They are so damn grateful : A longitudinal study of how postcolonial attitudes influence the innovation process in social ventures

Abstract: This research is a longitudinal study of three start-ups that are aiming at launching innovative products for underserved markets. Prior research has showed that the ability to design services, which support all parties in the processes of value creation and including the customer into creating the experience, becomes a source of competitive advantage for the firm. Value is determined not only through the products and services themselves, but by the value they co-create with their customers. Within the field of social innovation and social entrepreneurship, there have been few examples in the literature of organisations that have been successful in creating and delivering innovative services at a larger scale. Previous examples include mainly non-profit organisations. Less attention has been given to commercially orientated social entrepreneurs, who wish to deliver economic returns alongside social impact.Founders, end-users and partners of two start-ups operating in Africa and one start-up in Europe were interviewed over a five year period in order to improve the understanding of the process of end-user inclusion in the innovation process. The results include generalisations and stereotyping by the entrepreneurs of end-users, often limiting and undervaluing their feedback. In two of the cases, this helps explain an important reason for why the ventures did not grow. In the third case, the venture expands to several markets, but is slow to launch new services as users’ requests are not acted upon.The research problematizes the field of social innovation by applying a critical view on the user and customer engagement in social ventures. It demonstrates a link between the entrepreneur’s view of themself, his or her assumptions and beliefs about others and how the innovation process is managed. By applying a post-colonial perspective to fields of social innovation and innovation management, this thesis contributes to new perspectives on the importance of incorporating users and beneficiaries of social innovation into the innovation process. It also adds a few suggestions on how this can be done in practise.