Short answer
When developing innovations, particularly in sensitive sectors like health and social care, carefully curate the entrepreneurial team's skillset to ensure a balance that supports both technical feasibility and ethical responsibility.
- Field
- Innovation & Design
- Source
- Business Ethics the Environment & Responsibility (2023)
- Method
- Mixed Methods Study
- Sample
- 23 entrepreneurs from 16 organizations
- Evidence
- Moderate effect
The specific combination of technical, business, and social skillsets within entrepreneurial teams significantly influences the degree of responsibility in health and social care innovations. This innovation & design research insight is drawn from a 2023 study published in Business Ethics the Environment & Responsibility. Using Mixed methods study with 23 entrepreneurs from 16 organizations, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: When developing innovations, particularly in sensitive sectors like health and social care, carefully curate the entrepreneurial team's skillset to ensure a balance that supports both technical feasibility and ethical responsibility.
Entrepreneurial Skillsets Drive Responsible Innovation in Healthcare
The specific combination of technical, business, and social skillsets within entrepreneurial teams significantly influences the degree of responsibility in health and social care innovations.
Business Ethics the Environment & Responsibility · 2023
Key Findings
- 01Four skillset orientations were identified: Technical, Technical + Business, Social, and Social + Business.
- 02The presence of business skills appears to mediate the relationship between entrepreneurial skillsets and the degree of responsibility.
- 03Organizations with a Social skillset tended to have higher responsibility scores than those with a Social + Business skillset, and Technical + Business skillsets had higher scores than purely Technical ones.
Application
Design takeaway
When developing innovations, particularly in sensitive sectors like health and social care, carefully curate the entrepreneurial team's skillset to ensure a balance that supports both technical feasibility and ethical responsibility.
How to apply
When initiating a design project in health or social care, assess the existing team's skillset and identify potential gaps in technical, business, or social expertise. Consider how to acquire or develop these missing skills through recruitment, training, or external partnerships.
Project actions
- 01When defining your team, think about what technical, business, and social skills you need.
- 02Consider how you will bring in expertise you don't have, perhaps through advisors or collaborators.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Utilizes a mixed-methods approach for a comprehensive understanding.
- +Focuses on a critical but under-researched area of responsible innovation.
Limitations
The findings are specific to the health and social care sector and may not directly apply to other industries. The study's mixed-methods approach, while rich, can be complex to replicate.
Reliability & validity
The use of interviews, field notes, and a standardized assessment tool (RIH Assessment Tool) enhances the study's validity. Reliability would depend on the consistency of interview coding and the psychometric properties of the RIH Assessment Tool.
Think critically
How might the 'responsibility' of an innovation be objectively measured, and what are the potential biases in such assessments?
Design Principles
"Responsible innovation is fostered by a diverse and balanced entrepreneurial skillset that integrates technical, business, and social competencies."
Understanding how entrepreneurial skillsets shape responsible innovation is crucial for designing effective support systems and organizational structures. This insight can guide the development of training programs and recruitment strategies to foster more ethically-minded and impactful solutions in the health and social care sectors.
What This Means for Your Design
The skills of the people leading a design project, especially in healthcare, really matter for making sure the new idea is good for everyone and done the right way.
How to use in your project
- 1.Reference this study when discussing the importance of team composition and skill diversity in the context of responsible innovation within your design project.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
The entrepreneurial skillset of a design team plays a critical role in ensuring responsible value creation, particularly within the health and social care sectors. Research indicates that a balanced integration of technical, business, and social competencies, rather than a sole focus on one area, is essential for fostering responsible innovations. This suggests that design teams should proactively assess and cultivate a diverse range of skills to effectively navigate the complexities of ethical design and societal impact.
Source
Business Ethics the Environment & Responsibility
What entrepreneurial skillsets support responsible value creation in health and social care? A mixed methods study
journal · 2023
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about entrepreneurial skillsets drive responsible innovation in healthcare?
- When developing innovations, particularly in sensitive sectors like health and social care, carefully curate the entrepreneurial team's skillset to ensure a balance that supports both technical feasibility and ethical responsibility. Evidence: Business Ethics the Environment & Responsibility (2023).
- Why does "Entrepreneurial Skillsets Drive Responsible Innovation in Healthcare" matter for design?
- Understanding how entrepreneurial skillsets shape responsible innovation is crucial for designing effective support systems and organizational structures. This insight can guide the development of training programs and recruitment strategies to foster more ethically-minded and impactful solutions in the health and social care sectors.
- How can designers apply this research?
- When developing innovations, particularly in sensitive sectors like health and social care, carefully curate the entrepreneurial team's skillset to ensure a balance that supports both technical feasibility and ethical responsibility.
- What were the main findings?
- Four skillset orientations were identified: Technical, Technical + Business, Social, and Social + Business.. The presence of business skills appears to mediate the relationship between entrepreneurial skillsets and the degree of responsibility.. Organizations with a Social skillset tended to have higher responsibility scores than those with a Social + Business skillset, and Technical + Business skillsets had higher scores than purely Technical ones.
- What research method was used?
- Mixed Methods Study with 23 entrepreneurs from 16 organizations.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2023 journal from Business Ethics the Environment & Responsibility.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When initiating a design project in health or social care, assess the existing team's skillset and identify potential gaps in technical, business, or social expertise. Consider how to acquire or develop these missing skills through recruitment, training, or external partnerships.
- What are the limitations?
- The study is exploratory and the sample size is relatively small, limiting generalizability. The specific context of Canadian and Brazilian organizations may also influence findings.