In recent years, social innovation has experienced a steep career. Numerous national governments and large organisations like the OECD, the European Commission and UNESCO have adopted the term. Social innovation basically means that people adopt new social practices in order to meet social needs in a different or more effective way. Prominent examples of the past are the Red Cross and the social welfare state or, at present, the internet 2.0 transforming our communication and cooperation schemes, requiring new management concepts, even empowering social revolutions. The traditional concept of innovation as successful new technological products needs fundamental rethinking in a society marked by knowledge and services, leading to a new and enriched paradigm of innovation. There is multiple evidence that social innovation will become of growing importance not only concerning social integration, equal opportunities and dealing with the greenhouse effects but also with regard to preserving and expanding the innovative capacity of companies and societies. While political authorities stress the social facets of social innovation, this book also encompasses its societal and systemic dimensions, collecting the scientific expertise of renowned experts and scholars from all over the world. Based on the contributions of the first world-wide science convention on social innovation from September 2011 in Vienna, the book provides an overview of scientific approaches to this still relatively new field. Forewords by Agnes HUBERT (Member of theBureau of European Policy Advisers (BEPA) of the European Commission) and Antonella Noya (Senior Policy Analyst at OECD, manager of the OECD LEED Forum on Social Innovations)

In recent years, social innovation has experienced a steep career. Numerous national governments and large organisations like the OECD, the European Commission and UNESCO have adopted the term. Social innovation basically means that people adopt new social practices in order to meet social needs in a different or more effective way. Prominent examples of the past are the Red Cross and the social welfare state or, at present, the internet 2.0 transforming our communication and cooperation schemes, requiring new management concepts, even empowering social revolutions. The traditional concept of innovation as successful new technological products needs fundamental rethinking in a society marked by knowledge and services, leading to a new and enriched paradigm of innovation. There is multiple evidence that social innovation will become of growing importance not only concerning social integration, equal opportunities and dealing with the greenhouse effects but also with regard to preserving and expanding the innovative capacity of companies and societies. While political authorities stress the social facets of social innovation, this book also encompasses its societal and systemic dimensions, collecting the scientific expertise of renowned experts and scholars from all over the world. Based on the contributions of the first world-wide science convention on social innovation from September 2011 in Vienna, the book provides an overview of scientific approaches to this still relatively new field. Forewords by Agnes HUBERT (Member of the Bureau of European Policy Advisers (BEPA) of the European Commission) and Antonella Noya (Senior Policy Analyst at OECD, manager of the OECD LEED Forum on Social Innovations)

Netzwerke, Kooperationen und Verbunde gewinnen zunehmend an Bedeutung, wenn es um die Sicherung des Unternehmenserfolgs und die Zukunftsfahigkeit von Unternehmen geht. Die Grundung von Kooperationen stellt an Unternehmen allerdings ungewohnte Anforderungen, die haufig Probleme bereiten. In dem Handbuch beschreiben erfahrene Netzwerkmanager und -betreuer die Grundlagen erfolgreichen Kooperierens und geben Einblicke in die Praxis branchen- und themenbezogener Kooperationen. Der Band enthalt Checklisten sowie einen ausfuhrlichen Serviceteil."

Die Autoren dokumentieren die zentralen Ergebnisse des vom Bundesministerium fur Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) geforderten Forschungsprojektes cross company knowledge management (crosscomp). Ziel war die Erforschung und Erprobung neuer Konzepte und Methoden der Wissensgenerierung in organisationsubergreifenden Kooperationsnetzwerken entlang der Wertschopfungskette Wissen. Im Mittelpunkt stehen kleine und mittelgrosse Dienstleistungsunternehmen im Bereich Organisationsberatung und Multimedia/IT."

Wissenschaftler und Praktiker beschreiben die Chancen und Probleme der Arbeit
von Netzwerken und Kooperationsverbunden im Hinblick auf regionale und
betriebliche Innovationsprozesse."