SOCIAL INNOVATION IN THE THIRD SECTOR: A CASE STUDY OF THE FE Y ALEGRIA FOUNDATION OF BRAZIL

Abstract

Globalization has caused economic, political and social complexity in the management of

organizations and in order to face these challenges. In this scenario, Brazil, has also

undergone a process of change, especially in the organizations that operate in the Third

Sector, as they seek to guide their activities in the creation of value, sustainability, and

organizational leadership. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether the activities of the

Foundation Fé e Alegria of Brazil, which acts as one of the branches of the Department of

Education of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) of the Province of Brazil, has provided autonomy,

citizen and generated the creation of value and social innovation with a view to sustainability.

The theoretical framework of this study presents the main tendencies on this theme, choosing

as the focus of research the proposition of Choi and Majumdar (2015), that seek to express the

different understandings of the concept of social innovation and creation of value. This is an

observational of a cross-sectional study. The methodological procedures included

documentary analysis and the development and application of a questionnaire for data

collection. The collected data were analyzed through descriptive and bivariate statistics

(Student's t test or Anova). The results obtained point to the fact that managers and

organizational leaders plan the activities carried out in their centers in accordance with the

seven perspectives of Choi and Majumdar (2015). It is concluded that this organization

develops its action promoting the overcoming of inequalities through social innovation,

sustainability and the creation of value.

Keywords: Third Sector, Social Innovation, Creation of Value. Sustainability. Organizational

Leadership

1 Introduction

The social organizations are in transition with significant change of paradigms based

on the relationship of the human being with critical scientific and technological products.

Many are the advancements supplied by this new perspective, especially in the areas of

technologies of mass media and economic well-being.

However, a big section of society is shut out from the process of technological

globalization since the logic of consumption and the culture branded by individualism leads to

fragmentation and relativism as far as interpersonal relationships are concerned, provoking

attitudes of intolerance, prejudice, violence against marginalized people and those of lower

income. According to the Organization founded by Luciano Mendes de Almeida (OLMA), in

the document known as an identifying mark for the promotion of socio-environmental justice

of the Society of Jesus, the facility of approach among different cultures recognized that the

difference and diversity should be appreciated as a kind of richness in our human existence

shared by others.

Despite all the progress, Brazilian society bears the stigma of serious injustices, as lots

of people are deprived of access to the means of basic needs, barely surviving in dire

situations which make almost impossible starting any kind of development and improvement

of human life. According to Oliveira (2015, p. 12) “The attempt to overcome social distress in

modern society is being envisaged along two perspectives: at first, the idea of absolute

equality (total equality in a socio-economic situation among individuals) and the idea of

relative equality (equality of opportunities to all members of society) […]”.

In the today economic, social, and political context in Brazil, burdened by a financial

crisis, there is a great uncertainty in a grand proportion. Over and over again alternatives of

changes are in demand and the organizations without profit need to become more suitable to

new situation, that is “there arises a requirement for a continuing capacity of adaptation and

change” (Robbins, 1999, p. 2).

Therefore, regarding the Third Sector, there comes to the fore a whole series of

restrictions referring the investments which ae affected directly and indirectly by

transformations of the tide of the economy which has its own dynamics. Being so, a need

becomes quite evident of innovations in the social area. For that matter, the changes in the

external sphere require from the organizations a capacity of a quick and effective answer to

these transformations (Bressan, 2004).

One of the possible solutions to solve the social problems facing the population with

lower income living in Brazil or that are in a situation of social vulnerability would be the

appliance of programs or projects that aimed at the eradication of the situations of misery and

hunger which would take into account concepts and strategies in the hands of private

enterprises where social innovations is already at work. According to the understanding of

Warnok (2014), innovation and technology are intrinsically related and joined together,

offering eventually solutions to problems such as social exclusion. Moreover, the author

emphasizes that technological innovation by itself cannot solve social problems. Especially

due to this, the concept of social innovation emerges as a token of warranty of the quality of

life which consequently leads towards a reduction of social inequalities.

In the academic field, the study of social innovation is growing in importance since it

deals with activities designed to overcome barriers against the growth of a global economy

and improve the quality of life among local communities (Mulgan, Tucker & Sanders, 2007).

Moreover, some analysts think that social innovation is nothing more than a breath of

syllables in an idle talk or a passing fashion, since it is too much imprecise in order to be

applied usefully to academic science (Pol & Ville, 2009). According to Choi and Majumdar

(2015) the lack of academic literature dealing with social innovation is quite astonishing,

considering that the study of this subject could supply the reader with much valued intuitions

about social evolution and provide tools for diminishing social inequalities.

Choi and Majumdar (2015) start off with seven perspectives, such as Sociology,

Creativity, Executive of Enterprise, Economic Wellbeing relating to Practice, Community

Psychology, and Territorial Development. These perspectives are influential in every task

which are designated to social innovation in which leads to the creation of value. Within this

area the activity of the FOUNDATION OF FÉ E ALEGRIA in Brazil (FYA), instituted in its 29

centers and widespread all over the entire national territory was chosen as the object of

research.

Regarding the Third Sector organizations and its activity in the field of social

enterprise, as well as its growing importance in modern society, especially in our country, it’s

quite pertinent to emphasize what Bernardino (2013) enunciates in his affirmation. The social

enterprise introduces a new reality which joins two dimensions into one single object: it

merges the enterprise with the social. If the social enterprise represents something distinct of

philanthropy or the traditional non-profit organization it is due to the dimension of enterprise

(Nichols & Cho, 2008). On the other hand, it is due to the concept of ‘social’ which

distinguishes between other forms of organizations such as the private traditional enterprises.

Thus, in order to understand the essence of social enterprise, it is important to analyze the

manner in which the social objective influences the performance of the organization and, in

particular, bears upon the enterprising dimension. In front of this situation this study tried to

find an answer to the following question: by any chance, the activities of an organization of

the Third Sector, the FOUNDATION FÉ E ALEGRIA (FYA) in Brazil, are they performed in the

light of the social innovation in the creation of value? In view of this, it was defined as the

general objective to evaluate if the activities of the organization of the Third Sector, i.e. the

FOUNDATION FÉ E ALEGRIA (FYA) in Brazil, are performed in the light of social innovation

in the creation of value.

It is hoped that this study would be helpful to gain a basic understanding of the use of

social innovation in the activities performed by the Foundation, offering a clear answer to the

growing challenges and social activities. Moreover, it is expected that adequate solutions

would arise which could have quite a helpful impact in the communities where the main

offices of this project are located. It is also intended, with the help of this study, to give an

incentive to other institutions which are developing activities similar to FYA to make use of

the data pertaining to social innovation utilizing them as tools to be used in different areas of

their activities in order to increase in value whatever could be furthering those aspects of the

socio-environmental and cultural context of their living conditions.

2 Theoretical foundation

The platform of the theoretical referential presents a historical survey of social

innovation, followed by seven theoretical perspectives as proposed by Choi and Majumdar

(2015).

2.1 Social innovation

The expression ‘social innovation’, aims at the satisfaction of human necessities

and was used for the first time by Taylor (1970), attributing to the expression of social

innovation the idea of new modes of answering to a necessity, as for instance, the

problem of poverty, unemployment and criminality.

Non-governmental organizations could present, if we start with the project as

proposed by Taylor (1970) a growing implementation of activities in the economy of

well-being in order to create a positive social impact in communities of urban periphery.

Beginning with the research in innovation, other dimensions were arising in this

area. André and Abreu (2006, p. 1234) conceive social innovation in terms of a “new

answer socially recognized which aims and generates social change”. Mulgan et al.

(2007, p. 11) make reference to it as “activities and services which are motivated by the

aim to meet a social necessity and which are divulged predominately among

organizations whose primary objective is social”.

In fact, social innovation is a field which is mentioned mainly in research

and articles dealt with in Applied Social Sciences and various proposals have been

presented in order to sweep away whatever doubts were in vogue about its function and

definition. Among the types of economic innovation, the so called systematic (Drucker,

2003) calls attention to the significance of change introduced by innovation, referring to

the economic and social specification. It is not difficult to understand economic

innovation as a result of a deliberate change, being conscious of the strong influence of

the market which pervades the dimensions of innovation. However, Drucker (2003)

stresses the point that innovation is not restricted to the economic area and can be applied

as well to social innovation, since it affects the entire economy of social communities. In

the field of the sciences of administration, social innovation refers to changes which

occurred in the relationship of individuals and in the area of jobs, since the type of

change in the context of organizations would lead serious economic impacts in society, as

mentioned by Maurer, Marquesan and Silva (2010). Of course, it is easy to understand

that social development has a direct impact on the economic growth in private

organizations and in the society at large.

It is further interesting to note that the majority of experts approach their research

having in mind that social innovation is defined by its character of innovation, supplying

the public opinion with propositions of positive social effects, which result in co-

operation among various interested parties. Taking into account the different definitions

of social innovation, adduced by the authors, a synthesis of summaries is proposed and

presented in Table 01.

Table 01

The table above shows that social innovation is a subject which was the object of

theoretical studies and formulation of concepts and theories, as well as about the theme itself

since the decade of 1970. The authors mentioned above, tried to develop theses, in their

studies, which have the purpose to present a conception of their understanding of innovation,

which today is restricted to the idea of social innovation.

2.2 Seven perspectives of Social Innovation based on Choi and Majumdar (2015)

For the composition of the theoretical reference which serves as the basis of this study,

some conceptions presented by authors are contemporaneous to the period in which the data

were collected, specially the opinions discussed by Choi and Majumdar (2015). Quite many

studies were published without leaving aside the diachronical evolution in the definition of the

word, and thus the different papers which deepened the theme of social innovation had a

positive impact on the thematic content and continue stimulating further research in order to

widen the overall social perspective. Starting with the considerations of Choi and Majumdar

(2015), Seven perspectives are here presented in the line of Social Innovation: Sociological,

Creative Research, Enterprise, Economy of Well-being, Practical Aim, Communitarian

Psychology and Territorial Development.

Social innovation starting from the sociological perspective stresses its social changes

and the process of social evolution. A social change in the sociological context is understood

as a process involving large and wide modifications in society, which could be desirable or

undesirable, as for instance, for the well-being and the improvement of the quality of life of a

community, characterized by cultural symbols and rules of behavior

In relation with the function of Social Sciences in research and the development of the

social innovation Choi and Majumdar (2015) make the affirmation that they can contribute

specifically in its analytical function, in order to investigate the conditions for the social

innovation and the social character of the processes of innovation and the contextual

circumstances.

As for the perspective of the creative research, like the sociological vision, the social

innovation are considered as desirable objectives, just as specific aims which necessarily have

to be social objectives, but could be economic objectives as well. Choi and Majumdar (2015)

affirm that social innovation makes research for strategies of investment which are used for

management and implementation. Furthermore, in this sense, Mumford (2002) already

declared, that social innovation means production and implementation of new ideas about the

manner how interpersonal activities or social interactions should be organized in order to find

one or more common objectives.

For Choi and Majumdar (2015) the formulation of the concept of social innovation is

strictly similar to that of social enterprise, which was built from the theory of Joseph

Schumpeter, who defined enterprisers like innovators who envisage the enterprise and the

social innovation as strictly related concepts. However, in contrast with the sociological

vision it is possible to evaluate that the Perspective of enterprise as proposed by Choi and

Majumdar (2015), consider social innovations as intentionally planned and performed by

enterprisers, which makes this model different from all those previously proposed. But, Choi

and Majumdar (2015) recognize that social innovation has various meanings which are

opposed. Pol and Ville (2009, p. 881) determine the following definition: “innovation, is

formulated as social innovation if the new idea implied has the potential to improve both the

quality and quantity of life”. They distinguish between the quality of life between micro or

macro factors of the quality of life for one individual, in accordance with two variables: personal

characteristics and the entirety of valid options which a person has.

In synthesis, for Choi and Majumdar (2015) the social innovations must be able to

consider the aspirations of the societies and be in condition to attend to, not only by taking into

account the economic aspect, but more so the creation of social value which will be decisive also

in the proposition of all the other perspectives.

When the question comes up about innovation, authors such as Mulgan et al. (2007),

Maurer (2011), Bernardino (2013) and Silva (2015) emphasize that social innovation focalizes

on the idea of searching for objectives, to identify social necessities and to promote actions. In

contrast with the sociological notion and the perspective of the creative research, the social

innovations, from the perspective aiming at the practice, can also be tangible products (Phills J.

et al., 2008).

Moreover, Choi and Majumdar (2015, p. 47) stress the point that there are various

journals which publish articles with a practical perspective, in contrast with the literature

mentioned above related to social innovation, without any preoccupation to build a theory about

this matter. The authors affirm that as a result “literature often tries to offer strategies, road maps,

in order to create social innovation, rather than explaining social innovation in a theoretical

context”.

Now, the expression social innovation was used in the context of communitarian

psychology, referring to the experimental innovation, with the aim to cause a social change

among communities and improve the quality of life of its members by introducing and

disseminating innovatory solution

According to Choi and Majumdar (2015) the perspective of communitarian psychology

starts with a theoretic-reflexive mechanism which deals with social innovations as mechanisms

which cause a positive social change within groups and communities. In view of this they start

from the problems, analyzing them and supplying solutions for acquittal and diminution of

inequalities.

It is further interesting to note that the perspective of territorial development is linked to

initiatives to gain a good quality of life and development of the peripheries of cities which the

authors consider as ‘fertile environments’ to promote social innovations. The rational motivation

of these social innovations means inclusion of groups of people who are excluded in urban

peripheries, providing them with opportunity to have access to the job market, good quality

education system and a life of dignity. In order to exercise an activity in this territorial

perspective it is important to have the political motivation, by converting groups traditionally

excluded into protagonists trying to get hold of their warranted rights.

The reason for this is not far to see, that in accordance with Choi and Majumdar (2015)

the focus of social innovation in the context of territorial development is concentrated in the local

development of communities, in order to warrant the inclusion of minority groups without less

favored in different spheres of society: women, afro descendants, homosexuals, Indians, and

persons with special necessities. Like the perspective of communitarian psychology. When

dealing the territorial development, Choi and Majumdar (2015) make explicitly reference the

ethical position of justice and social values, as intentionally planned and implemented to resolve

problems of social exclusion.

By the way, Choi and Majumdar (2015) identify the three principle uses of the social

innovation, that is: the creation of social value, the induction of change of social values, and the

proposition of a model to be used in the analysis of existing social innovations. In the area of

social enterprise, the thought arose to lay emphasis on the model which considers the formal

characteristics, the real changes in the performance, and in the social structure which it inducts,

as well as the social value which he creates, having as the basis of the object under study the

activity of the institution Fé e Alegria in Brazil. Starting with the considerations of Choi and

Majumdar (2015), in Table 02 is presented a synthesis of the seven perspectives of social

innovation.

Table 02

3 Methodology

The approach of the research about a qualitative and quantitative strategy utilizes the

strategy of triangulation of data (documental analysis, interviews, and questionnaires). It was

developed on the basis of a descriptive and interpretative character, since it pretended to

evaluate the reports and the information gathered by the local and regional managers of the

Foundation Fé e Alegria, obtained by questionnaires with open and closed answers, in an

attempt to describe the actual situation as far as social innovation is concerned.

As regards the collected data, the interpretive analysis was used as well, since they

were collected on the basis of the theoretical presuppositions of Choi and Majumdar (2015).

With relation to the choice of description, employed in this study, it was due to the fact,

according to Vergara (2000), the descriptive research can establish a relationship between

variables and define its nature without the commitment to explain the phenomenon, is able to

serve as basis for such an explanation. The theoretical model used here by Choi and

Majumdar (2015) for analysis of competent management, aims at gathering the conceptions of

the managers about social innovation and its dimensions, taking into account the activities

developed in the local regional centers of the Foundation Fé e Alegria in Brazil. It tries to

verify the occurrence of the application of the model in the institutions of the Third Sector.

In the last stage of the research, all the data which had been gathered were conciliated

with the intent to analyze whether in this relation the variables behave in a different manner or

are equal in accordance with the samples, comparing the results between the different social

centers of FYA and the conceptions of the model presented by Choi and Majumdar (2015).

Thereupon the data were divided up in categories which dealt with the following

information about the participants of the research: gender, academic formation, duration of

activity, region and state of those involved. These categories were defined as to get a general

overview about the profile of those 48 participants of the questionnaire, amounting to 39

women and 8 men.

By way of transition to the next section where the analysis of the data consisted in the

process of making sense of whatever had been gathered, it is to be noted that it involved a

process which was quite complex. In fact, it involved the task of deduction, interpretation of

the data, search for meaning, understanding or insights which the findings of the study supply

(Merriam, 1998).

Next came the task of inserting the gathered data into the bank of data in an electronic

spreadsheet Excel® and afterwards exported to the program IBM SPSS®. By the conclusion

of this stage it was imperative to perform the test Kolmogorov-Smirnov in order to evaluate

the hypothesis of normal distribution of continuing variables.

Finally, the qualitative variables were presented as simple and relative frequencies,

whereas the quantitative variables were described by media and pattern deviation. Also, as regards

the analysis worked out, the association was evaluated by the test t of student or ANOVA of one

factor, followed by the test post hoc of Tukey, considered on the level of 5% significance.

4 Results

This section presents the results and the respective analysis of the collected data.

According to Vergara (2010), the basic rule of the presentation of data and the results of a

research is to exhibit all the significant proofs found for the question raised in the study.

4.1 Context of the Foundation Fé e Alegria (FYA)

The FOUNDATION FÉ E ALEGRIA originated in a meeting convoked by the Jesuit Priest

José Maria Vélaz, SJ, in an assembly of students of the Catholic University Andrés Bello, in

Caracas, Venezuela, where in the outskirts of the city the habitants were deprived of schools.

On the occasion of the meeting, Father Vélaz came to know Abraham Reyes, bricklayer living

with his wife and eight children in the same county, and at that time he offered his own home

to be used for the first local school. On March 5, 1955 already 100 children were sitting on

the floor and 70 girls on the second floor without blackboard gathered for the first time in

their classroom. This event was an inspiring mark of identity of FYA and since then formal

and informal education became a characteristic process of acquisition of knowledge and

growth as citizen. It also became the path towards improvement and have a better chance to

get hold of promising opportunities for the poor to ensure their advancement and reap the

benefit of progress making the most of the occasion by having a chance to improve the quality

of life, to conquer their right as citizens, to earn a better living and to have access to health

care.

The answer to the proposal of Integral Popular Education was astoundingly quick.

Within ten years the Project grew in attendance reaching 10.000 children and youth all over

the country. In 1964 was signed the pledge of the Jesuit Priests of Latin America to extend the

FOUNDATION FÉ Y ALEGRIA all over the Continent. When the project of Integral Popular

Education was implanted in Brazil, in 1981, began a widespread network of schools starting

with a grammar school in Mauá, a city in the metropolitan area of São Paulo, Brazil. In the

course of 37 years, the FOUNDATION FÉ E ALEGRIA expanded wider the geographical

extension of the school system, so much so that the Annual Report of the activities of FYA,

published in 2015, lists 13 thousand students including children, youth and adults, in 19 cities

of 14 states who benefit from the educational labor and social promotion.

Quite relevant at this point mention should be made that education, in the eyes of FYA

is based in the Popular Education (Paulo Freire) and in the Ignatian Pedagogy (characteristic

of the model of education ministered by the Jesuits), implying the procedure of formal and

non-formal education, inside and outside the classroom, involving permanent or short

activities, and structured upon four pillars: ethical, epistemological, pedagogical and political.

The ethical pillar pertains to the ambit of values, concerning what is just and desirable,

centered on the dignity of impoverished people in the development of their happiness, of their

good life, and their capacity to create a world more and more human.

Now, the epistemological pillar defines the sphere of the production of knowledge and

the sense for the performance both transforming and liberating, as to promote the social

emancipation and the performance of the individuals who take part.

What comes up next is the pedagogical pillar centered on the method of dialogue and

participation, which makes explicit the democratic, participative, and transforming content.

The pedagogy of the dialogue and participation involves too those of autonomy, indignation,

hope, liberation, as was proposed by Paulo Freire thinking about Popular Education. There is

no doubt that Paulo Freire is held as one of the greatest theorists recognized not only in Brazil

but all over the world, who promoted the tenets of contemporaneous education, and whose

ideas were studied and broadcasted by the greatest universities of the world.

Finally, the political pillar makes clear the wide range of action in the public sphere

and in the relationship with power, as the result of a liberating and transforming pedagogy.

Thus it turns out to be a pedagogy for action, in which the communication of education

extends the proposal to modify the world in which the lower classes exist, and are inserted,

being capable of transformation by means of their reflective mind and action of the

performers of the process either individually or collectively,

4.2 Characterization of those answering the questionnaire

In relation to the information regarding the demography characteristic of the

population under study, it is possible to receive data which refer to gender, academic degree,

function, duration of activity, region of action. In Table 03 are shown the results.

Table 03

An analysis of the table above, according to gender of those interviewed, makes

possible to verify that the majority pertains to the feminine sex (thirty-eight out of forty-

eight). This item is relevant if we consider the fact that the majority of participants in the

research are active in the local or regional centers where the majority of the workforce is

predominantly feminine. Other participants (ten persons all in all) are active in the majority in

the national office of FYA, where the hired personnel are masculine.

As for the formation of those enrolled, the data of the interview revealed that the great

majority of those interviewed has the degree of post-graduation, whereas a smaller segment

only has a degree in graduate courses. This is clear evidence which shows the technical corps is highly

qualified, which is a decisive factor reflecting on the professional manner how the services are being offered by

the FOUNDATION FE Y ALEGRIA.

In regard to recent information referring to the function, predominant are those dealing

with administrative management of the FYA. The information referring to specific functions

are those of management and administration of the FYA (Director General and Vice Director

of the Center), of subordinate rank are those with pedagogical tasks (Pedagogical Assistant,

Vice Director of the Project and Educator); those related to activities such as social assistance

and maintenance. As can be seen, the major number of the hired personnel took part acting in

related areas of the Foundation.

Continuing on commenting about the data of the demographic characterization, it is

quite interesting to pay attention to the aspect of the time of the personnel active in the

institution. In fact, what should be appreciated is stability with the incentive to grow in new

expertise and increase in the availability for new jobs in the same institution. Serviceability

means a lot because it serves as an incentive for the personnel to remain active and creative in

the same and new jobs as well supplying their expertise for the benefit of the FOUNDATION FÉ

E ALEGRIA, in Brazil. Quite significant as well is the quantity of those who answered the

questionnaire exercising their activity between 1 and 3 years. Thus, the length of time of those

holding their jobs helps to increase their identity among follow worker at the Foundation,

with good return by benefitting their understanding of the task, vision, and values launched

upon by FYA. This rebounds on the services rendered, attributing them its desired quality and

providing the creation of value upon the job performed.

Finally, as far as the regions represented by those interviewed, it is very significant to

notice the personnel from the Northeast and Southeast of Brazil who were present at the

national meeting of the FOUNDATION FÉ E ALEGRIA of Brazil, providing evidence of the

answers about the activities exercised in these regions and the socio-historical and cultural

characteristics for the benefit of the people attended by the Foundation.

4.3 The seven Perspectives of Choi and Majumdar (2015)

4.3.1 Sociological Perspective

The local and regional centers of FYA, spread over the national territory, exercise

their activity aiming at the emancipation of individuals attended by the projects developed by

the Foundation, The persons looking for these centers, trying to find a place where they could

have access to obtain their basic rights, warranted either by Federal Constitution or

international treatise as pledge giving assurance to safeguard human, subscribed by Brazil

(health, education, social assistance, etc.), since the activity of the State was faulty in this

sense, especially in the last times. Figure 1 exhibits the results referring to this perspective.

Figure 1.

On the basis of Figure 1, it is to be noticed that the developed activities co-operate for

a social emancipation for the access of rights, for insertion of persons attended into social

processes which involve communities where they are located for the development of their

self-esteem as citizens (which leads to active participation in various social instances,

associations, public political councils, social and educational institutions, and so on). All of

this strengthens the conviction that they exercise activities of social transformation and social

structures, which were singled out in the researches by Choi and Majumdar and become

effective by means of participation of individuals attended by the Foundation in the social life

of the community where they reside.

4.3.2 Perspective of the creative research

In the context of the FOUNDATION FÉ E ALEGRIA, the social innovations are performed

in the area of activities which impelled the emancipation of individuals attended by the

Foundation. Their impacts are more in the social field than in the economic area, although in

this dimension are stressed the programs of formation of handicraft of the work force rather

than the creation of jobs and earnings in order to improve conditions of public life affecting

the people by the actions put into practice, and provide access to real earnings. In the Figure

02 are presented the results of the research.

Figure 2.

The answers received are exhibiting some preoccupation among many who were

interviewed (in the hope that in the communities attended by them the methodologies may

strengthen the projects of life aiming at building up a social dynamic that they would be more

just and equalitarian, with efficacious and positive impacts on the life of those under their

care). To be noticed also the signs of preoccupation in the sense of imparting significant and

positive insights which should be the key to create values, and ties of solidarity affecting

positively the communities under their care.

Furthermore, in a more objective analysis of the information it is possible to perceive a

big preoccupation not only as regards the development of activities for assistance, but mainly

regarding the quest of emancipation of the people concerned, in the line of the task assumed

by FYA, that is: the social promotion with emphasis on the creation of value, as is presented

by Choi and Majumdar (2015).

4.3.3 Perspective of enterprise

In this scene, the predominant contribution of the FOUNDATION is to co-operate in the

production of a new wave of giving raise and change of social change either by means of

projects which develop directly or actions articulated in partnership with other institutions

(governmental or non-governmental). The results of the research are exhibited in Figure 03.

Figure 3

During the analysis of data, a fact called the attention to something significant, namely

the answers received in the items of the research reveal, as regards the vision of the managers,

that there is a predominant preoccupation about the life of the people attended.

This information demonstrates that the projects and programs developed by FYA are

superimposed, in growing importance with actions that create jobs, earning and transformation

of local economy. Thus, it is possible to affirm that a bigger preoccupation, at the first

moment, is about attendance of the basic necessities of the population and afterwards to

develop actions for generating jobs and earning.

4.3.4 Perspective of the economy of well-being

In the item relating to the Perspective of the Economy of Well-being a quest was made

in order to receive information about the vision and the activity of the personnel of FYA

trying to verify from the presuppositions worked out by Choi and Majumdar (2015). It is

exhibited in the Figure 04. Its beginning is the principle of the quality of life which includes

some aspects such as material well-being, opportunities of education, access to health care,

life in community, political freedom and equality of gender.

Figure 4

During the tabulation of the data, it was possible to perceive that there was a kind of

equity in the answers which were responded by those interviewed all over again. Thus, it was

pointed out that factors which influenced or contributed towards the well-being of the persons

who were attended, have a discreet predominance, the answers which point at the necessity to

develop actions which have as its aim to provide local and regional centers as a future

perspective.

In the sequel of the analysis of data which were devolved by those interviewed

regarding this perspective, it was possible to verify that a major emphasis was given to the

creation of value, that is, the managers try to foment, in their centers, the performance of

activities which attribute value to the communities where the centers are located.

4.3.5 Perspective aiming at action

The perspective aiming at action starts from the presupposition that the strategies

trying to create social innovation begin with the change of social activities and the ability to

be face to face with problems and post hoc create new actions by developing models and

programs of social innovation which can be repeated. In the Figure 05 are presented the

results of this perspective.

Figure 5

As regards the Perspective aiming at Action, the results are evidence of those

interviewed that they have a big deal of clarity in relation to the necessity of the FOUNDATION

to be active in terms of promoting activities in order to overcome inequality not only like an

“outsider” looking at a problem, but as someone incorporating an institution, who comes to

know the reality as such, is inserted as well and works for its modification. This permits a

constant performance in operation and the evaluation of the work developed aiming at

effectiveness and impact in the communities attended to.

A small difference presented here gives clarity that, although remaining preoccupation

as well about the participation of the communities in activities performed by the centers (or in

other words, participation in the activities proposed in order to cause a positive impact on the

communities by the people therein), nothing of the premiss related to the creation of value and

social innovation is being neglected, and therefore it gives proof that in all the activities

performed by FYA, either in a minor or major proportion, there can be found a preoccupation

about the creation of value.

4.3.6 Perspective of communitarian psychology

The perspective of communitarian psychology deals with social innovations in terms

of mechanisms which cause a positive social change among groups or communities,

supplying solutions for the acquittal or diminution of inequality and a wide spread of

innovatory solutions

Yet, the results as exhibited in Graphic 06 shows that those interviewed have quite a

precise clarity of the subject matter treated above, by demonstrating a great commitment with

the activities, creativity for the development of planned actions, attachment towards

communities attended (in which some are already active during many years, ever more than one

generation of the same family which were cared for over a lot of time by the centers). It was felt

as well between the lines that a constant preoccupation pervaded the people concerned, while

their eyes were looking over the reality which the communities were facing and in the heart

they were nursing a critical mind thinking about new strategies, actions and projects.

Figure 6

In this perspective, the preoccupation of the local and regional managers became

evident, as shown by the activities performed by the centers, which are used to co-ordinate all

the initiatives for the promotion of special actions which have a positive impact on the life of

the communities attended, without letting aside their major concern for the solution of

problems and the task to diminish social inequalities.

4.3.7 Perspective of territorial development

The Perspective of Territorial Development is related with an ethical attitude of justice

and social values, bound up with planned intents and implemented for the benefit of solving

the problems caused by social exclusion. In Figure 7 appear the results.

Figure 7

The results of this perspective are presented as evidence of the managers and the rest

of the personnel independently of the functions exercised, manifesting clearly the clarity of

the needed social emancipation of all those attended by the FOUNDATION.

5 Final considerations

Analyzing the perspectives by contrast and comparison of the results of the research, it

was possible to align the answers which appeared in two big groups each attesting both the

stress of the relevance and of the perspective of the vision of those interviewed. The

Perspective of the Creative Research and the Perspective of the Communitarian Psychology

are on an equal level when analyzed from the point of view of the relevance among those who

answered the questionnaire. They both were preoccupied with the building of dynamics,

projects and actions which have a positive impact on the life of the people affected by the

actions developed in the local and regional centers, by strengthening projects of life and

spreading methodologies which are helpful in this sense.

On the basis of the information regarding the comparison of the perspectives it is

possible to affirm that the FOUNDATION FÉ E ALEGRIA of Brazil, although as an institution of

the Third Sector in the perspective of the local, regional and national managers tried to

promote social innovation by means of the activities permeated by the intention of the

creation of value and which too have a positive impact on the communities attended to,

functioning not only as a social institution giving assistance, but also acting as a tool

promoting effectively the social, economic, educational, and political emancipation of each of

individuals which already are and also those who will be cared for.

By means of this research it became possible both to identify the model of

management adopted by the FOUNDATION FÉ E ALEGRIA of Brazil, and to verify how it

promotes in its activities the creation of value, originating what today is called Social

Innovation and how in fact the seven perspectives of Choi and Majumdar (2015) made their

entrance into history after their epoch-making discovery. It is to be remembered that these

perspectives were only used up till then in corporate-enterprising environment and likewise

could contribute to a more efficient management in the Third Sect, where this type of

measurement had not yet been proposed. The study permits a verification to be made that the

FOUNDATION FÉ E ALEGRIA of Brazil has co-operated for the creation of social value in the

communities where it had been inserted, standing out in its performance by the promotion of

initiatives for the emancipation of the people attended by and not only by activities of

assistance, which do not promote more impacts on the life of local or regional communities

under her care.

Moreover, an analysis of the degree of importance of all the other perspectives, it

made it possible as well to verify that they also had a significant amount of importance in the

eyes of those interviewed in the research, just to mention the Sociological Perspective (SPS),

the Perspective aiming at Action (SPP), and the Perspective of the Territorial Development

(SPT).

After the analysis of all the objectives it is hoped that this research co-operated in its

way so that a theoretical reference could be established about the theme of Social Innovation

in the Third Sector, which should be able to contribute towards further studies of this subject.

Furthermore, it became evident that the organizations of the Third Sector, specially the

FOUNDATION FÉ E ALEGRIA of Brazil, are using the premises of administration in order to

organize their operational structure and develop their activities.

These institutions tend to absorb concepts, theoretical constructs and models which on

an underlying level contribute in the last analysis, so that these institutions do not remain at

the margin of new administrative techniques, used by organizations which have objectives for

commercial profit and are able to promote the creation of value, through, among other tools,

Social Innovation

As far as the limitations of the research are concerned relating to its corpus, we

perceived that a limitation on the whole work of this research was the fact that it was

necessary to select a corpus of research which permitted to obtain a significant sample of the

data for analysis, utilized all over the territory of Brazil. The subject matter dealt with did not

exhaust the study and the analysis. It could still be amplified and revised for further reference

in the perspective of Choi and Majumdar (2015), widening the focus on other continents for

the benefit of the INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION FÉ E ALEGRIA.

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