Issues in Business Ethics

Journal: Issues in Business Ethics

Springer

2215-1680
0925-6733

Publications 1 - 1 of 1

A Behavioral and Cognitive View of Social Innovation
Deréky, Anna; Brusoni, Stefano (2022)
Issues in Business Ethics ~ Social Innovation and Social Enterprises
This chapter starts with a naïve question: can innovation ever not be social? In other words, doesn’t innovation always have a social element? In seeking to answer it, we sketch the foundations of a simple and appreciative baseline model of innovation grounded in the cognitive and behavioral sciences. Our model of individual decision-making requires three analytical building blocks: an observable choice, a tradeoff that sets the context of choice, and social preferences that inform choice. The joint analysis of these building blocks might lead to the development of a more general framework to reconnect the—unfortunately—disconnected discussions about innovation and social innovation. Our argument builds on classic works of economic theory as well as recent developments in the cognitive and behavioral sciences. It problematizes the role of famous entrepreneurs such as Josiah Wedgwood and Henry Ford, and critically reviews recent work in management research focused on corporate social responsibility, business ethics, and hybrid organizations. The chapter concludes by speculating on how we might shift from individual- to organizational-level analysis.

Publications 1 - 1 of 1