SOCIAL INNOVATIONS IN THE COMMUNITY AS AN OBJECT OF MODERN MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Introduction. The article provides a theoretical interpretation of social innovations in the community as an object of modern management. It is substantiated that under conditions of social instability, decentralization, wartime challenges, and the growing needs of vulnerable population groups, the community becomes a key space for the formation, testing, and implementation of new social solutions. Social innovations are considered not as a set of isolated initiatives, but as a managed process that includes problem identification, the design of response mechanisms, resource provision, intersectoral coordination, monitoring, and evaluation of social impact. The main functions of social innovation management in the community are substantiated, namely diagnostic, strategic, organizational, resource, communicative, coordinating, control, and prognostic functions. The practical dimension of the issue is revealed through the example of the Vinnytsia City Territorial Community, where social innovations are implemented in the form of new services for veterans, persons with disabilities, and children with special educational needs, as well as through the development of supported living, a barrier-free environment, and partnership-based services. It has been established that the effectiveness of social innovations directly depends on their integration into the strategic priorities of the community and on the quality of managerial support. The purpose of the study is to provide a theoretical substantiation of social innovations in the community as an object of modern management and to reveal their practical dimension through the example of the Vinnytsia City Territorial Community. Scientific novelty is determined by the theoretical substantiation of social innovations in the community as an object of modern management. The study clarifies the content of social innovations not only as a form of response to current social challenges, but also as a purposeful process of social change that requires systematic managerial support. The main functions of social innovation management in the community are identified and characterized, in particular diagnostic, strategic, organizational, coordinating, resource, communicative, control, evaluative, and prognostic functions. Further development has been given to the idea of the interrelation between the innovativeness of the social sphere and the managerial capacity of the territorial community. The practical novelty lies in the analysis of the experience of the Vinnytsia City Territorial Community as an example of the institutionally established implementation of social innovations in the field of support for vulnerable population groups. Conclusions. The results of the analysis made it possible to establish that social innovations in the community are not only a form of response to current social challenges, but also an important object of modern management. It has been substantiated that their effectiveness is determined by the community’s ability to identify social needs, mobilize resources, ensure intersectoral interaction, and assess the social effect of implemented decisions. The practical analysis of the experience of the Vinnytsia City Territorial Community has shown that social innovations become effective provided that they are institutionally supported, managerially coordinated, and integrated into the system of local development.