Innovation in the Social Sector

Though it is usually not known for it, this article from Harvard Business Review suggests ways it might become more so.

An excerpt.

“Innovation, in word and deed, has been a golden calf of the business world for decades. Companies like Apple and Google are prized and admired for their unending commitment to introducing new services, products, methods and strategies. Now the concept has taken on a second life in the social sector, where a tougher than tough economy has made "innovation" the theoretical one-size fits all answer for every challenge, with little discussion about the associated costs and challenges. Donors no longer supporting your work? Innovate! A harsh, unyielding, volatile political climate? Innovate! Shrinking staff? Innovate!

“I myself, charged aggressively into this recession with all of my 22-year old energy and generational swagger, armed with Seth Godin books, ready to innovate and "change the game", despite never having played it before. Working for the nation's oldest and largest civil and human rights coalition, I ran head first into the reality that innovation, however sexy and necessary, is much easier said than done. Since then, I've founded a new project and brand within the country's largest progressive think tank and am now working with ambitious social entrepreneurs to develop, experiment with, and incubate new ideas. In other words, I've seen how hard innovation can be in every possible social sector setting.

“Why is this? Well, for starters, failure is a critical part of innovation. In order to try something new, one must be willing to fail on the path to success. Unfortunately for many non-profits, failure is perceived as more than an uncomfortable and painful outcome, but a grave and dangerous one. There are two huge reasons why failure is seen as so negative in the social sector:

“1. There is too much at stake. Businesses risk money. Non profits risk political capital that can take years to rebuild, and in many cases, the very lives of the people they serve or advocate on behalf of. Failure in our world can mean less effective services to the homeless, less responsive assistance for victims of domestic violence, the squandering of funds for public education, and so and so forth. This is not a game. But the problem with this seriousness, no matter how accurate it may be, is that is often applied with such tenacity and to such great extent as to morph into a self-righteous excuse to settle for the status quo. Will people really die if you reformat the way you send out an email? Will genocide be any more intense if you try a creative online action for your organizations? Will the world really end if you try to engage students in their own advocacy vs. just parents? Probably not. What many don't understand is that while our issues may seem too important to risk failure in the short term, their importance has kept many in the sector from experimenting and innovating fast enough to succeed in the long term.”