What is Social Innovation?

UWaterloo Social Innovation

Changing the system dynamics that created the problem in the first place

A social innovation is any initiative (product, process, program, project, or platform) that challenges and, over time, contributes to changing the defining  and authority flows or beliefs of the broader social system in which it is introduced. 

Successful social innovations have durability, scale and transformative impact.

                                                         Frances Westley, 2014

routines, resource
Remote video URL

Frances Westley's keynote on the history of social innovation at Nesta's Social Frontiers, Nov. 14-15, 2013.