Work

A societal readiness tool for responsible product innovation

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This paper introduces the Societal Readiness Tool (SRT), an approach that supports actors in product design and innovation in aligning product development with societal needs and expectations. The tool serves two functions. First, it provides guidance for developers, enabling them to navigate the product development process in a manner that builds in ethical, legal and social impact considerations from the very earliest stages. Second, the tool enables developers and other stakeholders to conduct qualitative self-assessments of the societal readiness level of a product. The substantive claim embodied by the tool is that technical and commercial readiness of new products should be supplemented by societal readiness, which is accomplished by embedding concern for ethical, legal and social impacts in product development.

Source: Technology in Society

DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.103183

Authors: Bennet Francis, Tynke Schepers, Andrea Porcari, Philip Brey

Institutions: University of Twente, Tilburg University, Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca Industriale

Language: English

Topic: Innovation, Technology, and Society

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,660

Funder: Horizon 2020 Framework Programme