Examining the Group Processes that Facilitate Hackathon-Based Inclusive Innovation

ORDER NOW  

Research Area and Problem

In South Africa, there are numerous pressing civic issues, many health-related, that need to be addressed in order to improve the overall well being  of South Africans (Petti et al., 2006; Bogart et al., 2012).  Inclusive innovation addresses such civic issues, as it is a method for developing tools and solutions for communities who have fallen behind on technological advancement (Foster & Heeks, 2013). A platform for facilitating inclusive innovation is a hackathon. Such events invite development of self-expression and creativity through technology where people with technical, business, creative, scientific and artistic backgrounds come together and collaboratively code on industry-changing solutions. Hackathons represent a powerful strategy for inclusive innovation, because they bring together individuals from multiple professional disciplines and the community  to work together to solve real-world, pressing problems (Foster & Heeks, 2013; Nandi & Mandernach, 2016; Briscoe, 2014).