Social innovators tackling complex social, economic and environmental challenges – particularly those working with diverse stakeholders – can employ a variety of different types of strategy to guide them towards achieving their ambitious goals.
The Strategy Continuum, informed by the world-renowned expert on strategy, Henry Mintzberg (1985), describes the three models most commonly used in social and community change efforts: Emergent, Umbrella and Detailed. They range from “loose” to “tight”, each suitable for a particular type of context in which the social innovators are operating.