IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/tefoso/v164y2021ics0040162517314002.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Success factors and challenges of grassroots innovations: Learning from failure

Author

Listed:
  • Dana, Léo-Paul
  • Gurău, Calin
  • Hoy, Frank
  • Ramadani, Veland
  • Alexander, Todd

Abstract

Grassroots innovation projects have the potential to generate novel, bottom-up solutions that respond to local situations, interests and values – solving the social, economic and environmental problems of marginalized communities; however, these projects can raise important challenges during their design, testing, development and implementation. Although extant studies identify some of these problems, the literature and practice lack a comprehensive diagnostic tool that can effectively predict the potential and success of grassroots initiatives. For this reason, important problems are often neglected, and failed projects are not thoroughly investigated and analyzed, which leads to missed opportunities of corrective learning. This study addresses this knowledge gap, proposing a diagnostic tool based on existing theoretical frameworks, which is then validated by investigating a failed grassroots innovation initiative, in order to identify its major shortcomings, and learn to avoid them in future projects. The findings also outline the role and importance of a socially inclusive approach for an effective deployment of grassroots initiatives, clarifying the relationship between grassroots innovation success and local community involvement.

Suggested Citation

  • Dana, Léo-Paul & Gurău, Calin & Hoy, Frank & Ramadani, Veland & Alexander, Todd, 2021. "Success factors and challenges of grassroots innovations: Learning from failure," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:164:y:2021:i:c:s0040162517314002
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2019.03.009
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162517314002
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.techfore.2019.03.009?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Smith, Adrian & Raven, Rob, 2012. "What is protective space? Reconsidering niches in transitions to sustainability," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(6), pages 1025-1036.
    2. Christopher Foster & Richard Heeks, 2013. "Conceptualising Inclusive Innovation: Modifying Systems of Innovation Frameworks to Understand Diffusion of New Technology to Low-Income Consumers," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 25(3), pages 333-355, July.
    3. Menoka Bal & David Bryde & Damian Fearon & Edward Ochieng, 2013. "Stakeholder Engagement: Achieving Sustainability in the Construction Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(2), pages 1-16, February.
    4. Leo Paul Dana & Teresa E. Dana, 2005. "Expanding the scope of methodologies used in entrepreneurship research," International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 2(1), pages 79-88.
    5. Palmer, Charles & Macgregor, James, 2009. "Fuelwood scarcity, energy substitution, and rural livelihoods in Namibia," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 14(6), pages 693-715, December.
    6. Mariano Fressoli & Elisa Arond & Dinesh Abrol & Adrian Smith & Adrian Ely & Rafael Dias, 2014. "When grassroots innovation movements encounter mainstream institutions: implications for models of inclusive innovation," Innovation and Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(2), pages 277-292, October.
    7. Yvonne Giordano, 2003. "Conduire un projet de recherche. Une perspective qualitative," Post-Print halshs-00440011, HAL.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Rhaiem, Khalil & Halilem, Norrin, 2023. "The worst is not to fail, but to fail to learn from failure: A multi-method empirical validation of learning from innovation failure," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    2. John Sturzaker & Maurizio Catulli & Beate Kubitz, 2024. "Sustainability Trade-Offs in Climate Change Geographies in England," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-14, January.
    3. Tuochen Li & Xinyu Zhou, 2022. "Research on the Mechanism of Government–Industry–University–Institute Collaborative Innovation in Green Technology Based on Game–Based Cellular Automata," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-25, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mario Pansera & Fabien Martinez, 2017. "Innovation for development and poverty reduction: an integrative literature review," Post-Print hal-02887777, HAL.
    2. Sanghamitra Chakravarty & Georgina Mercedes Gómez, 2024. "A Development Lens to Frugal Innovation: Bringing Back Production and Technological Capabilities into the Discourse," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 36(1), pages 82-101, February.
    3. Lacey-Barnacle, M. & Smith, A. & Foxon, T.J., 2023. "Community wealth building in an age of just transitions: Exploring civil society approaches to net zero and future research synergies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    4. Michael D. van der Merwe & Sara S. Grobbelaar & Cornelius S. L. Schutte & Konrad H. von Leipzig, 2018. "Toward an Enterprise Growth Framework for Entering the Base of the Pyramid Market: A Systematic Review," International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 15(04), pages 1-34, August.
    5. Rosalba Ortiz & Jordi Peris, 2022. "The Role of Farmers’ Umbrella Organizations in Building Transformative Capacity around Grassroots Innovations in Rural Agri-Food Systems in Guatemala," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-25, February.
    6. Haenssgen, Marco J., 2018. "The struggle for digital inclusion: Phones, healthcare, and marginalisation in rural India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 358-374.
    7. Woodson, Thomas & Alcantara, Julia Torres & do Nascimento, Milena Silva, 2019. "Is 3D printing an inclusive innovation?: An examination of 3D printing in Brazil," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 80, pages 54-62.
    8. Adrian Smith & Tom Hargreaves & Sabine Hielscher & Mari Martiskainen & Gill Seyfang, 2016. "Making the most of community energies: Three perspectives on grassroots innovation," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 48(2), pages 407-432, February.
    9. Colin Ray Anderson & Janneke Bruil & Michael Jahi Chappell & Csilla Kiss & Michel Patrick Pimbert, 2019. "From Transition to Domains of Transformation: Getting to Sustainable and Just Food Systems through Agroecology," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-28, September.
    10. Hermans, Frans & Roep, Dirk & Klerkx, Laurens, 2016. "Scale dynamics of grassroots innovations through parallel pathways of transformative change," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 285-295.
    11. Isabelle Horvath & Gaëlle Dechamp, 2020. "Collective Intelligence: a Determining Factor to Support the Dual Economic and Artistic Ambition of the Creative Entrepreneur? [La inteligencia colectiva: ¿un factor determinante para sostener la d," Post-Print hal-03097146, HAL.
    12. Jan Wiers & Didier Chabaud, 2022. "Bibliometric analysis of immigrant entrepreneurship research 2009–2019," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 12(1), pages 441-464, December.
    13. Alhassan Abdul-Wakeel Karakara & Evans Osabuohien, 2020. "ICT adoption, competition and innovation of informal firms in West Africa: a comparative study of Ghana and Nigeria," Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 14(3), pages 397-414, June.
    14. Angelique Ngaha Bah, 2012. "Corporate Social Responsibility and the Public Service: which articulations ? the case of France Telecom [RSE et Service Public : quelle(s) articulation(s) ? Le cas de l’entreprise France Télécom]," Post-Print hal-01688157, HAL.
    15. Basem Al Khatib & Yap Soon Poh & Ahmed El-Shafie, 2018. "Delay Factors in Reconstruction Projects: A Case Study of Mataf Expansion Project," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-18, December.
    16. Dandan Liu & Anmin Huang & Dewei Yang & Jianyi Lin & Jiahui Liu, 2021. "Niche-Driven Socio-Environmental Linkages and Regional Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-17, January.
    17. Leo-Paul Dana & Mehdi Tajpour & Aidin Salamzadeh & Elahe Hosseini & Mahnaz Zolfaghari, 2021. "The Impact of Entrepreneurial Education on Technology-Based Enterprises Development: The Mediating Role of Motivation," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-17, September.
    18. Carmelina Bevilacqua & Yapeng Ou & Pasquale Pizzimenti & Guglielmo Minervino, 2019. "New Public Institutional Forms and Social Innovation in Urban Governance: Insights from the “Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics” (MONUM) in Boston," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-24, December.
    19. Ruhrort, Lisa, 2020. "Reassessing the Role of Shared Mobility Services in a Transport Transition: Can They Contribute the Rise of an Alternative Socio-Technical Regime of Mobility?," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 12(19), pages 1-1.
    20. Eleftheria Vasileiadou & Boukje Huijben & Rob Raven, 2014. "Crowdfunding niches? Exploring the potential of crowdfunding for financing renewable energy niches in the Netherlands," Working Papers 14-11, Eindhoven Center for Innovation Studies, revised Nov 2014.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:164:y:2021:i:c:s0040162517314002. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00401625 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.