Carlo Fusari

Progetto di ricerca
Exploring the orchestration role of collaborative spaces in social innovation ecosystems: framework, configurations, and impact pathways

Over the past two decades, social innovation has gained increasing relevance in the academic and political landscape, as it is considered an important factor for addressing social issues that characterize the current historical context (e.g., inequalities, climate change). Regardless of the particular field of application, social innovation represents a process of creating new ideas that can generate social change and propose new alternatives and social practices. Social innovation is also characterized by a relational approach that involves a multiple and diverse set of actors.

A social innovation ecosystem is understood as a set of formal and informal relationships that favor collaborative development, diffusion, and institutionalization of new social practices aimed at addressing complex social challenges and creating social value within a given context. From this perspective, the idea of a social innovation ecosystem encompasses not only aspects related to the generation of new products or services capable of solving social problems but also relational aspects, namely the dynamics among different actors. In this sense, it has recently been highlighted that specific spaces can play an important role as innovation intermediaries within their ecosystem, which means facilitators of relationships and the circulation of information and knowledge.

In the last decade, there has been a proliferation of different types of spaces termed with the “umbrella term” of collaborative spaces (coworking spaces, fablabs, incubators, etc.) that aim to develop collaborative practices between their users and between these and territorial actors (companies, universities, associations, public administration). The development of collaborative spaces has been linked to several socioeconomic phenomena that have characterized the last decade, from transformations in the world of work to the need to regenerate peripheral or degraded urban areas, and to the emergence of innovation models oriented toward the generation of social value. While the literature has highlighted the social value creation of these spaces, studies have not explored in depth how they facilitate relationships among the different sets of actors that compose a social innovation ecosystem. Therefore, this study aims to deepen this theme by examining how collaborative spaces function as innovation intermediaries orchestrators, facilitating a collaborative environment among different actors within their social innovation ecosystem.

This study was conducted in three articles. The first article, through an interpretive review of the literature, defines a model of the network orchestration of collaborative spaces in social innovation ecosystems. More precisely, the article, through analysis of 46 academic articles and book chapters, identifies nine orchestration functions organized into four phases, influenced by two contextual factors. The second article, using a qualitative, exploratory approach, examines the orchestration role of collaborative spaces in the Emilia-Romagna Region. More precisely, through the analysis of 37 semi-structured interviews with managers and key stakeholders across 22 spaces in their operational phase, four configurations were identified. The third and final article explores orchestration processes through a multi-case study. More precisely, through the study of the eight collaborative spaces, it identifies four pathways that explain how collaborative spaces generate social impact.

Keywords: Collaborative Spaces, Social Innovation, Innovation Ecosystem, Intermediary, Orchestration

Pubblicazioni

• Rodighiero, S., Fusari, C., Montanari, F., Sordi, D. (in press). ‘Connecting’, ‘caring’, and ‘empowering’: How do cultural institutions and festivals contribute to sustainable development policies?. II Capitale Culturale, in press.

• Rodighiero, S., Fusari, C., Montanari, F., Sordi, D. (2025). Gli spazi collaborativi a supporto delle politiche place-based: pratiche organizzative e sfide nelle aree periferiche. Studi Organizzativi, 1, 36-66, doi:10.3280/SO2025-001002

• Rodighiero, S., Fusari, C., Montanari, F., Monti, A., Saroglia, P. (2024). La riconfigurazione degli spazi del Terzo settore tramite una logica collaborativa. Impresa Sociale, 2, 70-78.

• Montanari, F., Rodighiero, S., Fusari, C. (2023). Un modello per la valutazione dell’impatto sociale degli spazi collaborativi. In F. Montanari (a cura di), L’impatto sociale degli spazi collaborativi. Modelli, pratiche ed esperienze. FrancoAngeli, Milano