Naming the beast: Defining and classifying service innovations in social policy

Over the last decade, the search for innovation has become a core component of much social policy formulation and implementation. This search, however, has often been undertaken with little attempt to define the actual nature of innovation or to classify its different modes. This paper reports recent research which has developed a typology of organizational change within which to situate and analyze innovation in social policy. It argues that this typology is an essential tool both for social policymakers and for those concerned with its analysis.