How intermediaries build social capital for transformative social innovation

Fyvie, Christine

How intermediaries build social capital for transformative social innovation

Thesis / Dissertation

2023

Abstract

Researchers have called for innovation policy that focuses on addressing social needs. This involves an inclusive and experimental process where solutions to complex problems need to be developed “on the ground” with local stakeholders. There is an urgent need for such transformative innovative change that can alleviate some of the suffering in South African base-of-the-pyramid (BoP) communities, yet the inclusive, collaborative efforts that support transformative innovation are very challenging in these contexts. Scholars have emphasised the role of intermediary organisations in supporting transformative innovation processes but there is little research on how these intermediaries achieve stakeholder involvement in BoP contexts. I hence studied NGOs that address social problems in BoP settings and play an intermediary role by bringing different actors together. Using a multiple case study approach, including an autoethnographic case study, I develop a model that describes the process through which intermediary change agents establish social capital with local stakeholders. This process involves going through three phases that yield different types of trust, and each type of trust offers the change agent different affordances. In the first phase, the agent builds local knowledge and gains access to an initial group of community stakeholders. In the second phase, the change agent builds transactional trust, motivating local stakeholders to participate in their initiatives. In the final phase, the agent builds collaborative trust that motivates the stakeholders not only to participate for their own benefit but to collaborate towards a shared vision for transformation in their community. The findings highlight how the success of local development initiatives in BoP contexts hinge on the change agent's ability to build trusting personal relationships and how this process takes significant time and energy. My research also has practical implications for both transformative innovation policy makers and practitioners working in these contexts. Keywords: Transformative innovation, Intermediary organisations, Social capital, Collaboration, BoP contexts

Keywords

Business

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