What remains? A Longitudinal Analysis of Innovation in Social Service Organizations in Times of the Pandemic

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, innovation proved crucial for social service organizations (SSOs) to maintain service provision under rapidly changing conditions. While existing research has documented the emergence and alteration of innovation during the crisis, considerably less is known about the long-term effects of the pandemic on innovation management and the extent to which crisis-related innovations become institutionalized once emergency conditions subside. Addressing this gap, this paper investigates the long-term effects of COVID-19 on innovation in SSOs and explores factors influencing the institutionalization of innovation projects after a large-scale external shock. Adopting a longitudinal qualitative perspective on five large Viennese SSOs, this study investigates how innovation structures and procedures have developed, and what factors contribute to long-term institutionalization of innovation. The findings suggest that COVID-19 was a time full of tensions for innovation. While crises can temporarily strengthen innovation capacities, subsequent periods of resource consolidation may weaken the structures supporting innovation, resulting in selective institutionalization trajectories. The study aims to contribute to the gap of longitudinal research on crisis-related innovation, presents further evidence on the challenging role of diverse stakeholder influences on innovation, and provides a shift in attention of innovation research beyond adoption and implementation towards institutionalization.