The 3 T’s framework of social innovation labs

Abstract

Social Innovation labs present an unorthodox and varied typology, but one common denominator among them is the goal to create complex inter-organizational collaborations in order to tackle complex problems. These labs are systemic, experimental and social in nature. They utilise methodologies already discussed in the collaboration theory literature, adapting them to the context of innovation. We argue that social Innovation labs create safe spaces to innovate by using a framework composed of 'time, techniques and tools', which we refer to as the 'three T’s framework'. Constant development of the innovation process and respect for the time required in order to effect systemic change represent the major contributions that social innovation labs make towards addressing society’s most intractable problems.

Keywords

• social innovation labs
• system
• experimental
• social
• time
• techniques
• tools
• collaboration
• framework
• 3T’s