Social innovation Lab

HEC-502 / 3 credits

Teacher(s): Gallay Olivier, Profs divers *

Language: English

Withdrawal: It is not allowed to withdraw from this subject after the registration deadline.

Remark: MA3 only - Courses given on UNIL Campus

Summary

The purpose of this interdisciplinary course is to equip students, tomorrow's decision makers, with tools to make sense of, and act in, an ever more complex world.

Content

Social innovation is defined as the development of effective responses to complex, systemic social and environmental problems. Social innovation acts not only on the consequences of a problem, but also on its root causes.

The course immerses students in a collaborative, hands-on environment where they will explore the root causes of systemic problems and design creative, impactful responses.

Course objectives:

The social innovation lab course is designed to:

  • Familiarize students with systems thinking, integrating a reflection on the social and environmental interdependencies surrounding the social enterprise.
  • Make students aware of the richness and challenges of interdisciplinary teamwork (managing tensions, accepting differences, making the most of everyone's skills).
  • Support the development of new skills in social innovation with the application of interdisciplinary tools and frameworks.
  • Preparing students for their future professional lives, by working with an existing social enterprise.

Course structure:

Session 1: Course introduction & introduction to social innovation
Session 2: Case study presentations – with two social enterprise founders
Session 3: Social innovation – Macro and micro perspectives
Session 4: Systems analysis and mapping
Session 5: Stakeholder relations and power dynamics
Session 6: Value proposition and business model
Session 7: Free time to prepare interviews (no class)
Session 8: Theory of Change
Session 9: Business model 2 and scaling
Session 10: Possible partnerships and sources of funding
Session 11: Impact measurement
Session 12: Working session
Session 13: Team project presentations

Keywords

Creativity, design thinking, systems thinking, analytical skills, social innovation, sustainable innovation.

Teaching methods

The course immerses students in a collaborative, hands-on environment where they will explore the root causes of systemic problems and design creative, impactful responses.

Students will work in interdisciplinary teams of 3-€“5, collaborating directly with two established Swiss social enterprises. They will analyze these organizations'€™ approaches, assess the scalability of their impact, and develop strategic recommendations for growth, around questions such as:

  • What social and/or environmental problem is each enterprise addressing?
  • How are their solutions innovative, and how do they drive systemic change?
  • What strategies could enable them to scale their impact—through business models, partnerships, or other levers?

Course size: max. 60 students, with 15 slots reserved per faculty. Open to all MSc students in FGSE, FBM, HEC, and SSP, as well as students from E4S and GMBA.

Assessment methods

Course evaluation will be done through:

Group work (60%) - of which:

  • Written report: 50%
  • Slide deck and presentation: 50%

Individual Moodle contributions (40%): four times in the semester, providing personal analysis of articles and case studies through Moodle

In the programs

  • Semester: Fall
  • Exam form: During the semester (winter session)
  • Subject examined: Social innovation Lab
  • Courses: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional

Reference week

Wednesday, 14h - 16h: Lecture

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