Name of Concentration
Social Innovation Labs for Systemic Change
Description of Concentration
At Saint Mary's College, leadership education is both expansive and in-depth. After
completing the first-year core curriculum of the MA in Leadership program – which is an
exploration of transformative learning and change in human systems – the concentration
in Social Innovation Labs for Systemic Change provides a specialized focus in a
particular approach to change. Social Innovation Labs are multi-stakeholder collaborative
design platforms that address complex social challenges and opportunities by catalyzing
emergent innovations. They are characterized by active participation of diverse
participants, a whole systems perspective, collaboration across multiple organizations
types and dimensions of difference, action learning, and ongoing creative
experimentation. In this concentration you acquire practical knowledge in convening,
designing and facilitating social innovation labs toward sustainable and systemic change
that addresses real world needs and aspirations of people and society globally.
Learning Goals
The concentration supports you to:

Learn about a variety of social innovations labs and how they work

Acquire a working knowledge of a range of collaborative design models and
processes used in social labs

Develop key competencies needed for convening and facilitating multistakeholder collaborations that achieve real solutions

Deepen competence and confidence in working with complexity, adaptability,
emergence, collaborative action inquiry, transformative learning, and mutual
accountability
Concentration Courses
Course #1: The Emergence of Social Innovation Labs: Principles, Dimensions,
Strategies, Structures & Function
Course Description
This course surveys the emerging wave of social labs around the world that go by various
descriptors, such as design, creativity, innovation, and social labs. This movement has
emerged to address large scale complex social problems through multi-stakeholder
collaboration innovation and bringing new solutions to scale either through partnerships
with existing institutional channels or in creating new ones. From the survey of social
innovation labs worldwide, principles, frameworks, strategies, and processes that labs
employ are identified. The course also examines the challenges and barriers to successful
lab outcomes, including how labs address social and political dynamics, funding
challenges, resourcing, measuring impact, and institutional partnerships. The course
situates social innovation labs in other approaches to systemic change such as public
policy and systemic action research.
Learning Outcomes
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To recognize the range and diversity of social innovation labs around the world
and the various processes they employ
To identify the common principles and practices across social innovations labs
and what makes they distinct
To critically assess the challenges and barriers social labs have in promoting
systems change
To ascertain how social labs can interface with existing systems change practices
such as in public policy and public-private partnerships
Learning Activities
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Three in-person Executive Weekend meetings (24 hours total)
Weekly readings
Weekly online dialogue (seven weeks, 21 hour total)
Small group research and presentations on social innovation labs
One integrative paper (7 – 10 pages)
Key Literature
Brown, T. & Wyatt, J. (2010, Winter). Design Thinking for Social Innovation. Stanford
Social Innovation Review.
Burns, D. (2007). Systemic action research: A strategy for whole systems change. Bristol,
UK: The Policy Press.
Christensen, C. M., Baumann, H., Ruggles, R., & Sadtler, T. M. (2006). "Disruptive
Innovation for Social Change." Harvard Business Review 84(12), pp. 94-101.
Edwards, D. (2010). The lab Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press.
Hassan, Z. (2014). The social labs revolution. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler
Publishers.
Kieboom, M. (2014). Lab Matters: Challenging the practice of social innovation
laboratories. Amsterdam: Kennisland.
Peters, B. G. (2012). American public policy: Promise & performance. Washington,
D.C.: CQ Press ISBN 0-13-059255-2
Scharmer, C.O. (2009). Theory U. Cambridge MA: Society for Organisational Learning.
Senge, P., Linchtenstein, B., Kaeufer, K., Bradbury, H. & Carroll, J. (2007).
Collaborating for systemic change. MIT Sloan Management Review, 48(2), pp.44–53.
Tiesinga, H. & Berkhout, R., 2014. Labcraft, how social labs cultivate change through
innovation and collaboration. San Francisco, CA: Labcraft Publishing.
Van Dijk, D., Kresin, F., Reitenbach, M., Rennen, E. & Wildevuur, S. (2011). Users as
designers. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Waag Society.
Westley, F., Geobey, S. & Robinson, S. (2012). What is a Change Lab/Design Lab.
http://sig.uwaterloo.ca/highlight/what-is-a-change-labdesign-lab.
Course #2: Methodologies for Enacting Systemic Inquiry and Innovation
Course Description
The focus of this course is on developing practical knowledge in the different
methodologies and processes used in social innovation labs such as, human-centered
design, systemic action research, methodologies, the Art of Hosting, with special
emphasis on Theory U (Scharmer, 2013) to engage multiple stakeholders and cultivate
social innovation. Theory U provides the overarching framework for the process design
of social innovation labs from initiating and convening the lab to prototyping and scaling
solutions. The course also examines how different methodologies and processes can be
sequenced and what makes some methodologies more suited than others depending on
the specific contexts and purposes present.
Learning Outcomes
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To identify and different innovation methodologies that are used in social
innovation labs
To demonstrate understanding of the arc of social innovation labs, specifically
using the U-process (Scharmer, 2013)
To assess the appropriate social innovations lab methodologies for in each phase
of U-process
To gain practical knowledge in a range of design, innovation, collaboration and
prototyping methodologies
Learning Activities
1. 4 in-person meetings (30 hours total) for discussion, dialogue, case study
explorations, practice sessions and live practice, and peer coaching
2.
3.
4.
5.
Weekly readings & videos
Weekly online dialogue (seven weeks, 32 hour total)
Weekly online reflective journal
One summative reflection & integration paper (7 – 10 pages)
Key Literature
Brown, J. (2005 ). The World Café—Shaping Our Futures Through Conversations That
Matter. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
Brown, T. (2009). Change by design: How design thinking transforms organizations and
inspires innovation. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
Caroll, J.S., Bradbury-Huang, H. & Senge, P.M. (2010). Relational space and learning
experiments. Research in Organizational Change and Development, 18(18), pp.109–148.
Holmon, P., Devane, T. & Cady, S. (2007). The Change Handbook: The Definitive
Resource on Today's Best Methods for Engaging Whole Systems. San Francisco, CA:
Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Kahane, A.M. (2012). Transformative scenario planning. San Francisco, CA: BerrettKoehler Publishers, Inc.
Kaner, S. (2007). The Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision Making. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Martin, R. & Austen, H. (1999, Fall). The Art of Integrative Thinking. Retrieved February
of Management:
http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/rogermartin/The%20Art%20of%20Integrative%20Thinki
ng.pdf.
Scharmer, C.O. & Kaeufer, K. (2013). Leading from the Emerging Future: From EgoSystem to Eco-System Economies.
Schwarz, R. (2002). The Skilled Facilitator: A Comprehensive Resource for Consultants,
Facilitators, Managers, Trainers, and Coaches. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Senge, P., Linchtenstein, B., Kaeufer, K., Bradbury, H. & Carroll, J. (2007).
Collaborating for systemic change. MIT Sloan Management Review, 48(2), pp.44–53.
Course #3: Practicum in Lab Design and Facilitation
Course Description
In this course, learners synthesize concepts, methodologies, and skills acquired in the
previous two concentration courses and from their research projects through
implementing a pilot social innovation lab. Learners select a topic, identify and invite
relevant stakeholders (beyond the course participants), and map the various relevant
factors (needs, purposes, challenges and opportunities, and previous interventions) for the
chosen topic. This course not only provides an opportunity to apply learning in a real
world lab initiative, it becomes the basis for deeper learning in social innovation labs.
Learners also design appropriate evaluation methods to track progress and to assess
results.
Learning Outcomes
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
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To synthesize relevant concepts, methodologies, and skills pertaining to social
innovation labs
To apply methods and skills through implementing a pilot lab project
To practice action learning in service of deeper learning for the student and for the
project
To assess effectiveness of lab design in relationship to intended outcomes
Learning Activities
1. The primary activity of the course consists of learners designing, convening,
organize and facilitating a small social innovation lab project with relevant
stakeholders over an eight-week period.
2. 3 in person meetings for discussion, consultations, and peer coaching (21
total)
3. Weekly readings
4. Weekly online conversation and consultations (seven weeks, 24 hour total)
5. Weekly online reflective journal
6. One summative integration paper (7 – 10 pages) and presentation that
provides an evaluation of their experiences in context of the relevant literature
Key Literature
Brown, T. & Wyatt, J. (2010, Winter). Design Thinking for Social Innovation. Stanford
Social Innovation Review.
Caroll, J.S., Bradbury-Huang, H. & Senge, P.M. (2010). Relational space and learning
experiments. Research in Organizational Change and Development, 18(18), pp.109–148.
Kahane, A. (2010). Power and love: A theory and practice of Social change. San
Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler, Inc.
Parks Daloz, L.A., Keen, C. H., Keen, J.P. & Daloz Parks, S. (1996). Common Fire:
leading lives of commitment in a complex world. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
Saarinen, E. (2011). Acting with systems intelligence: integrating complex responsive
processes with the systems perspective. Journal of the operational research society. 62,
3–11. doi:10.1057/jors.2009.175.
Shaw, P. (2002) Changing conversations in organizations: A complexity approach to
change. London, England: Routledge.
Shirky, C. (2008). Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without
Organizations. New York: Penguin Press.
Smith, M. K. (2011). Kurt Lewin: Groups, experiential learning and action research.
http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-lewin.htm.
Tiesinga, H. & Berkhout, R., 2014. Labcraft, how social labs cultivate change through
innovation and collaboration. San Francisco, CA: Labcraft Publishing.