“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
- Albert Einstein
At Tamarack, we see Community Innovation as a particular form of social innovation that is place-based, within the specific geography of a community. Canada has been a pioneer in the field of social innovation, which has been defined as “both a destination – the resolution of complex social and environmental challenges – and also a journey – devising new approaches that engage all stakeholders, leveraging their competencies and creativity to design novel solutions.”
As dynamic ‘living labs’, communities offer the perfect container for innovation. Our experience with community change has taught us to appreciate that to be effective, Community Innovation requires an appreciation of both the issue one is hoping to address, as well as a deep understanding of the unique characteristics of the community – the place and the people within it – where the innovation will be implemented. Successful Community Innovation is context specific. Solutions that have been proven effective in one community can, at best, serve as a source of inspiration for another community. These innovations, however, must be adapted and modified to reflect the unique strengths, challenges and leadership of the community where they are being replicated.
Innovation creates a solution that is distinct from – and more ambitious and uncertain – than continuous improvement. It is also important to note that innovation exists in a number of different forms. These include: program; product and/or service innovation; funding innovation or, system innovation. Karen Pittman, founder of the Forum for Youth Investment, illustrates this distinction well: “Programmatic interventions help people to beat the odds but systemic interventions seek to change the odds.” System innovation moves beyond the better alignment of programs and services within an existing system to challenge the system’s conventional norms and look beyond proven or accepted practices to create new, never-before considered solutions that are usually based on a fundamentally different set of assumptions.
By Sylvia Cheuy
In this thoughtful paper, Sylvia Cheuy explores community innovation - a unique form of social innovation that is place-based within the specific geography of a community - and notes how communities face an imperative to develop innovation capacity.
By The Bridgespan Group, and The Rockefeller Foundation
In this helpful guide, the Bridgespan Group and the Rockefeller Foundation discuss how non-profits can realistically satisfy their aspirations to innovate. This paper covers both how to identify breakthrough ideas and opportunites, and how to put them into practice.
By Dr. Sarah Schulman
This insightful article discusses the patterns and dynamics at work in our communities around building strong social infrastructure. She explores the patterns of our relationships with each other as individuals and groups that give rise to our physical infrastructure.
By IDEO
The Human Centered Design Toolkit is an essential resource that provides new frameworks and ways to hear your constituents, create new solutions, and deliver on long-term goals.
This free resource was produced by IDEO, a global design company comitted to creative positive impact.
By Galen MacLusky
In this series we will learn what community innovation is, how it has changed the way we look at community change and how you can apply different innovation methods and lenses to your work in a meaningful way.
This webinar series explores how the practice of Community Innovation can help you create effective community change, how the practice of Community Innovation relates to other community change practices, and some of the most common Community Innovation methods.
By Brenda Zimmerman
In this video, taken at Tamarack's 2014 Collective Impact Summit, Brenda Zimmerman discussed the concept of snapback in relation to community innovation, and the difficulty involved in creating resiliency in change.
By D Magellan Horth & J. Vehar, Center for Creative Leadership
This free resource was developed by the Center for Creative Leadership, and outlines the difficulty of pursuing innovation in the face of day-to-day duties. It empahsizes the need for organizational support, focus, and a culture that nurtures creativity.
March 4-5 | Toronto, ON
This 2-day workshop will include a step-by-step approach to designing inclusive collaborative gatherings that meet the needs of your community, an exploration of best practices in community engagement and innovation, and a set of principles and techniques to guide facilitation and help troubleshoot tough situations.
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