Innovation and Impact measurements

Innovation and Impact measurements

According to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, co-operatives are:

  • drivers in innovation and more likely to adopt new technology than traditional SMEs
  • diverse businesses with strong female, aboriginal, and francophone presence
  • stable and long term businesses.

Co-operative enterprises are unique economic and social organizations. The modern co-operative movement began in 1844, a period of great working poverty caused largely by organized capitalism. Since then, the cooperative movement has experienced a boom – it now extends worldwide and covers all economic sectors.

The model, inspired by a balance between the values ​​of equality, democracy, freedom, equity, solidarity and care, has evolved in practice and theory. This organizational innovation project still shakes up our conception of business economics and management today. Extensive research conducted by the Institut de recherche et d’éducation pour les coopératives et les mutuelles de l’Université de Sherbrooke (IRECUS) (prepared as part of the International Summit of Cooperatives held in October 2012 in Quebec City) made it possible to appreciate how far the movement has come and to question its challenges ahead.

Social impact measurement generally refers to the activity of assessing the effects of an intervention. This remains a growing area and of importance to demonstrate the impact of the co-operative sector in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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