The six stages of social innovation

The concept of social innovation gained new meaning in the early 21st century, when Geoff Mulgan and his colleagues (The Young Foundation, NESTA) developed a comprehensive model to describe the lifecycle of social innovations. The “six-stage model” developed by Murray, Caulier-Grice and Mulgan (2010) interprets innovation not as an isolated event but as an iterative, learning process.

1. The model’s six phases

The model follows the entire path from the birth of an idea to social embedding, and distinguishes six main phases:

1. Problem identification and inspiration — a deeper understanding of social challenges, data collection, stakeholder analysis.
2. Idea generation — developing new solution directions, often through the collaboration of several sectors (e.g. state–civil–business).
3. Prototype development — creating experimental models, testing feasibility in a real-world environment.
4. Implementation — rolling out the successful prototype, establishing an institutional framework.
5. Diffusion — the adaptation of working solutions by other organisations and communities.
6. Embedding and sustaining — the long-term stabilisation of the innovation, when the new practice becomes the norm.

2. Not linear, but a feedback-driven cycle

One of the model’s main lessons is that social innovation is not linear but a cycle full of feedback loops, in which experience and adaptation play a key role. This logic is particularly well suited to interpreting urban pilot programmes and community innovations, because it pays attention not only to creation but also to the learning and sustaining dimensions.