Social Creation. A New Concept for Social Sciences and Humanities

Social impact assessment in Social Sciences builds a base of knowledge transparency and direct involvement in social inequality, creating an alternative to the stagnation of scientific results and allowing them to become a real impact through society improvements. Four parameters inform and measure the degree of researchers' involvement in a scientific project and the improvements that this generates in society. These parameters are: Dissemination, Transfer, Impact and Social Creation. Social improvement does not come until impact is achieved, since dissemination does not ensure knowledge application, and transfer does not ensure that its application generates improvement as even sometimes its generates deterioration. However, we can achieve social impact by writing scientific publications about successful social realities that others have done. The new concept of social creation is a step beyond, and defines the process when from social research itself new successful social realities that improve society in ways that hitherto had not existed emerge

Promoting Creativity in the Cooperative Work Environment: A Case Study of the Lacol Cooperative

Previous research has examined organizational factors that could facilitate or limit creativity also indicating that although cooperatives can be seen as innovative business formats, they are also considered slow growth models because of their organizational characteristics. In this study we aim to explore the processes, practices, and other organizational characteristics that define the creative dynamics in cooperatives. In this way, our goals are (a) to understand how the promotion of the creativity is carried out in the cooperative workplace and (b) to study the factors that can accelerate the development of a more positive climate for creativity, boosting transformative elements and neutralizing exclusionary elements. This article is focused on a qualitative case study of an architecture cooperative from Catalonia (Spain), Lacol. The data were collected through two in-depth interviews. Also, visual material was collected to study how the physical space is organised and how this affects creative processes. The results show that, of the studied elements, those most relevant to produce a creative work environment in Lacol are power decentralization, freedom and autonomy, work team support, training, and challenges. Likewise, friendship has been identified as an important transversal element. Finally, future research lines are discussed

Coping of Chinese Citizens Living in Spain during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons for Personal Well-Being and Social Cohesion

Chinese citizens in China were the first affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Nevertheless, the disease rapidly spread around the world, leading to the worst pandemic experienced in modern societies. Spain has become one of the countries more severely affected by it, while having a large Chinese community. This study aims to explore the perception of Chinese citizens living in Spain regarding the outbreak in their host country. Communicative interviews were conducted with ten Chinese men and women who had been living in Spain for at least five years. Results show cultural differences in the coping strategies of the Chinese as a response to the pandemic, which differ from those observed by the participants in their fellow Spanish citizens. These findings unveil the potential of integrating the cultural knowledge and coping strategies of migrant groups in the host communities in managing a pandemic, as well as the negative outcomes for social cohesion and well-being from new racism emerging in the context of COVID-19

Improved Leadership Skills and Aptitudes in an Excellence EMBA Programme: Creating Synergies with Dialogic Leadership to Achieve Social Impact

Psychological research on leadership has demonstrated that it achieves social impact, particularly in the improvement of working environments and organizational performance. The understanding of the organizational context of leader behavior and its different components is crucial to analyzing the impact of leadership in organizations. The purpose of this study is to identify and analyze the transformation and change of leadership skills and aptitudes before and after the implementation of an excellence EMBA program, particularly in relation to two components of the organizational context: (1) goals and purposes, and (2) people and groups. Data were collected from open-ended questionnaires completed by alumni and current participants in an Executive MBA program (EMBA) and enrolled in leadership courses. The emerging issues identified in the responses include themes linked to dialogic leadership and show that participants improve their leadership skills and aptitudes, advancing toward effective leadership and potential social impact in their organizations. The article concludes with a discussion identifying synergies with current developments of psychological research in leadership and the social impact of science

Nuevas Masculinidades Alternativas, la lucha con y por el Feminismo en el Contexto Universitario

The participation of men in the feminist movement and the solidarity struggle with victims has been repeatedly questioned by both sexes, as well as their contributions and their solidarity with women. Despite this questioning, throughout history there was men who have positioned themselves against sexism and gender violence, in favor of affective or emotional/sexual or sexual relations, totally free of violence. This article is developed through an auto narrative of a case of overcoming sexual harassment thanks to the interaction and masculine intervention in support and solidarity to the victims of gender-based violence. The narrative is evidenced with the scientific contributions of the main feminist researchers on the new masculinities’ topic. The specific case that succeed in the context of university constitutes a reference of action for men who are positioned with women in the fight against gender violence.La participación de los hombres en el movimiento feminista y la lucha solidaria con las víctimas de esta ha sido reiteradamente cuestionada por parte de ambos sexos, así como sus contribuciones y su solidaridad con las mujeres. A pesar de ese cuestionamiento, durante toda la historia ha habito hombres que se han posicionado contra el sexismo y la violencia de género, a favor de unas relaciones afectivas o afectivo-sexuales o sexuales, totalmente libres de violencia. Este artículo desarrolla partiendo de las bases científicas de los y las principales contribuciones feministas referentes a las nuevas masculinidades, la auto narrativa de la superación de un caso de acoso sexual gracias a la interacción e intervención masculina en apoyo y solidaridad a las víctimas. El caso concreto que se ubica en el ámbito universitario constituye un referente de actuación para los hombres que se posicionan al lado de las mujeres en la lucha contra la violencia de género

Participation and Organizational Commitment in the Mondragon Group

The scientific literature has shown Mondragon Corporation (MC), with 65 years of history, as a clear example that cooperativism can be highly competitive in the capitalist market while being highly egalitarian and democratic. This cooperative group has focused on its corporate values of cooperation, participation, social responsibility, and innovation. Previous scientific research reports its enormous transformative and emancipatory potential. However, studies on the effects of various types of worker participation on competitiveness and workers' psychological wellbeing in this cooperative group exist to a lesser extent. Specifically, one aspect that needs further empirical research and that represents a competitive advantage for Mondragon is the degree of commitment and emotional attachment that can be observed in the people who work there. For this reason, this article aims to identify key elements of the democratic participation of workers in these cooperatives that relate to the development of organizational commitment. Based on a communicative and qualitative approach, data collection included 29 interviews to different profiles of workers (senior and junior workers, members and non-members of the cooperative, and researchers involved in the cooperatives) from eight different cooperatives of the Corporation. Through this research methodology, the participants interpret their reality through egalitarian and intersubjective dialogue because their voices are considered essential to measure the social impact. This study found three different ways in which the democratic participation of worker-members in management and ownership contributes to developing affective organizational commitment among those working in Mondragon cooperatives, generating positive psychological and economic outcomes for both workers and cooperatives

Límites de la Transición española: Análisis crítico de un proceso de transformación social y político.

La Transición española ha dejado en la historia miles de interrogantes abiertos y asuntos sin resolver. La reforma o ruptura con el sistema autoritario que dio paso a una democracia liberal abrió para muchos un mar de oportunidades, con referencias a países como Portugal, que justo había vivido la Revolución de los Claveles en 1974. No obstante, los anhelos democráticos de muchas personas se vieron coartados por un proceso poco transparente y de creación de estructuras de Estado que fueron negociados e impulsados por los sectores más aperturistas del régimen franquista y la oposición democrática más moderada, marginando a los sectores que apostaban por la ruptura. En este artículo se analizan las limitaciones del proceso de Transición que vivió España, y algunas de sus consecuencias políticas y sociales