Social innovation for bridging societal divides: Process or leader? A qualitative comparative analysis

This study builds on literature about inclusive growth, social innovation, and collaborative leadership, and uses case studies of alumni of the Asian Institute of Management's (AIM) Bridging Leadership program to build frameworks for understanding the role of social innovation (SI) in bridging societal divides (BSD), and the role of the bridging leader (BL) in implementing BSD initiatives. The study examines two process variables: Stakeholder engagement (SE) and formalization, and three leadership variables: Formal authority, formal influence, and personal experience, and their effect on BSD activities. This study combines a deep qualitative review of case studies with the use of Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) to develop configurations that result in positive impact of BSD activities. The study concludes that process variables appear the most in configurations that achieve positive outcomes. This result means that training and education on process tools can lead to successful BSD initiatives. Formal authority and formal influence both play roles in success configurations. The article also provides brief descriptions of case studies illustrating each of the three success configurations. These results have significance for policy makers, managers, educators, and researchers.