Mission-driven innovation has emerged as a method for addressing our greatest societal challenges—from climate change to more equitable care. The basic idea is to gather different actors, create broad visions and work together to develop solutions. It is a system innovation approach with many strengths but also clear challenges.
Let’s examine when this mission-oriented approach can work.
What does mission-oriented innovation mean?
The mission-oriented approach is based on attacking complex problems from a systems perspective. The process often begins with painting broad societal pictures – visions of what we want the future to look like. This is often done purely figuratively as actual images on paper to workshop around. These visions are then used to identify specific challenges, which become “missions” to solve. Missions in this context thus become community-oriented issues that are identified and brainstormed around. Not infrequently it is preceded by a mapping of which actors should be involved.
An example could be the vision of a sustainable transport system. This is not just about developing better electric cars, but about understanding how the entire system – from charging infrastructure to public transport and freight transport – can be changed to reduce emissions and create nicer cities for people.
The process is fundamentally creative and tries to create commitment among many different actors: companies, researchers, municipalities and not least organizations from civil society. It is a strength to gather so many perspectives, but also a challenge to coordinate, to make it innovative enough and to stay focused when it is time to go from vision to action. There are thus many pitfalls that require a very experienced facilitator.
When the visions do not lead to concrete results
One of the biggest weaknesses of this method is that the discussions often stop at just discussions. Many of the ideas that are developed require long-term planning, resources and commitment from several actors in order to be realised. If the follow-up does not take place quickly enough or if the responsibility for driving the process forward is unclear, the ideas risk falling through the cracks.
A concrete example is the work around the circular economy. Here, the need for new business models and changes in legislation was identified, but the process of making these ideas a reality has been slow. Without a clear framework for follow-up, much of the energy and collaboration built up during workshops and meetings is lost.
Another insight is that the mission-oriented method, despite its visionary character, is fundamentally similar to other creative processes. The difference is that it operates at a higher systemic level, which means that it requires an ability to move between broad system perspectives and concrete levels of innovation – for example by developing technologies at higher maturity levels (TRL levels). If the receptivity does not exist on the concrete level to act immediately, the effects of the process will be slow.
How mission-oriented innovation can be better
A key to improving mission-oriented projects is to more clearly educate and support the actors in system innovation. This means giving them the tools and methods to work in complex, collaborative systems. Many who participate in these processes are used to working within their own organizations or sectors, and a change in both perspective and working methods is required to create real system change.
It is also important to build trust in the traditional innovation actors. Companies, universities, authorities and science parks often play a crucial role in driving innovations forward, and mission-oriented projects must both support and challenge these actors to succeed.
System Demonstrators: A Successful Tool
One of the greatest successes of mission-oriented innovation has been the development of so-called system demonstrators. A system demonstrator is an extensive pilot project where you test how several solutions and actors can work together in practice. It’s about taking the system visions and translating them into real, functioning contexts.
Here, however, the reverse problem arises. Organizations that are used to innovating on a more concrete level may find it difficult to create innovation with a systemic potential. Here there is a risk that the system demonstrator not will become anything other than a traditional innovation project and that the systemic movement will be minimal. Hopefully one achieves at least one learning in system innovation methods.
An example where system demonstrations are visible is in electrified transport, where technologies such as electric roads and charging infrastructure are tested in combination with new business models and regulations. By allowing different parts of the system to work together, these projects have provided valuable insights into what works and what challenges remain.
System demonstrators perform an important function: they show what is possible with systems thinking and creates concrete results that can inspire further work.
An increased awareness of system innovation
Another positive effect of mission-oriented investments is that awareness of system innovation has increased. More actors, from researchers to decision-makers, have begun to realize the importance of seeing the whole and working across sectors and disciplines. It is an important development that, in the long run, can make major societal challenges more manageable.
Mission-oriented innovation is thus a powerful method for facing complex societal problems. But for it to reach its full potential, clearer support structures, training in system innovation, better tools for collaboration and a stronger connection between visions and concrete actions are required.
At the same time, the method has indirectly led to important successes, such as the development of system demonstrators and a broader understanding of system innovation. These advances offer hope that, with the right focus and approach, we can create the changes necessary to create systemic change for a sustainable and just future.
