DEVELOPING THE YIN–YANG ADAPTIVE SOCIAL INNOVATION FRAMEWORK: INTEGRATING CULTURAL PRESERVATION AND DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION FOR SUSTAINABLE RURAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Abstract

Purpose: Despite growing research on social innovation, existing studies largely examine entrepreneurial motivation, cultural preservation, and technology integration as independent factors, providing limited understanding of how these dimensions jointly foster sustainable rural entrepreneurship. This study addresses this gap by proposing the Yin–Yang Adaptive Social Innovation Framework, which adapts the complementary logic of the Yin–Yang concept to explain the dynamic interaction between cultural preservation and technology integration in community-based social innovation.

Design/methodology/approach: An explanatory Quantitative data from 231 active Karang

Taruna members engaged in rural micro-enterprises were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM)

Findings: Necessity-driven motivation significantly strengthened cultural preservation and promoted social innovation, whereas opportunity-driven motivation positively influenced social innovation but had no significant effect on technology integration. Technology integration showed a significant negative effect on social innovation, indicating that digital transformation alone cannot ensure sustainable community innovation without alignment with local cultural values. 

Originality: This study extends Transformative Social Innovation Theory by introducing the Yin–Yang Adaptive Social Innovation Framework as an integrative mechanism linking cultural preservation and technological transformation. It also provides empirical evidence from Indonesia's Karang Taruna, offering theoretical and practical insights for strengthening rural micro-enterprises and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).