Articulation Between Collective Skills Development and Social Innovation: An Analysis in Non-Profit Civil Society Organizations in the Jequitinhonha nd Mucuri Valleys, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to analyze the relationship between the development of collective skills and social innovation in Non-Profit Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) located in the Middle and Lower Jequitinhonha and the Mucuri Valley, Minas Gerais state, Brazil.   Theoretical Benchmark: Theoretical approaches to CSOs, social innovation and collective skills were carried out.   Method: To do so, the application of online survey and in-depth case studies in OSC of the said field was carried out. The data from the first stage were analyzed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis and multiple linear regression, and those from the qualitative stage were analyzed via content analysis.   Results and Conclusion: The results indicated that some of the CSOs studied carry out actions considered as socially innovative and that the collective competences related to cooperation are those that have a significant influence on social innovation. In addition, it was observed that the CSOs studied, by engaging in socially innovative actions, created spaces and conditions conducive to the development of collective skills, enabling social interactions, which are fundamental for cooperation, knowledge sharing and social learning of those involved. Thus, there is a dialectical relationship between the collective skills constructs and social innovation, the development of some of them may reflect in a virtuous cycle in which the practice impacts on collective capacity development and this development in the improvement of new practices, or vice versa.   Research Implications: The findings emphasize the need for university extension practices and interventions that facilitate cooperation practices, as well as the sharing of knowledge and commitment in the context of CSOs, which can contribute more effectively in the search for the development of socially innovative actions.   Originality/value: This study presents an original and valuable approach when analyzing the relationships between collective skills development and social innovations in CSOs, revealing significant insights on good practices in this field.