The Hybrid Orchestration of an Emerging Social Innovation Digital Ecosystem (Side): An Empirical Investigation

Research has revealed the increasing importance of social innovation ecosystems in catalysing initiatives that mitigate society’s grand challenges. However, there are still knowledge gaps in the realm of creating, nurturing, and governing digital versions of such ecosystems, which we term social innovation digital ecosystems (SIDEs). This study delves into the orchestration tasks SIDEs’ orchestrators may have to perform during emergence and development. To achieve this objective, we conducted an exploratory case study of an emerging SIDE in Brazil. The study contributes to the nascent literature on SIDEs by showing that their orchestration differs from that of conventional digital innovation ecosystems. Our findings suggest that emerging SIDEs rely on hybrid orchestration, in which digital infrastructures support mapping, visibility, and connection-building. At the same time, engagement, sense-making, and the design of collaborative initiatives remain strongly dependent on offline, locally embedded interaction.