Caracterização da inovação em negócios de impacto socioambiental: proposição do framework 5W2H da inovação em NIS

Abstract

Social and environmental impact entrepreneurship plays an important role in the sustainable development of nations, just as innovation is a strategic pillar for obtaining competitive advantages in business. Seeking to reconcile financial results with positive impact on society or the environment, this type of venture is revolutionizing the way investors, entrepreneurs, and society interact, becoming more than an abstract term, but a necessity for companies to prosper in the 21st century. However, for the potential of social and environmental impact businesses (NIS) to be fully explored, enabling both the expansion of underlying benefits and financial sustainability, innovation emerges as a premise. Thus, this research aims to characterize innovation in the context of social and environmental impact businesses. The study was developed in two stages, the first focused on identifying the characteristics of innovation in NIS based on the literature (dissertation study 1) and the second focused on interviews with entrepreneurs, using qualitative methods to apply an innovation characterization tool to the twenty ventures studied (dissertation study 2). As a result of study 1, a framework for characterizing innovation in social and environmental impact businesses was developed, using published articles; additionally, it was possible to analyze the characteristics of innovation in empirical articles. In study 2, it was possible to explore the concept of innovation based on entrepreneurs' perceptions, thus allowing, after applying the 5W2H of innovation in NIS, the identification of possible areas of action for both entrepreneurs and incentivizers. As results of this research, in the academic field, the dissertation contributes by proposing an original framework for analyzing innovation in NIS, in addition to characterizing innovation in this context. In the business sphere, the study provides practical subsidies for entrepreneurs and managers of impact businesses to understand their own innovation processes. The results of the study have significant impact potential for different dimensions of society, especially in the academic, business, and public spheres. In the realm of public policies, the research findings reinforce the importance of fostering sustainable and inclusive innovation environments that consider the territorial and sociocultural particularities of entrepreneurs.