Beyond Working Designs

Enabling context and an open window of opportunity (or a lack of those) may dictate the fate of a frugal innovation, even if it was well designed in a close collaborative setting with an innovation’s potential users and other relevant stakeholders. We set out to study a case in which all elements seemed to be in place, and yet the outcome of the long process was a failure. This was due to external factors in the immediate local environment where the innovation(s) in question was planned to be put into practice for the first time. It is notable, based on the findings from the frugal innovation literature, that this literature mostly focuses on the characteristics of such innovations themselves, or on processes to design those innovations, but the context, an innovation’s immediate environment, especially during its first introduction, may not be given enough consideration. This chapter studies the contextual elements of frugal innovation mostly through the lens of the Multi-Level Perspective/Sociotechnical transition and Transition Management. Frugal innovation is therefore seen as a “niche innovation” that, together with similar or parallel innovations, may alter an existing sociotechnical regime, preferably towards a more economically, environmentally, or socially sustainable direction. We aim at increasing understanding of the importance of the “space” that surrounds a frugal innovation in a developing country context: is it “protected” or not? We will outline some implications for policy and practice to safeguard frugal innovation processes in their early stages. The case takes place in Southern Africa, Namibia, and relates to transnational efforts to contribute to affordable housing and urban development.