RS#2 - How Organizations Foster Social Innovation - and How to Measure It - Jurgen Willems/Reinhard Millner (WU Vienna)

In this episode, we explore how social innovation takes shape within organizations and the environments that enable it. Together with Univ-Prof. Dr. Jurgen Willems, professor at the Institute for Public Management and Governance and Dr. Reinhard Millner, director at the Center for Social Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation at WU Vienna, we unpack what social innovation means in practice and how the MAT*SIE project was developed to better understand and support it. The conversation highlights why linking workplace environments with social innovation is crucial, and how MAT*SIE assesses whether organizations foster conditions where innovative, socially impactful ideas can emerge and grow. Jurgen and Reinhard explain how MAT*SIE works as an analytical tool - what it measures, how it gathers insights, and what kinds of patterns it reveals. We also discuss how practitioners can use these findings to inform strategic decisions and strengthen their impact, even in resource-constrained settings.