A scoping review of evaluation and implementation in complex social innovation projects
Authors
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Maud Gruyters
Department of Product Development, Faculty of Design Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
0000-0002-1508-9525
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Ivo Dewit
Department of Product Development, Faculty of Design Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
0000-0002-9145-319X
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Alexis Jacoby
Department of Product Development, Faculty of Design Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
0000-0002-4506-5540
Abstract
Social innovation projects are increasingly used to address complex societal challenges, yet many struggle to achieve sustainable implementation and lasting social impact. While the fields of social innovation, evaluation, and implementation science have each developed relevant insights, knowledge remains fragmented across disciplinary boundaries. This scoping review addresses fragmentation by synthesizing literature from social innovation, systems thinking and complexity science, evaluation, and implementation science through a design lens. Drawing from these fields, three objectives are explored: systemic social impact, monitoring social impact, and competencies for sustainable implementation. Findings highlight the importance of actor involvement for contextual understanding, while limited attention to power dynamics raises concerns about ethics and relevance. Success is context-dependent, requiring shared vision, trust, and engagement. However, accountability remains challenging due to the unpredictability of complex systems. A shift toward adaptive, learning-oriented approaches and capacity building is evident. The discussion explores both how complexity-aware approaches from different fields can be integrated into design practice and highlights design’s potential to mitigate the identified challenges. The principal contribution of this review is the integration of complementary bodies of knowledge on impact, evaluation, and implementation in complex social innovation contexts. By identifying shared themes and disciplinary blind spots, the review provides a conceptual foundation for future interdisciplinary research. By adopting a design lens, this review proposes new pathways for cross-disciplinary collaboration and emphasizes the need for context-sensitive, ethically grounded approaches to support lasting social change.
Keywords:
Social Innovation Systems Thinking and Complexity Science Evaluation Scoping Review System ChangeReferences
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Author Biographies
Maud Gruyters, Department of Product Development, Faculty of Design Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
Maud Gruyters is a design researcher and PhD candidate at the Systemic Design Lab of the Department of Product Development at the University of Antwerp. Her work explores how design can drive social impact and social innovation in addressing complex societal issues. Focusing on social innovation organizations, she integrates systemic awareness, complexity monitoring, capacity building, and strategic alignment to create pathways to achieve envisioned social impact.
Ivo Dewit, Department of Product Development, Faculty of Design Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
Ivo Dewit obtained his PhD in Product Development (2019), during which he developed a methodology to design product-service systems (PSS). He now holds a tenure-track assistant professor position, is head of the Service Design Lab, teaches and researches the topic of PSS design and service design. He organizes the summer school ‘Service Design for a Social City’ and the postgraduate ‘Leading Change by Design’ at the Fac. of Design Sciences, University of Antwerp and founded the Belgian chapter of the international Service Design Network.
Alexis Jacoby, Department of Product Development, Faculty of Design Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
Alexis Jacoby is an Associate Professor in the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes in Product Development at the University of Antwerp’s Faculty of Design Sciences. He holds a PhD in Product Development and teaches innovation and product development methodology. He also leads the department’s Strategic Design cluster. His research focuses on adaptive methodologies that tailor innovation processes to specific contexts, including product–service systems design and systemic design, with particular attention to how design can help address complex problems.
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