Social Innovation in Multinational Companies: Activists, Practices and Social Skills

Abstract

Social innovation initiatives in multinational companies (MNCs) respond to societal issues and can contribute to sustainable development. They are often brought about by ‘social activists’ from within or connected to the firm. Drawing on in-depth research in MNCs, we identify two key practices and three types of skills used by social activists to drive these initiatives, enabling them to build stakeholder relationships and generate organizational buy-in. We offer a series of actionable insights that allow MNCs to better support social activists within and beyond the organization, thus enhancing social innovation activity.