Emergent transformation games: exploring social innovation agency and activation through the case of the Belgian electricity blackout threat

Abstract

ABSTRACT. The persistence of current societal problems has given rise to a quest for transformative social innovations. As social innovation actors seek to become change makers, it has been suggested that they need to play into impactful macrodevelopments or "game-changers". Here, we aim to deepen the understanding of the social innovation agency in these transformation games. We analyze assumptions about the game metaphor, invoking insights from actor-network theory. The very emergence of transformation games is identified as a crucial but easily overlooked issue. As explored through the recent electricity blackout threat in Belgium, some current transformation games are populated with largely passive players. This illustrative case demonstrates that socially innovative agency cannot be presupposed. In some transformation games, the crucial game-changing effect is to start the game by activating the players.

Game-changers and transformative social innovation

“…Pel et al (2016) substantiate their proposed understanding of "Transformative Social Innovation games" through an illustrative case of the 2014-2015 Belgian electricity blackout threat. Because this challenge to the electricity provision game seemed unsolvable through regular grid management strategies, alternative ideas about the field gained traction.…”

“…Others propose alternative concepts to both clarify and broaden our conceptualization of game-changers. Pel et al (2016) draw upon insights from actor-centered institutionalism and Actor Network Theory (ANT) to problematize the notion of game-changers. The paper notes that the game-theoretical attention to players' actual interests, prevailing rules, and likely outcomes easily obscures how these may change over time.…”

“…Besides the geographical diversity, from Africa, Europe, and India, to Latin America and North America, there is even more variety in terms of problem domains, ranging from specific functional systems, e.g., energy, food, or housing, to broader cross-domain issues such as the science-society interface, urban development, and climate change. Furthermore, there is diversity in temporality, varying from game-changers as single events, e.g., the 2014-2015 Belgian electricity blackout in Pel et al (2016), to developments spanning a few years, e.g., World War II in Westley et al (2016) or economic crises in Loorbach et al (2016) and Gordon et al (2017), to much slower, long-term developments, such as climate change in Campos et al (2016) or the Anthropocene in Olsson et al (2017).…”

“…Loorbach et al (2016) argue that "social innovators can increase the transformative potential of their social innovations by smartly playing into the societal game changers of their times, while simultaneously connecting to political (calls for) system innovation, as well as linking up with multilayered narratives of change in both mainstream and grassroots movements." Pel et al (2016) draw upon insights from actor-centered institutionalism and ANT to problematize the notion of game-changers and develop a framing of the agency of social innovation in transformation games. In this framing: the players are not simplistically understood as moving through a solid field: rather players and field define each other, and agency is distributed.…”

“…The paper explores how the concept of the Anthropocene can inform social innovation theory and practice, and suggests that it creates opportunities for social innovation scholars to creatively imagine new possibilities. Pel et al (2016) address the agency of social innovation in "transformation games." The example of the recent threat of electricity blackouts in Belgium is used to illustrate that socially innovative agency cannot just be assumed, and that transformation games may in fact be populated with largely passive players.…”