Understanding social innovation leadership in universities: empirical insights from a group concept mapping study
European Journal of Innovation Management
ISSN: 1460-1060
Article publication date: 28 December 2020
Issue publication date: 16 February 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Recently, social innovation (SI) has captured the imagination of a range of actors globally, including in the higher education (HE) sector. This study explores the conceptual domain of SI leadership in HE. Drawing on the insights of 22 experienced practitioners in Canada, it provides a concept map to help guide leadership practice and research.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted Group Concept Mapping (GCM), a mixed methods approach that provides a structured way to map the “conceptual domain” of a topic from the perspectives of those with close knowledge of it. Using online GCM software, one group of participants generated statements in response to a prompting question about SI leadership. Another group sorted statements into conceptual groups, rating them for importance. The authors then produced a preliminary map using cluster analysis. A third group interpreted that map. The authors analyzed interpretation data to produce a final concept map, which is discussed in light of relevant literature.
Findings
GCM methodology resulted in 108 statements about SI leadership, with the vast majority ranked as highly important. The analysis produced a map consisting of nine “clusters” of conceptually related ideas about SI leadership, encapsulated under three interacting areas of focus: individual, relational, institutional/system. Participants confirmed the map reflected key dimensions of practice, noting it indicated important tensions and paradoxes core to their practice. Their interpretations highlighted how the map represented iterative dynamics of leadership over time and across levels; and how different theoretical and practice traditions in SI communities affect conceptualizations of leadership.
Research limitations/implications
The study suggests that an area ripe for study is the navigation of micro-level systems in pursuit of meso-level and macro-level systems change. The map provides an empirically derived set of dimensions for instrument development in future SI leadership studies. The context of conventional academic institutions bounds the results but helps to surface key considerations for researching SI processes in other mature institutions. Comparison of findings with extant leadership theories suggests that, to advance theoretical research on the topic of leadership in SI, bricolage or new theory development will be needed.
Practical implications
The map paints broad themes with concrete, practice-level ideas. It can serve as a touchstone for reflection by experienced practitioners and offers a reference point to orient those new to leading SI.
Originality/value
The scholarly knowledge base about SI has been growing rapidly, but it is still an emerging field of study. There are only a handful of published studies offering perspectives on SI in HE, and none with respect to SI leadership in HE. This study offers original conceptual insights grounded in empirical data gathered through a method aligned with its exploratory purpose.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful for the participation of the social innovation leaders who contributed their time and energy to this project, and for the funding support to this research of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Faculty of Education and Centre for Research on Educational and Community Services at the University of Ottawa.
Citation
Milley, P. and Szijarto, B. (2022), "Understanding social innovation leadership in universities: empirical insights from a group concept mapping study", European Journal of Innovation Management, Vol. 25 No. 2, pp. 365-389. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-07-2020-0256
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited