Using PLS-SEM to Measure the Mediating Effect of Territory in the Relationship Between Social Innovation and Territorial Development

This study aims to measure the mediating effect of territory in the relationship between social innovation and territorial development. To achieve this objective, we analyzed a sample of 126 social innovation initiatives distributed across the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region in Morocco, utilizing the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) methodology. Our research provides valuable insights into how territory plays a mediating role in facilitating the impact of social innovation initiatives on territorial development. Our analysis reveals that territory acts as a significant mediating factor between social innovation initiatives and territorial development. The results demonstrate that the effectiveness of social innovation initiatives in achieving territorial development is augmented when territorial efforts are prioritized and strategically implemented. This finding underscores the importance of considering territory as an integral component of social innovation initiatives for achieving impactful territorial development. Moreover, the research yields practical implications for policymakers, practitioners, and stakeholders involved in social innovation initiatives. Policymakers should recognize the pivotal role of territory as a mediator and support the integration of territorial considerations in social innovation programs to enhance their effectiveness. For practitioners, our findings highlight the significance of incorporating the dimension of 'territory' when designing and implementing social innovation initiatives. By acknowledging the mediating effect of territory, practitioners can enhance the sustainability and long-term impact of their initiatives. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing robust empirical evidence of the mediating effect of territory in the relationship between social innovation and territorial development. These novel insights advance our understanding of the interplay between social innovation initiatives and territorial outcomes, offering context-specific knowledge with broader implications for social innovation initiatives worldwide.   Keywords: social innovation; territory; territorial development; PLS-SEM. JEL Classification: O15, O17, O31, Q01 Paper type: Empirical researchThis study aims to measure the mediating effect of territory in the relationship between social innovation and territorial development. To achieve this objective, we analyzed a sample of 126 social innovation initiatives distributed across the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region in Morocco, utilizing the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) methodology. Our research provides valuable insights into how territory plays a mediating role in facilitating the impact of social innovation initiatives on territorial development. Our analysis reveals that territory acts as a significant mediating factor between social innovation initiatives and territorial development. The results demonstrate that the effectiveness of social innovation initiatives in achieving territorial development is augmented when territorial efforts are prioritized and strategically implemented. This finding underscores the importance of considering territory as an integral component of social innovation initiatives for achieving impactful territorial development. Moreover, the research yields practical implications for policymakers, practitioners, and stakeholders involved in social innovation initiatives. Policymakers should recognize the pivotal role of territory as a mediator and support the integration of territorial considerations in social innovation programs to enhance their effectiveness. For practitioners, our findings highlight the significance of incorporating the dimension of 'territory' when designing and implementing social innovation initiatives. By acknowledging the mediating effect of territory, practitioners can enhance the sustainability and long-term impact of their initiatives. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing robust empirical evidence of the mediating effect of territory in the relationship between social innovation and territorial development. These novel insights advance our understanding of the interplay between social innovation initiatives and territorial outcomes, offering context-specific knowledge with broader implications for social innovation initiatives worldwide.   Keywords: social innovation; territory; territorial development; PLS-SEM. JEL Classification: O15, O17, O31, Q01 Paper type: Empirical researc

Building Strong Social Connections Increases Innovation Capability

For many years, we have been trying to understand why some work groups are more innovative than others even though they sit in the same departmental and corporate infrastructures as one another. Under-standing why some are more innovative is the key to unlocking the larger problem of increasing overall company innovativeness. The research in this study points to the underlying role of HR practices and the social capital of the working group as keys to increasing innovation capability. Overall, a work unit’s chance of success in creating innovation at a departmental level depends on: the ability of employees within the work group to effectively share knowledge with one another, which is dependent on knowing who knows what within the group and developing a high level of trust between group members; the ability of the team to get access to key knowledge from outside the members of the work group, providing the team with new thinking and novel information and preventing the group from being too mired in its own way of thinking (preventing the not-invented-here syndrome); access to tangible resources increases the effectiveness of access to knowledge by providing the group the financial, equipment, and physical resources necessary to further develop new ideas; and a set of social-capital-enhancing HR practices seems to be one key way to increase the social capital and social context of the work teams that are more consistently innovative – these practices create both the skill and the will in employees in the work group to develop and foster social capital

An overview on leveraging social media technology for uncovering tacit knowledge sharing in an organizational context

Over the years, businesses have transformed from the traditional manufacturing-oriented to service-oriented. Along with this, tacit knowledge has become more crucial as organizations move toward innovation and service orientation. In summary, the knowledge of an organization's workforce is tacit knowledge related to their belief and expertise, which can be difficult to define, given its inexpressible characteristics. The practice of knowledge management is often associated with the use of information systems and the effort to codify, share and create knowledge using relevant knowledge management systems. Although social media is widely adopted by organizations to enhance the effectiveness of knowledge sharing practices, there is still a large amount of uncertainty on whether information systems act as an environment for the sharing of tacit knowledge. The purpose of this study is to understand the significant role of social media in offering tacit knowledge. Wiki, because of its collaborative and conversational bases, was chosen as an example of a social media and the methodology undertaken in this study is literature review. This study contributes to a discussion on the increasingly important role of social media in the dissemination of tacit knowledge in an organizational context

Forging partnerships in health care: Process and measuring benefits

Universally, there is concern that much academic learning has dealt mainly in theory, removing knowledge from context with a resultant lack of practical experience. Here, the catalyst for strengthening university-community engagement, emanated from a desire to foster greater propensity within students to make connections between their academic courses and responsibility toward the community and people in need, and thus develop enhanced skills in social interaction, teamwork and effectiveness. This paper explores a variety of models of university-community engagement that aim to achieve and model good practice in policy making and planning around healthcare education and service development. Ways of integrating teaching and learning with community engagement, so there is reciprocal learning with significant benefits to the community, students, the university and industry are described. The communities of engagement for a transdisciplinary approach in healthcare are defined and the types of collaborative partnerships are outlined, including public/private partnerships, service learning approaches and regional campus engagement. The processes for initiating innovation in this field, forging sustainable partnerships, providing cooperative leadership and building shared vision are detailed. Measuring shared and sustained benefits for all participants is examined in the context of effecting changes in working relationships as well as the impact on students in terms of increased personal and social responsibility, confidence and competence. For the health professions, it is considered vital to adopt this approach in order to deliver graduates who feel aware of community needs, believe they can make a difference, and have a greater sense of community responsibility, ethic of service and more sophisticated understandings of social contexts. In the longer term, it is proposed the strategy will deliver a future healthcare workforce that is more likely to have a strengthened sense of community, social and personal responsibility and thus effect positive social change

Technological Innovation and Urban Processes

Technological innovation pushes transformatioin, rennovation and urban regenaration of areas and services. Special attention is given to the major urban centres, for the most related to nationale and/or Ue policy (Ce, 2003; Ce, 2004). A number of important questions are emerging between the reinforcement of the bigger areas, both metropolitan and urban, and the smaller centres. Moreover, according with different institutional actors it would be better more balanced process of anthropization because environmental and social reasons (APAT, 2004). In Calabria there are very few towns with more then 15.000 residents, often they are isolated and in the internal land. It requires to connect these areas by network, to push the diffusion of innovation and technology, to build up the “educated technology†(Del Nord, 1991). As said in other place (Aragona, 2003), the region is becoming to partecipate to the global village and the Ue (Ue, 1994; 1995; 1996) have policies and areas of implementation (Information Society, POR Calabbria 2000-20006; RIS+ 2001-2002). The paper faces a number of questions continuing such a topic. How are changing some of these areas that have implemented the technological innovation? Which impact are making the strategies and the choices on the spatial, functional and social context. The social effectiveness related to the quality life, said by Gasparini (1990) does it better? Could it be the outcome due to the absence of concentrated localization as is the case of other territorial areas marked by the “reticular†network (Dematteis, 1990)? Above all it requires to evaluate, said that the technological facilities are present enough, the role plays by the innovation as engine for both the cultural and awareness growth. Push for and knowledge that overcomes the mere informatization and suggestes the e-government: a formation and information path dedicated to build up new tools for local action and planning in the global competition. Identification of new settlements and spatial criteria (Appold et al., 1990), construction of urban spaces as signs of the past (Augè, 2004) but also signals of a new development and of social choesion, new citizenship (Cacciari, 1991).

Innovation Capacity in Courts: A Theoretical Framework and Research Agenda

Innovation in the public sector is a subject that has attracted increasing interest of public managers, policymakers, and scholars, encompassing a possible response to the complex and uncertain context experienced by governments worldwide. In the same way, the search for efficiency and effectiveness has driven the development and adoption of innovations in courts given the influence that these institutions have on the social and economic development of countries. In this sense, understanding what influences the innovation capacity in courts is an important topic for investigation. This paper contributes to this matter, using the Resource-Based View and Dynamic Capabilities approach, by analyzing the recent scientific literature on innovation capacity in the public sector, which allowed the identification of six main factors: Leadership, Team Behavior, Collaboration, Organizational Resources, Knowledge Management, and Information Technology. This leads to the proposal of a theoretical framework of the main factors associated with innovation capacity in courts. The theoretical and practical implications of the framework are discussed, and six propositions to drive a research agenda are presented

Crystallizing the nexus of network content, structure, and behaviour in university-business open innovation research collaborations built for new product development

This thesis examines the relational complexities of university-business open innovation networks built for new product development. Through applying network inter-organizational theory, it aims to understand how this relationship type can be developed and managed to create new knowledge and produce mutually beneficial outcomes. This topic is important, as governmental bodies around the globe have developed policy initiatives that encourage universities to play a more significant role within the national innovation landscape, insomuch that collaboration might result in the commercialization of academic research and scientific knowledge and further enhance economic growth and competitiveness within many industries. However, the university-business open innovation literature remains fragmented, and often portrays this relationship type as merely a link to knowledge access or financial resources with little attention given to the complex relational issues that surround the alignment of such diverse partners. This often overlooks the social elements of knowledge generation and the process of innovation emergence which implicates the route value creation (or lack thereof) between affiliated parties. This thesis posits that value creation, within this relational type, is reliant upon the development, management, and strategic coordination of both externally and internally held social capital stocks. Through examining the functioning of an existing collaborative partnership between a university and a business, utilizing a mixed method social network analysis, light was made on the dynamic nature of how the relationship developed over time, the depth of interaction between partners, and how the actors within the network were organized for knowledge sharing. The analysis provides a greater understanding of the role relational context play on the flows of communication and the emergence of innovative outputs emerge. The main findings of this thesis are that the coupled process of open innovation relationships universities and business relationships require the capability to adapt and engage with the external environment to ensure sustainability. It also finds that contractual mechanisms only enable collaboration to a degree, but are most effective when informal interactions are fostered and, thus, concludes that the effectiveness of value creation might be contingent on local conditions. The findings of this thesis emphasize the risks of standardized approaches to manage encourage university-business collaborations, and provides guidance to managers and policymakers into the nature of these relationships post-award, insomuch that might effectively structure; as well as anticipate transitions and design elements of the relational exchange. It, thereby, provides a richer theory of university-business collaboration, and contributes to the open innovation literature

Higher Education Innovation Funding 2011-12 to 2014-15: policy, final allocations and request for institutional strategies [Request for information]

This document gives Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF) allocations for higher education institutions exceeding a threshold for 2011-12 to 2014-15. It invites institutions with HEIF allocations to submit institutional strategies to release their funds, and includes a template for those strategies. It also describes the policy context and method for HEIF 2011-2015 and our future approach to monitoring and review. Annexes Annex A Final HEIF 2011-2015 allocations Annex B1 Word template for HEIF institutional strategies Annex B2 Excel template for HEIF institutional strategies Annex C Guidance notes for completion of institutional strategies Annex D History, progress to date and international context to HEFCE knowledge exchange policy Annex E Detailed HEFCE and Government policies relevant to knowledge exchange and HEIF Annex F List of abbreviation

Fostering implementation of health services research findings into practice: a consolidated framework for advancing implementation science

Abstract Background Many interventions found to be effective in health services research studies fail to translate into meaningful patient care outcomes across multiple contexts. Health services researchers recognize the need to evaluate not only summative outcomes but also formative outcomes to assess the extent to which implementation is effective in a specific setting, prolongs sustainability, and promotes dissemination into other settings. Many implementation theories have been published to help promote effective implementation. However, they overlap considerably in the constructs included in individual theories, and a comparison of theories reveals that each is missing important constructs included in other theories. In addition, terminology and definitions are not consistent across theories. We describe the Consolidated Framework For Implementation Research (CFIR) that offers an overarching typology to promote implementation theory development and verification about what works where and why across multiple contexts. Methods We used a snowball sampling approach to identify published theories that were evaluated to identify constructs based on strength of conceptual or empirical support for influence on implementation, consistency in definitions, alignment with our own findings, and potential for measurement. We combined constructs across published theories that had different labels but were redundant or overlapping in definition, and we parsed apart constructs that conflated underlying concepts. Results The CFIR is composed of five major domains: intervention characteristics, outer setting, inner setting, characteristics of the individuals involved, and the process of implementation. Eight constructs were identified related to the intervention (e.g., evidence strength and quality), four constructs were identified related to outer setting (e.g., patient needs and resources), 12 constructs were identified related to inner setting (e.g., culture, leadership engagement), five constructs were identified related to individual characteristics, and eight constructs were identified related to process (e.g., plan, evaluate, and reflect). We present explicit definitions for each construct. Conclusion The CFIR provides a pragmatic structure for approaching complex, interacting, multi-level, and transient states of constructs in the real world by embracing, consolidating, and unifying key constructs from published implementation theories. It can be used to guide formative evaluations and build the implementation knowledge base across multiple studies and settings.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78272/1/1748-5908-4-50.xmlhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78272/2/1748-5908-4-50-S1.PDFhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78272/3/1748-5908-4-50-S3.PDFhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78272/4/1748-5908-4-50-S4.PDFhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78272/5/1748-5908-4-50.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78272/6/1748-5908-4-50-S2.PDFPeer Reviewe