Innovative Solutions for an Inclusive Workplace in 2023
On November 23, 2023, we organized the conference “Innovative Solutions for an Inclusive Workplace” in Malmö in collaboration with NNS and the Partnership for Social Innovation.
Over the course of a full day, we delved into questions such as:
- What might the future of the job market and work look like?
- How can we envision and work together to create an inclusive workplace?
- What innovative social solutions and best practices are there?
- What is currently lacking, and what will be needed going forward, to reduce social exclusion and transition to a circular economy?
A packed schedule
The program featured two keynote speakers: Nicolas Lunabba, author and executive director of Helamalmö and Jennie Winhall , founder of System Shift and the System Innovation Initiative, and a pioneer in design and social innovation within public innovation. A couple of sessions were held on the main stage, one on the work of Competence Centre for Social Innovation one on system innovation for an inclusive working life. The two sessions, each with three parallel sessions, focused on regional platforms for co-creation, bold change for social and green transition, financing, co-creation and collaboration with different target groups, how we create equality and gender equality, and what we need to learn about an inclusive working life.
Program
Keynote by Nicolas Lunabba: From Basketball to Mobilizing for Social Justice
Listen to Nicolas Lunabba talk about his own experiences as a young person in Malmö, his encounter with Elijah, and Helamalmö’s work to mobilize for social justice.
Session 1: What can we learn from social innovation?
This session presented the findings of the annual analysis report from Sweden’s National Competence Centre for Social Innovation the European Social Fund. We take a closer look at the work of national competence centers for social innovation in Sweden and reflect on what we need to learn and how we can best do so together.
Speakers: Malin Lindberg, Anna Tengqvist, Farzan Mozaffari, Annika Nordgren, Agnes Thunell, and Jessica Johansson.
Read the report "Support Structure for Innovative Inclusion in the Workplace and Society"
Presentation:Session 1: What Can We Learn Through Social Innovation?
Morning parallel sessions
1: Bold Change for a Social Green Transition
How can we create social value through the circular economy? How can we use the green transition to help the unemployed enter the labor market? In this session, we drew on eco-social examples where the green transition serves as the driving force, but where social needs are also incorporated into the initiatives.
Speakers: Christian Björneland, Jesper Berséus, Catharina Ljungcrantz, Johan M. Sanne, and Viktoria Flygare.
Presentation:Bold Change for a Social Green Transition
3: What do we need to understand in order to create a more inclusive workplace?
In this session, we explored how we can work together to gain a broader understanding of what we mean by an “inclusive labor market.” How do we view the causes of social exclusion, and what ideas do we have for possible solutions? The feedback we received will be forwarded to the Swedish ESF Council to serve as inspiration for future calls for proposals.
Facilitators:Tom Roodro, Gloria-Karin López, and Sanne Wintter.
Presentation:Session #3 What Do We Need to Understand to Create a More Inclusive Workplace? andthe Problem Tree
2: How we organize regional platforms for co-creation
During this session, examples were presented of long-term organizational approaches aimed at collaboratively developing solutions to societal challenges at the regional, national, and international levels.
Speakers: Anna Tengqvist, Anders Bro, Gorka Espiau Idoiaga, Rick Delbridge, Sara Dahlin, and Johannes Björkman.
Watch the video featuring Rick Delbridgehere.
Watch the video featuring Gorka Gorka Espiau Idoiagahere.
Mentimeter question:Howcouldaregionalsupport structurefor social innovationbenefityour region orarea? (slide 1)
Mentimeter question: Whoshouldcollaboratetounderstandandaddresssocietal challengesinaregion/county/area? (slide 2)
Mentimeter question:Whatobstacles do you seetoestablishingmorelong-termplatforms? (slide 3)
Keynote by Jennie Winhall:
What if – let’s reimagine an inclusive working life
What does it mean to transform the labor market? Why do we need innovation? What if we were to rethink the labor market? We need new ways of thinking and acting to make way for systemic change.
Session 2: System Innovation for an Inclusive Workplace
In this session, we will reflect on the opportunities for innovative inclusion that exist in Sweden’s labor market today, as well as the structural barriers we need to overcome. We will also discuss what needs to be done at the systemic level to unleash the power of innovation.
Speakers: Jonas Bergström, Lasse Stjernkvist, Mattias Bergström, Mahad Abdullahi, and Sari Eskelinen.
Mentimeter question:What is needed to address work-related societal challenges in a systematic and collaborative manner?
Presentation by Sari Eskelinen:Innoby Innovation Platform
Afternoon parallel sessions
1: How We Pave the Way for a Fair and Equitable Workplace
In this session, we highlighted the discriminatory structures prevalent in the Swedish labor market and shared examples of how we can innovatively break these patterns and structures. To conclude, the speakers will participate in a panel discussion on what the future might look like for an equitable, accessible, and non-discriminatory labor market.
Presentation:Session #1: Paving the Way for a Gender-Equal and Inclusive Workplace
Mentimeter question:Roomoverview–Whoishere? (slide 1)
Mentimeter question: Have you experienced discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, or religion? (slide 2)
Mentimeter question: What does your workplace need to do to increase diversity and inclusion? (slide 3)
3: Co-creation and collaboration for an inclusive labor market
In this session, four organizations shared their initiatives and experiences with co-creation and collaboration on innovative programs aimed at promoting work and employment among people who are far removed from the labor market.
Speakers: Jessica Johansson, Agnes Thunell, Farzan Mozaffari, Danilo Espinoza, Malin Viberg, and Fredrik Björk.
Presentation:Session #3: Co-creation and Collaboration for an Inclusive Labor Market
2: Funding for socially innovative solutions
Forum for Social Innovation Sweden launched a review of the current state of knowledge, challenges, and needs regarding funding models for social innovation. The aim is to strengthen opportunities to address societal challenges in innovative ways through tailored funding models and increased collaboration among funders. In this session, stakeholders from academia, the business community, civil society, and the public sector will come together for a discussion on the findings of the review.
Watch the video featuring Filipe Almediahere (link to YouTube).
Speakers: Malin Lindberg, Lasse Stjernkvist, Ylva Lundkvist Fridh, Sophie Nachemson-Ekwall, Mattias Larsson, and Filipe Almeida.
Presentation by Malin Lindberg:Session #2 Funding for Socially Innovative Solutions