COOP-INPROJECTTITLE: SocialInnovationTrainingforVirtualWork-BasedLearningPROJECTREF.NO: 2017-1-UK02-KA202-036640

IO1:APPLIEDSOCIALINNOVATIONTRAININGCOURSEDEVELOPMENT

NEEDSANALYSISNATIONALRESEARCHREPORT:IRELAND

PRODUCEDBY:MEATHPARTNERSHIP

ThisprojecthasbeenfundedwithsupportfromtheEuropeanCommission.Thispublicationreflectstheviewsonlyoftheauthor,andtheCommissioncannotbeheldresponsibleforanyusewhichmaybemadeoftheinformationcontainedtherein.

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TABLEOFCONTENTSINTRODUCTION 2RESEARCHMETHODOLOGYANDMETHODS 3ANALYSISANDDISCUSSION 4SUMMARYANDIMPLICATIONS 12REFERENCESANDRESOURCES 14

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1. INTRODUCTIONWhatisCOOP-IN?TheoverallaimofCOOP-INistoraiseawarenessoftheopportunitiesandchallengesinimplementingsocialinnovationatworkbydevelopingasocialinnovationtrainingkitincludingadigitaleducationgame,aself-assessmenttoolandotherlearningmaterials.Insodoing,theprojectwillworkwithvocationaleducationtrainers,businesssupportagencies,mentorsandcoachesandnetworkingorganisationstoencourageengagementwithsocialinnovationandfacilitateuseofresourcestoassistsmallandmediumenterprises(SMEs)inmovingfromideatoactioninintroducingsocialinnovation.TheprojectconsistsofsevenpartnerorganisationsfromtheUK,Cyprus,Ireland,Hungary,PortugalandSpain.WhyisCOOP-INneeded?In1985,PeterDruckernotedthat‘Todaybusinesses,especiallythelargeones,simplywillnotsurviveinthisperiodofrapidchangeandinnovationunlesstheyacquireentrepreneurialcompetence(Drucker,1985,p.132).Thirtyyearson,manycommentatorswouldagreethatthisquoteisstillhighlyrelevanttoday–theonlythingthathaschangedistherateofchange.Thisreflectsthefundamentalshiftswhichwearewitnessingineconomies,suchastheUK,asaresultoftheeconomicrecessionof2008/2009,demographicchanges,technologicaldevelopmentsandsocio-culturalshifts.Forexample,demographicchangeisleadingtogreaterageandculturaldiversitywithintheworkforceofthemajorityofbusinesses.Forthefirsttime,businesseswillhavestafffromfourdifferentgenerationswhohavedifferentmotivations,valuesandexpectationsaroundworkingpatternsandmanagementandleadershipstyles.Peoplearehavingtoworklongerandcopewithpersonalchange,suchasageing,whilstatworkratherthanduringretirement.Inturn,thiscreatesasetofdifferentlearningandskillsdevelopmentneedsandgeneratestheneedforinnovativeresponsesfrombusinessesthemselves,externalprovidersofeducationandtrainingandgovernments.Asaresult,thereisagrowinginterestintheconceptofsocialinnovation.Thiscanbedefinedas‘newstrategies,conceptsandideasthatbusinessesandorganisationscanintroducetomeetthesocialneedsofdifferentinternalandexternalstakeholders’.However,theavailableevidencebasesuggeststhatthereareanumberof“needtoknow’s”innavigatingthejourneyfromideatoactioninimplementingsocialinnovationsatwork.Whyaneedsanalysis?COOP-INwilldevelopadigitaleducationgame,asetoflearningmaterialsandaself-assessmenttooltoassistbusinessesandorganisationsinintroducingandmanagingsocialinnovationsatwork.Toensurethattheseoutcomesaredemand-led,aneedsanalysiswillbeundertakenineachpartnercountry.ThisreportsummarisesthekeyoutcomestoemergefromtheneedsanalysisundertakeninIreland.

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2. RESEARCHMETHODOLOGYANDMETHODSTocompletethetrainingneedsanalysisprocessfortheCOOP-INproject,MeathPartnershipundertookavarietyofmethods.Firstly,toreachthenumberof30responses,anonlinesurveywasdesignedandwidelydisseminatedtoourlocalmembersoftheSocialEnterpriseNetworkandtheElevationBusinessNetwork,bothofwhichMeathPartnershipcoordinatesonalocallevelinCountyMeath.Throughthesecontacts,MeathPartnershipdisseminatedthequestionnairethroughemailtoover50localbusinessesandsocialenterprises.Toencourageourcontactstotakepartinthetrainingneedsanalysis,wealsoundertookaroundfollow-upcallswiththeseenterprisestoexplaintheaimsandobjectivesoftheprojecttothemandtoenlisttheirsupportwithourresearch.Atthispoint,weunderstoodthattheterm‘socialinnovation’wasnotwidelyunderstoodamongbusinessownersandmanagersinthesenetworks.Whenspeakingtoenterpriseswhichareactiveinthisfieldofsocialinnovation,evenstillrepresentativesofthesebusinessesdidnotclassifytheirbusinessintheseterms.Assuch,therewassomereluctancefrombusinessestoparticipateinthisresearchprocessastheydidnotseehowtheirinputwouldyieldqualityfindingsthatcouldpositivelyimpactthedevelopmentoftheCOOP-INproject.Toensurethatwecouldreachthetargetnumberof30forthisneedsanalysisexercise,itwasdecidedthatwewouldamendandsimplifysomeofthelanguageintheTNAsurveyandthatinsteadofconductingthisonline,wewouldmeetwithlocalbusinessesface-to-facetopromotetheprojectandtoinvitethemtoparticipateinthisresearch.Intotal,8businessesweremetonaone-to-onebasisandall8weresupportedtocompletedtheneedsanalysissurvey.Afurther16businessesalsocompletedthesurveyonlineandsomewithsupportthroughtelephoneinterviews,completedthesurveyvirtually.Intotal,theCOOP-INtrainingneedsanalysiswasconductedwith24businessesandsocialenterprisesinCountyMeath.TheseactivitieswerecompletedinJanuaryandFebruary2018,andthefollowingreportpresentsthekeyfindingsfromtheneedsanalysisprocessinIreland.

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3. ANALYSISANDDISCUSSION3.1 CharacteristicsoftherespondentsOfthe24businessesandlocalsocialenterpriseswhichtookpartintheCOOP-INTNAprocessinIreland,allbusinesseswereoperatingwithinCountyMeath.Duetothenatureofthebusinessnetworkswhowereapproachedtotakepartinthisneedsanalysisexercise,themajorityofrespondentsworkedintheareasoffoodproduction,fooddistribution,agri-tourismandeco-tourism.ThesebusinesseswereallclientsofMeathPartnershipandworkinnicheeconomicsectorswhicharetypicallysupportedthroughLEADERfunding.Otherbusinesseswhotookpartinthissurveyincludedlocalcommunityandsportsfacilitieswhichhavearoleinsocialenterprisethroughproject’stheyrunforlocalcommunities.Theremaining9businesseswereactiveinthehospitalitysector(3),businesssupportagency(3),traditionalcrafts(1)homeimprovement(1)anddogboarding(1).Themajorityofbusinesseswhotookpartinthisneedsanalysisprocessweremicro-enterpriseswith14outofall24(58.3%)employingbetween1and5individualsonafull-timebasis.5businesses(20.8%)hadbetween11and25employees;3businesses(12.5%)hadbetween26and49employeesandtheremaining2businesses(8.3%)hadbetween6and10fulltimeemployees.Noneofthebusinesseswhoparticipatedinthisneedsanalysisstudyemployedinexcessof50full-timeemployees.Whenaskedtodeterminethelengthoftimethattheirbusinesshasbeeninoperation;themajorityofrespondents15businesses(62.5%)havebeeninbusinessformorethan25years,6businesses(25%)havebeeninbusinessformorebetween4and10yearsandtheremaining3businesses(12.5%)havebeeninoperationforbetween1and3years.3.2 WhatissocialinnovationInthenextpartofthetrainingneedsanalysis,businesseswereaskedtoofferadefinitionofwhattheyunderstoodbytheterm‘socialinnovation’.Duringtheprocessofconductingthisresearch,wereceivedverylimitedresponsestothisquestion.Whenwespokedirectlywithbusinesses,welearnedthattheywereunsureofwhatthistermmeantinrelationtobusiness.Somementionedprojectssuchasthe‘FoodCloud’inIreland;wherelocalfoodproducers,shopsandrestaurantsdonatetheirwastefoodattheendofeachdaytoavolunteerorganisationwhothendistributethisfoodtolocalhomelesscharitiesandsoupkitchens.Thiswasoneexampleofhowthesebusinessesunderstoodtheterm.Otherresponsesfocusedonlocalagri-tourismandeco-tourismbusinesseswhichofferwalkingtours,bicyclehireoruseeco-friendlycleaningandsanitaryproductstoguestsstayingintheiraccommodation.Thethinkingbehindtheseexamplesisthatbyhavingalowenvironmentalimpact,thiscontributestothewell-beingofallcommunitiesandthatifenoughisinvestedinthisareaoftourism,therecouldbewidespreadpositiveimpactontheworld.Howeverthediscrepanciesintheseresponsesshowalackofcertaintyinwhatismeantbythisterm.Thesocialenterpriseswhotookpartinthisneedsanalysisdefined‘socialinnovation’asanyeconomicactivityorcommunityprojectwhichhasa‘positivesocialimpact’onthecommunitytheyareworkingin.

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Nextrespondentswereaskedtoreviewalistoftermsandtoselecttheonesthattheythoughtmostrelatedto‘socialinnovation’.Respondentswereaskedtoselectthetop5termsofthelistof25.Throughanalysingtheresponsesgathered,wecandeterminethatlocalbusinessesdetermined‘creativity’tobethemostappropriatetermsassociatedwith‘socialinnovation’.15outof24respondents(62.5%)chose‘creativity’asthemostappropriateattributeforsocialinnovation.Thenextmostpopularwas‘sustainability’with13outof24respondents(54.1%)rankingthisasoneofthetopfivetermsassociatedwithsocialinnovation.Theterm‘newnetworksandrelationships’wasalsochosenby13outof24respondents(54.1%).Thiswasfollowedby‘meetsasocialneed’,‘’developscapabilitiesandassets’and‘betteruseofassetsandresources’;allofwhichwerechosenasthetop5termsassociatedwithsocialinnovationby9individuals,or37.5%ofrespondents.Assuch,fromananalysisoftheresponsestothisquestion,wecansaythatthetermswhichbusinessesmostassociatewithsocialinnovationarerankedandfollows:• Creativity• SustainabilityandNewnetworksandrelationships• Meetasocialneed,Developscapabilitiesandassets’and‘betteruseofassetsand

resources’.Togainafurtherinsightintolocalbusiness’understandingoftheterm‘socialinnovation’,businessownersandmanagerswerenextaskedtoreviewalistofstatementsandtochoosewhichonestheyagreedmostwithonascaleof1to4where1representedthatthey‘totallydisagreed’withthestatementand4representsthatthey‘fullyagreed’withthestatement.Fromananalysisoftheresponsestothisquestion,wecanseethatthestatementwhichIrishbusinessesagreedmostwithis“collaborationincreasesthepotentialforsocialinnovation’whichreceivedascoreof3or4from17outofall24businesses(70.8%)whoparticipatedinthisneedsanalysis.Thenextmostchosenstatementwhichreceivedascoreof3or4from16outof24businesses(66%)was:‘thereisadistinctionbetweeninventionandinnovation’.Thestatementswhichlocalbusinessesagreedtheleastwith,whereascoreof1or2wasattributedtothestatementbythosewhoweresurveyedinclude:• ‘socialinnovationsaremoreeffectivethaneconomic-driveninnovations’:13businesses

or54.1%ofrespondentsstronglydisagreedordisagreedwiththisstatement.• ‘socialinnovationsarejustdoingthesamethingbutinaslightlynewway’:11

respondentsof48.3%stronglydisagreedordisagreedwiththisstatement.• ‘socialinnovationsaredevelopedwithandbyusers’:41.6%or10ofallbusinesseswho

participatedinthisneedsanalysisprocesseitherstronglydisagreedordisagreedwiththisstatement.

3.3 Socialinnovationinbusinessesandorganisations:ProcessesandpracticesInthenextphaseofconductingtheCOOP-INtrainingneedsanalysis,businessownersandmanagerswereaskedtoreflectontheirownbusinessandtodiscusshowitisperformingintermsof‘socialinnovation’andwhatscopetheythinktheirbusinesshastofurtherdevelopintheirfieldof‘socialinnovation’.

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Aspartofthissectionoftheneedsanalysisbusinesseswerefirstaskedtoreviewalistofareaswheretheirbusinesscouldfurtherdevelopitscapacityfor‘socialinnovation’andtorankonascaleof1to4,where1representedminimalscopeand4representsgoodscopefortheirbusinessinthisfield.Thislistincludedthefollowingareaswhere‘socialinnovation’canbeimproved:• Newproducts• Newservices• Newbusinessprocesses• Newmarkets• Newplatforms• Neworganisationandlegalstructures• Newbusinessmodels. Businessownersandmanagersevaluatedeachoftheseaspectsinrelationtotheirownbusinessandthosewhichweredeterminedtohavethemostscopeforenhancingtheir‘socialinnovation’included:• ‘Newservices’:thisreceivedascoreof3or4from18ofthe24businesseswho

participatedor75%ofallrespondents.Thisaspectreceivedahigherweightedaverageas10respondentsprovidedascoreof4to‘newservices’,whiletheremaining8respondentsprovidedascoreof3tothisaspectofthisbusiness.

• ‘Newplatforms’:thisalsoreceivedascoreof3or4from18outofthe24businessessurveyedwhichalsoequatesto75%ofallresponses;howeveras13businessratedthisaspectasa3andonly5businessesrateditasa4,thisaspectoftheirbusinessreceivedalowerweightedaveragethanthefirst.

• ‘Newbusinessprocesses’:thisreceivedascoreof3or4by15ofthe24businesseswhotookpartintheneedsanalysisor62.5%ofallresponses.

• ‘Newbusinessmodels’:thisreceivedthenexthighestscoreof3or4with14businessesratingthisasanareawheretheircompanycouldfurtherdeveloptheir‘socialinnovation’.Thistotalled58.3%ofallresponses.

ThislistoffouraspectswerethemostpopularareaswherebusinesseswhotookpartintheCOOP-INneedsanalysisfelttherewassignificantscopewithintheirbusinesstodevelopits‘socialinnovation’.Assuch,theseshouldbeborneinmindwhenpartnersaredevelopingresourcesandsupportsforbusinessinrelationto‘socialinnovation’.Nextparticipantswereaskedtoreviewthekeystagesinthe‘socialinnovationprocess’andtostatedwhichareastheirbusinessismostandleasteffectiveinmanagingeachstage.Businessownersandmanagerswereaskedtoranktheleveloftheirbusiness’effectivenessonascaleof1to4where1representsthattheirbusinessisleasteffectiveatagivenstageinthe‘socialinnovationprocess’and4representsthattheirbusinessismosteffectiveatthatstageintheprocess.The‘socialinnovationprocess’involvesthefollowingkeystages:• Prompts(i.e.highlightingtheneedforsocialinnovation)

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• Proposals(i.e.developingideasforsocialinnovation)• Prototyping(i.e.testingofideasinpractice)• Sustaining(i.e.embeddingideasinpractice)• Scaling(i.e.growingandspreadingsocialinnovations)• Changing(i.e.alteringsystemsandprocesseswithothers)Businesseswereinvitedtoreviewallstagesinthisprocess.Somefeedbackreceivedatthispointintheneedsanalysiswasthatwhilebusinessownersandmanagersfeltthattheirbusinesseswereverycompetentinmanagingallstagesinthisprocessinthegeneraloperationandmanagementoftheircompany;theywereunsureofhowtoratetheirbusinessinthesekeystagesrelatingthemtothetopicof‘socialinnovation’asthemajorityofbusinesseswhoweresurveyeddidnotthinkthatseetheircompaniesashavingaroleinthisfield.Despitethisfeedback,businessestookpartinthisexerciseandtheprovidedthefollowingratingoftheirbusiness’performanceundereachkeystageinthe‘socialinnovationprocess’:• Prompts:7outof24business(29.1%)ratedthattheircompanywas‘effective’or‘very

effective’inmanagingthisstageinthesocialinnovationprocess.• Proposals:5business(20.8%)ratedtheircompanyas‘effective’or‘veryeffective’inthe

proposalsphaseofthisprocess.• Prototyping:9outof24businesses(37.5%)statedthattheircompanywas‘effective’or

‘veryeffective’atprototyping.• Sustaining:8outofall24respondents(33%)ratedtheirbusinessperformanceasbeing

‘effective’or‘veryeffective’atthisstageofthesocialinnovationprocess.• Scaling:7business(29.1%)ratedtheirperformanceatthescalingstageasbeing

‘effective’or‘veryeffective’.• Changing:6businesses(25%)outofall24respondentsstatedthattheirbusinesswas

‘effective’or‘veryeffective’atchangingforsocialinnovation.Assuch,fromananalysisofthefindingstothisquestion,wecandeducethatthekeystageofthe‘socialinnovationprocess’wherebusinessesthatweresurveyedstatedthattheywereleasteffectivewas‘Proposals’,thesecondstageintheprocess.Assuch,partnersshouldusethisinformationwhendevelopingCOOP-INresourcestoprovideadditionalsupporttobusinessesinsuccessfullymanagingtheircompaniesthroughthisphaseoftheprocess.Inafollow-upquestion,businesseswerenextaskedtoidentifythebarriersthatimpactontheircompany’sabilitytoimplement‘socialinnovation’fromapre-determinedlistofbarriers.Intotal,businesseswereaskedtoreviewalistof10barriersandtoratethosewhichhadthemostimpactontheirbusinessinrelationtoimplementing‘socialinnovation’.Againthisratingwasconductedonascaleof1to4where1representednobarrierand4representedasignificantbarrierfortheirbusiness.Fromtheprescribedlistofbarriers,thosewhichmostnegativelyimpactedonlocalbusinessessurveyedincluded:

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• ‘Accesstofinance’:87.5%ofbusinessesor21outof24businessessurveyedstatedthataccesstofinancerepresenteda‘significantbarrier’totheirbusinessimplementing‘socialinnovation’byprovidingaratingof3or4.

• ‘Accesstoappropriateskillsinthebusiness’:83%or20outofall24businessessurveyedagreedthattheirbusinesslackedtheappropriateskillstoimplement‘socialinnovation’.

• ‘Lackofexternalbusinessandskillssupport’:62.5%or15outof24businessessurveyedidentifiedalackofexternalsupportasabarrierfortheircompanytoimplement‘socialinnovation’.

• ‘Timemanagement’:58.3%or14businesseswhotookpartintheneedsanalysisrated‘timemanagement’asasignificantbarriertotheircompaniesimplementing‘socialinnovation’.

• ‘Lackofsupportivegovernmentregulationsandlegislation’:Lastly,50%or12outofthe24businesssurveyedhighlightedalackofsupportivegovernmentregulationandlegislationasasignificantbarriertotheirbusinessadopting‘socialinnovation’.

Allofthebarriersidentifiedbyourresearchstudygroupreceivedarankingof3or4ontheLikertscaleprovidedbyamajorityofthebusinessessurveyed.Inthefinalquestioninthissection,businessownersandmanagerswereaskedonceagaintoreflectontheirbusinessandtoestimatehowoftentheyreviewtheperformanceoftheirbusinessinrelationtoits‘socialinnovationprocess’.Tothisquestion,66%ofrespondentsor16outofallbusinessessurveyedstatedthatthey‘never’reviewtheirbusiness’performanceinrelationto‘socialinnovation’.Ashasbeenpreviouslystated,thishighnumberofbusinesseswhodonotreviewthisprocessismostlikelyinfluencedbythefactthatmanybusinesseswhotookpartinthissurveydonotoperatewithinthefieldof‘socialinnovation’aspartoftheirbusinessmodel.Afurther4businessesor16.6%ofsurveyrespondentsansweredthattheyreviewtheirprocessonanannualbasis.Oftheremaining4businesses,2statedthattheyreviewthisprocessonabi-annualbasis,1reviewedonamonthlybasisand1businessesstatedthattheyreviewedthisprocess‘allofthetime’.Whenaskedtoprovidedetailsofthemethodsthesebusinessesuseintheirreviewprocess,responsesincluded:• ‘Meetingwithboardofdirectors.’• Reviewingofbusinesstargets;howeverthisisnotdoneinasustainablemannerand

theyarenotengrainedintoourdaytodaywork.’• ‘Searchforinnovationinactionsdecidedonbythecompany.’Theseweretheonlyresponsesthatwerereceivedtothisquestionandtheywereattainedthroughtheface-to-faceimplementationofthisneedsanalysissurvey.Fromareviewoftheresponsesreceived,andalsothenumberofbusinesseswhoskippedthisquestionintheonlinesurvey,wecandeducethatbusinesseseitherdidnotunderstandthequestionaccuratelyoralternativelythattheydonotimplementanysuchmethodstoreviewtheperformanceoftheirbusinessinrelationto‘socialinnovation’.Therefore,itwouldbe

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usefuliftheCOOP-INprojectwouldaddressthisneedinparticular,byproposingusefulandsustainablemethodsthatbusinessescouldusetoassesstheirperformanceinthisfield.3.4 Socialinnovation:LearningandskillsdevelopmentInthefinalstageoftheCOOP-INtrainingneedsanalysis,businesseswereaskedspecificquestionswhichrelatedtotheirtrainingneedsandpreferencesonthetopicof‘socialinnovation’.Theaimofthissectionistoextrapolateneeds,recommendationsandpreferenceswhichcanbeaddressedthroughtheCOOP-INlearningresourcestobedeveloped.Assuch,thefirstquestioninthissectionofthetrainingneedsanalysisaskedbusinessestoreviewalistof15skillsandtorateonascaleof1to4,where1isnotimportantand4isveryimportant,theskillsandattributesthattheythinkarethemostimportantformanagingthesocialinnovationprocess.AttheinitialstageofimplementingthistrainingneedsanalysisprocessinIreland,thisquestionproveddifficultforbusinessestoanswerastheydidnotfullyunderstandsomeofthetermsthatwerelistedasskills.Toovercomethisbarriertobusiness’participationintheneedsanalysisprocess,someofthetermsinthisquestionwerereplaced.Forexample,‘guerrillaskills’wasreplacedwith‘creativemarketing’and‘efficacy’wasreplacedwith‘self-confidence’.Thesetermswerechosenasreplacementsasthesearehowtheskillswerebestinterpretedbyourresearchteam.Theresultsthatwerecollatedtothisquestionshowalackofcertaintyamongourtestgroup.Themajorityofthebusinesseswhoweresurveyedtendedtochoosearatingof2or3forallskills,andassuch,therewereonlyminimaldifferencesinhoweachofthe15skillswererated.Thefollowinglistprovidesanoverviewofhowtheseskillswererated.Forthepurposeofthisquestion,asnoclearanddefinedresultscanbeextrapolated,theresultsarepresentedusingaweightedaverageoftheresponsesforeachskill.Theresultshavebeenarrangedsothatthoseskillswiththehighestweightedaveragearepresentedfirst,asfollows:• ‘Perseverance’-scoreof3.5outof5.• ‘Resilience”-scoreof3.38outof5.• ‘Creativeproblemsolving’-scoreof3.38outof5.• ‘Activelistening’-scoreof3.25outof5.• ‘Opportunityrecognition’-scoreof3.13outof5.• ‘Resourceleveraging’-scoreof3.13outof5.• ‘Self-confidence’-scoreof3.13outof5.• ‘Learningthroughdoing’-scoreof3outof5.• ‘Creativemarketing’-scoreof3outof5.• ‘Valuecreation’-scoreof3outfo5.• ‘Beingfocusedyetadaptable’-scoreof2.88outof5.• ‘Opportunityassessment’-scoreof2.88outof5.• ‘Copingwithuncertaintyandambiguity’-scoreof2.88outof5.• ‘Buildingandmaintainingnetworks’-scoreof2.88outof5.

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• ‘Riskmanagement’-scoreof2.75outof5.Fromareviewoftheweightedaveragescoreprovidedabove,wecanseethattherewerenoclearpreferencesforcertainskills,asnoskillwasratedasbeingaboveaweightedaveragescoreof4,andnoskillwasratedasbeingbelowaweightedaveragescoreof2orless.Ourinterpretationofthesefindingsisthatthetopicof‘socialinnovation’andwhatskillsarerequiredtomanagethisprocessarelargelyunknownamongthebusinesseswhoweresurveyedinIrelandandthatfurthereffortisrequiredtodisseminatethistopictobusinessesandtoup-skillthemtoimplementthisprocessintheircompanies.Nextbusinesseswereaskedtoratetheirpreferredformatoftrainingfromaprescribedlistoftrainingmethods.Thisratingwasconductedonascaleof1to4,where1representsnointerestintheparticulartrainingmethodand4representsastronginterestinthatmethod.Inresponsetothisquestion,businessesinIrelandweremostinterestedinthefollowingtrainingformats:• Experienceexchangewithotherbusinessesand/ororganisations:79.1%or19outofall

24businessessurveyedexpressedapreference(witharatingof3or4)forthistrainingformat.

• ‘Attendingeventsandseminars’:62.5%or15outofall24businessessurveyedshowedapreferenceforattendingeventsandseminarstoengageintrainingbyratingita3or4onthelikertscaleprovided.

• ‘Attendingface-to-facetrainingcourses’:54.1%or13businessesstatedthattheyhadapreferenceforattendingface-to-facetrainingcoursestoengageintraining.

Ofthelistoftrainingformatsprovidedinthisquestion,theseweretheonly3whichreceivedamajority(50%ormore)ofbusinesseswhostatedapreferenceforthismethod.COOP-INprojectpartnersshouldbemindfulofthesepreferenceswhendesigningtheimplementationoflearningresourcesandassuch,trainingimplementationinIrelandshouldcompriseshortface-to-facetrainingsessionsintheformatof‘hottopic’seminarswhichfocuson‘socialinnovation’,withanelementofnetworkingandskill-swappingbuiltintoeachsessionwherebusinessescanmeettogetherandexchangeexperiences.Nextbusinesseswereaskedreviewalistof8topicsthattheCOOP-INprojectteamhaveselectedasthemostpertinenttopicsfortrainingon‘socialinnovation’andtoratethesetopicsonascaleof1to4,where1representsthatbusinessesfeelthistopicis‘notimportant’insuchaprogrammeand4representsthatthetopicis‘veryimportant’.Eachoftheskillswererated,andusingtheweightedaveragescoreforeachtopic,thefollowingisalistofwhichskillsweredeemedtobemostimportantindescendingorderofpreference:• Creativity-weightedaveragescoreof3.25outof5.• Collaborationmanagement-weightedaverageof3.13outof5.• Thesocialeconomy-weightedaveragescoreof3outof5.• Networksandrelationships-weightedaveragescoreof3outof5.• Openinnovation(i.e.sharinginformationwithothercompetitorstodevelopinnovation)

-weightedaverageof2.88outof5.

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• Socialentrepreneurship-weightedaveragescoreof2.86outof5.• Diversitymanagement-weightedaveragescoreof2.75outof5.• Socialresponsibility-weightedaveragescoreof2.63outof5.Finally,whenaskediftheywereawareoftheEuropeanInnovationManagementStandardonCollaborationManagement(CEN/TS16555-5),theoverwhelmingmajorityofrespondentsstatedthattheyhadnotheardofthisEuropeanStandardwith95.8%or23outof24businessesstatingthattheyhadnotheardofthisstandard.TheonebusinessthathadheardofthisstandardisalocalbusinesssupportagencythatoperateswithEuropeancompanieswhichcanexplainwhythisbusinessisawareofthisstandard.Theresultsofthisquestioninparticularhighlighttheneedforextensivedisseminationofthetopicof‘socialinnovation’amonglocalbusinessesinIreland.

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4. SUMMARYANDIMPLICATIONSIntotalinIreland,24businesseswereengagedtocompletethetrainingneedsanalysisstudytoinformthefuturedevelopmentoftheCOOP-INproject.Thesetrainingneedssurveyswerecompletedwith24businessownersand/ormanagersoperatinginCountyMeaththroughface-to-faceandtelephoneinterviewsandalsoonlinethroughonlinequestionnaires.Thesebusinessesworkedacrossarangeofindustries;butwererepresentativeofthebusinesscommunityinCountyMeathastheywerepredominatelyfromthemostactiveeconomicsectorsinCountyMeath,i.e.hospitality,tourism,agricultureandfoodproductionanddistribution.TheseactivitieswerecompletedinJanuaryandFebruary2018.Fromourexperienceofsupportingbusinessestocompletethissurvey,wecandeducethatthetopicof‘socialinnovation’isnotverywellknownamongthosebusinesseswhoparticipatedinthisTNAsurvey.Evenforthisbusinesseswhoworkwithintheremitof‘socialinnovation’inthattheyengageinactivitieswhichhaveapositivesocialoutcomeorimpact,therewaslittleunderstandingoftheterminologyusedinthissurvey,the‘socialimpactprocess’whichwasbrieflyoutlinedinthesurveyorthetrainingtopicsproposed.Additionally,thegeneralfeedbackfrombusinesseswasthatthissurveywasattimescomplicatedanddifficulttocomplete.Assuch,inordertosuccessfullyimplementthesurveywithlocalbusinessesinIreland,additionalworkwasundertakentosupporttheirinvolvement;suchasre-wordingsomeofthesurveyquestions,providingsupportbycompletingthesurveyface-to-facewithbusinessesandundertakingfollow-upcallswithlocalenterprisestoensuretheirparticipation.ThefindingsfromthisprocesshaveledustodeducethatsignificanteffortisrequiredtodisseminatethetopicofthisprojectwiththelocalbusinesscommunityinMeathandtomakelocalbusinessesawareofhowtheycanadapttheirbusinessprocessestobemoresociallyinnovative.ThroughtheprocessofconductingthisTNA,wehavelearnedthatbusinessownersmostassociatethefollowingtermswiththeirunderstandingof‘socialinnovation’:creativity;sustainability;newnetworksandrelationships;meetasocialneed;developscapabilitiesandassetsandbetteruseofassetsandresources.Fromthisquestion,wehavelearnedthatwhenwearedisseminatingthetopicof‘socialinnovation’tolocalbusinessesinMeath,weshouldcentreourdisseminationmessagearoundthesekeyterms,whilealsohighlightingthebenefitstotheirindividualbusinesses.Throughthefindingsoftheneedsanalysis,wehavealsolearnedthatlocalbusinessesidentifythefollowingaspectsoftheirbusinessasthosewhicharemostconducivetoadopting‘socialinnovation’processes:newservices;newplatforms;newbusinessprocessesandnewbusinessmodels.Asafollow-uptothisquestion,whenbusinesseswereaskedtoratetheirbusiness’performanceatallkeystagesofthe‘socialinnovationprocess’welearnedthatthekeystageofthe‘socialinnovationprocess’wherebusinessesstatedtheywereleasteffectivewas‘Proposals’,thesecondstageintheprocess.Assuch,partnersshouldusethisinformationwhendevelopingCOOP-INresourcestoprovideadditional

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supporttobusinessesinsuccessfullymanagingtheircompaniesthroughthisphaseoftheprocess.InthefinalstageoftheCOOP-INtrainingneedsanalysis,businesseswereaskedspecificquestionswhichrelatedtotheirtrainingneedsandpreferencesonthetopicof‘socialinnovation’.Theaimofthissectionistoextrapolateneeds,recommendationsandpreferenceswhichcanbeaddressedthroughtheCOOP-INlearningresourcestobedeveloped.Firstly,businesseswereaskedtoreviewalistof15skillsandtorateonascaleof1to4,where1isnotimportantand4isveryimportant,theskillsandattributesthataremostimportantformanagingthesocialinnovationprocess.Weseefromtheresultstothisquestionthattherewasalackofcertaintyamongbusinessesastowhichskillsweremostimportant.Thisisapparentasthemajorityofthebusinesseswhoweresurveyedtendedtochoosearatingof2or3forallskills,andassuch,therewereonlyminimaldifferencesinhoweachofthe15skillswererated.Forthepurposeofthisquestion,asnoclearanddefinedresultscanbeextrapolated,theresultswerepresentedaboveusingaweightedaverageoftheresponsesforeachskill.Fromthisanalysis,thetop4skillswhichbusinessesfeltweremostrelevanttomanagingthe‘socialinnovationprocess’include:perseverance;resilience;creativeproblemsolvingandactivelistening.Throughthistrainingneedsanalysisprocess,wealsolearnedthatbusinessesinIrelandweremostinterestedinthefollowingtrainingformats:experienceexchangewithotherbusinessesand/ororganisations;attendingeventsandseminarsandattendingface-to-facetrainingcourses.Assuch,trainingimplementationinIrelandshouldcompriseshortface-to-facetrainingsessionsintheformatof‘hottopic’seminarswhichfocuson‘socialinnovation’,withanelementofnetworkingandskill-swappingbuiltintoeachsessionwherebusinessescanmeettogetherandexchangeexperiences.Lastly,businesseswereaskedtoselectwhattheyconsideredtobethemostpertinenttopicsfortrainingon‘socialinnovation’fromaprescribedlistofskillsdevelopedbytheCOOP-INpartners.TheaimofthisquestionistoinfluencethetopicstobeaddressedbytheCOOP-INlearningmaterialstobedeveloped.Eachoftheskillswererated,andthoseskillswhichweredeemedtobemostimportantindescendingorderofpreferenceinclude:creativity,collaborationmanagement;thesocialeconomyandnetworksandrelationships.

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REFERENCESANDRESOURCESAsthiswasafield-researchexercise,noreferencesorresourceswereusedtoinformthisresearchreport.