University-Society Integration Through
Action Research Projects
Fabio Teodoro Tolfo Ribas and Janaina Macke
1 Introduction
Social innovation can be understood as a product or service to address unmet or
unmet needs involving leaders and social actors through networking. It can occur to
solve a social problem and consequently achieve an improvement in the quality of
life or impact on longevity. It is also understood as a complex process of introducing
new products, processes, or programs that profoundly change the scenario or context
in which it is inserted.
Studies on social innovation have focused on the perspective of transforming
interpersonal relationships or achieving common goals (Mumford 2002; Westall
2007), other studies focus on solving social problems or needs (Nicholls and Dees
2015; Phills, Deiglmeier and Miller 2008), in addition to quality of life or longevity
(Pol and Ville 2009), others in new social practices and new working relationships
(Cajaiba-Santana 2014; Westall 2007) and in the transformation of essential routines,
beliefs and resource flows (Westley and Antadze 2010).
Universities should play their role in local, regional and sustainable development
by improving the living standards of local populations (Martinez et al. 2006; Leal
Filho 2020), contributing to the promotion of research and development to find
more effective approaches and means for solving local problems, regional and even
national. Future-focused higher education emphasizes the role of innovation and the
use of information and communication technologies, thereby integrating universities
F. T. T. Ribas · J. Macke (B)
Graduate Program in Administration, University of Caxias do Sul (UCS), R. Francisco Getúlio
Vargas 1130, Petrópolis, Caxias do Sul, RS 95.020-972, Brasil
e-mail: janaina.macke@gmail.com; jmacke@ucs.br
F. T. T. Ribas
e-mail: fabio.ribas@fsg.edu.br
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
W. Leal Filho et al. (eds.), Integrating Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development,
World Sustainability Series, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59975-1_32
479
Action Research Projects
Fabio Teodoro Tolfo Ribas and Janaina Macke
1 Introduction
Social innovation can be understood as a product or service to address unmet or
unmet needs involving leaders and social actors through networking. It can occur to
solve a social problem and consequently achieve an improvement in the quality of
life or impact on longevity. It is also understood as a complex process of introducing
new products, processes, or programs that profoundly change the scenario or context
in which it is inserted.
Studies on social innovation have focused on the perspective of transforming
interpersonal relationships or achieving common goals (Mumford 2002; Westall
2007), other studies focus on solving social problems or needs (Nicholls and Dees
2015; Phills, Deiglmeier and Miller 2008), in addition to quality of life or longevity
(Pol and Ville 2009), others in new social practices and new working relationships
(Cajaiba-Santana 2014; Westall 2007) and in the transformation of essential routines,
beliefs and resource flows (Westley and Antadze 2010).
Universities should play their role in local, regional and sustainable development
by improving the living standards of local populations (Martinez et al. 2006; Leal
Filho 2020), contributing to the promotion of research and development to find
more effective approaches and means for solving local problems, regional and even
national. Future-focused higher education emphasizes the role of innovation and the
use of information and communication technologies, thereby integrating universities
F. T. T. Ribas · J. Macke (B)
Graduate Program in Administration, University of Caxias do Sul (UCS), R. Francisco Getúlio
Vargas 1130, Petrópolis, Caxias do Sul, RS 95.020-972, Brasil
e-mail: janaina.macke@gmail.com; jmacke@ucs.br
F. T. T. Ribas
e-mail: fabio.ribas@fsg.edu.br
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
W. Leal Filho et al. (eds.), Integrating Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development,
World Sustainability Series, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59975-1_32
479