Three Dimensions of Transformative Impact and Capacity: A Conceptual Framework Applied in Social Innovation Practice
1
Maastricht Sustainability Institute, Maastricht University, 6211 ME Maastricht, The Netherlands
2
Department of Environmental Sciences, Open University, 6419 AT Heerlen, The Netherlands
3
United Nations University—Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT), United Nations University, 6211 AX Maastricht, The Netherlands
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2020, 12(11), 4742; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114742
Received: 31 March 2020 / Revised: 26 May 2020 / Accepted: 4 June 2020 / Published: 10 June 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Innovation and Transformation)
This article empirically applies, tests, and refines a conceptual framework that articulates three dimensions of transformative impact and transformative capacity: depth, width, and length. This responds to the need for a more precise conceptual language to describe these terms and operationalize them in a way that is useful for practitioners in social innovation networks. By applying this framework in diverse cases of social innovation networks, we demonstrate how the framework can serve to identify and assess transformative impacts and the capacities needed to bring about these impacts. Our findings include 1. empirical substantiations, 2. refinements, and 3. interaction effects among the elements of the framework. We also subjected the framework to an appraisal by practitioners in social innovation networks regarding the recognizability of the framework elements and usefulness for practice. The framework was generally perceived as very meaningful and valuable for social innovation practitioners as a way to understand, assess, strategically design and evaluate their transformation efforts. Drawing on feedback by practitioners, we offer recommendations for further research and development of the framework to improve its usefulness in practice.
View Full-Text
▼
Show Figures
Figure 1
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
MDPI and ACS Style
Strasser, T.; de Kraker, J.; Kemp, R. Three Dimensions of Transformative Impact and Capacity: A Conceptual Framework Applied in Social Innovation Practice. Sustainability 2020, 12, 4742. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114742
AMA Style
Strasser T, de Kraker J, Kemp R. Three Dimensions of Transformative Impact and Capacity: A Conceptual Framework Applied in Social Innovation Practice. Sustainability. 2020; 12(11):4742. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114742
Chicago/Turabian StyleStrasser, Tim, Joop de Kraker, and René Kemp. 2020. "Three Dimensions of Transformative Impact and Capacity: A Conceptual Framework Applied in Social Innovation Practice" Sustainability 12, no. 11: 4742. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114742
Find Other Styles
Note that from the first issue of 2016, MDPI journals use article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.
