social innovation and our roles within it. There were some clear messages about the very core of what we do, why we do it, and why it matters. Some of ... A global response to the most important questions facing the field of social innovation

The SIX Wayfinder was convened by SIX, hosted by Nesta and supported by the UNDP, Social Innovation Generation (SiG) National, The Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI), and the JW McConnell Family Foundation. 160 leaders from over 34 countries attended the SIX Wayfinder from diverse backgrounds, both private and public, including government, design, international development, ... Social innovation in the next 10 years: Insights from the SIX Wayfinder

Systems change. To some the word comes with a promise. A chance to create a bigger, deeper lasting impact. A shakeup, a change in the status quo. A fundamental reshuffle. To others, the idea is fraught with confusion. What is it? What does it even mean? And how do you do it? Despite the growth ... A foundational approach to systems change: A snapshot

The Engineering Change Lab is a platform for collaboration to allow individuals and organizations from across the profession to take action to address the systemic challenges (i.e. ethics failures, lack of diversity, and low levels of innovation) that have been holding back the profession’s full potential. Engineering Change Lab hosted their 5th highly successful workshop in Montreal ... Engineering Change Lab – Sharing the Latest Lab Thinking

What behaviours and attitudes contribute to an effective social innovation culture? A few months ago SIX co-hosted an SIE event with the BMW Foundation to consider this question. “Transparency” Trust” and “Openness” were frequently recurring words in the discussion. This endorsed much of the established evidence about the importance of a collaborative approach to stimulate innovation. But ... SIX Series: Exploring social innovation in post-conflict societies

In the next decades, a growing number of people will be on the move. The challenge for Europe is to see this not as a threat, but as an opportunity. That is, to imagine how migration can become a driver of innovation towards a younger, dynamic, cosmopolitan and, at the end of the day, a ... Migrants, social innovation and collaborative inclusion

Although many aspects of innovation, including the ability to creatively problem solve and adapt to changing context, have long underpinned the work of NGOs, it is currently emerging as a new and distinct area of practice. At present, there is both scepticism towards, and enthusiasm for, innovation in the sector – as well as a ... An introduction to social innovation for NGOs

Building on Social Innovation Europe (SIE)’s country profiles which demonstrate a variety of views on what social innovation means to different kinds of organisations in a particular country, SIE also looking at how social innovation is carried out in different regions across Europe. SIE recently interviewed Innobasque to learn more about social innovation in the Basque Country. The following interview builds on Innobasque’s contribution to the country ... Social Innovation in the Basque Country

Across the world, development and social challenges are increasingly more complex and urgent. From INGOs to community organisations to governments, finding new ways of working to meet these challenges is more of a priority than ever. The organisations that are best placed to deliver the biggest impact are those that are highly connected, that are agile ... How to be more innovative in your practice: 6 reflections from SIX and Hivos

In January 2016, a group of 25 foundations from across 4 continents came together at the Rockefeller Foundation’s New York office to learn and share insights about funding social innovation that help them tackle their most important opportunities and challenges. Although there are numerous toolkits, guides and traditional gatherings for foundations providing tips, practical suggestions ... Pushing boundaries to advance social impact

Insights from the meeting of international foundations in January 2016: An interview with Louise Pulford, the Director of SIX. What makes this node different?  This group is about the people, and I felt lucky to be in the room with such a great group. It really felt like the best were learning from the best. ... Connecting peers to push boundaries for social change – a new kind of meeting

This originally appeared on the BRAC blog. If there were a simple recipe for social innovation, anyone could easily transform an idea into an impactful solution reaching millions. Unfortunately things are a lot messier on the ground. Many ‘amazing’ innovations that promise to save millions of lives fail to scale and quietly disappear. Who’s to blame: ... Scaling social innovation: An art or a science?

Independent social funders are an established part of a mature ecosystem of social support in the UK. They represent a ‘sector’ that is diverse in makeup and practice, with some cutting edge thinking and innovative practice sitting alongside very traditional models of funding for activities in the community. It is also a sector whose leading lights ... Supporting Social Change: A New Funding Ecology

City administrations are facing a whole range of challenges on the social, environmental and economic fronts. New competences are being transferred from the national or regional levels while the budgets available to tackle them are shrinking. In this increasingly difficult context, social innovation is a new asset. Citizens are taking promising initiatives. They are inventing ... Social Innovation in Cities – URBACT report

How to organise and run a social lab? Lab Practice aims to share experiences from doing a social lab with elderly people in Amsteldorp by sharing methodologies and stories from both changemakers and social lab facilitators. In the face of fast moving, global, often elusive developments, national governments and their counterparts (public sector) find it ... Lab Practice: creating spaces for social change

The innovation Lab Insight Centre is a joint project between The Brisdgespan Group and the Rockefeller Foundation Focussing on Labs for Systems Change, the project brought together a blog and webinar series which shares research, expert insights, and perspectives on how these labs have helped funders and nonprofit organizations create environments conducive to innovation and ... The Innovation Lab Insight Centre

Twenty years ago, Indian activist Arbind Singh pleaded with local officials to address the issues facing the urban poor. The state government of Bihar had recently carried out a massive antiencroachment drive that left thousands of street vendors without the means to earn a living. Across India, cities were being ‘beautified’—which in part meant kicking ... What does it take to scale social impact?

This Nesta report Making it Big: Strategies for Scaling Social Innovations aims to help social innovators consider the best options for scaling up their innovations. Key findings: Scaling isn’t for everyone. Not all innovations are scalable, and scaling brings risks. But where social innovations have potential to benefit more people, we think innovators should at least consider whether ... Making it Big: Strategies for scaling social innovations

Nesta and Bloomberg Philanthropies have published the i-teams report to explore in-depth twenty innovation teams and funds from around the world. We analyse the diversity of structures and approaches, their impacts, and the key lessons for other government leaders looking to emulate these efforts.  We present the new practices being developed and implemented by city ... The teams and funds making innovation happen in governments around the world

This article was originally posted on Kennisland website here. Just Lab It? Social innovation labs are ‘hallelujah-ed’ as the latest vehicles for transforming the way our cities, our schools, our welfare programs, and even our economic systems run. Yet we, lab practitioners, encounter a lack of critical literature and struggle to find learning spaces to ... Lab Matters: Challenging the practice of social innovation laboratories

1. The two most important things you need to focus on if you want to use innovation to change systems and shift cultures are permission and play. The third thing is performance. Permission, performance, play – that’s the trifecta you have to pull off. It’s very hard and very rare. I was reminded of this ... Permission, performance and play: shifting culture, changing systems

This article was originally published on Social Innovation Generation (SiG) website. Social Innovation Generation (SiG) is a group who believes that serious social problems can be solved. Our focus is on fostering social innovation to achieve impact, durability and scale by engaging the creativity and resources of all sectors. Today, it is quite common to come ... The Scaling Imperative

This article was originally written by Geoff Mulgan on the Nesta website. In this paper, Geoff Mulgan looks at the various social and public labs across around the world. He summarises his personal view of the field of innovation labs – and what might lie ahead – largely based on Nesta experience. The report looks ... The radical’s dilemma: an overview of the practice and prospects of Social and Public Labs.

Via the Guardian Written by Marc Pfitzer and Valerie Bockstette The term “innovation” appears at least daily in Guardian Sustainable Business. That’s because innovation is the key to addressing the social and environmental challenges we face today. We need innovation to create more affordable health care services. We need innovation to bring nutritious food to every corner ... Five keys to corporate social innovation

Recently, I interviewed Paul Carttar, Director of the Social Innovation Fund–an initiative of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) intended to improve the lives of people in low-income communities. It does so by mobilizing public and private resources to grow promising, innovative community-based solutions that have evidence of compelling impact in three areas ... The Obama Administration’s Social Innovation Fund:An In-depth Interview with Director Paul Carttar

The City of Malmo is conducting a pre-study investigation funded by the European Commission into how they might establish a series of ‘Innovation forums’ in four deprived areas of the city. They see it as a method to generate new ideas and develop real solutions to some of Malmo’s social problems through inclusive processes well-rooted ... City of Malmo: Innovation forums and incubating social innovation