Is it smart to invite the outside in?

In a previous blog, I’ve talked about the six principles of co-creation as they were described by Sandra Janoff and Marvin Weisbord. In this blog, I want to zoom in on the first one: "Get the whole system in the room". I would like to explain in what kind of situations inviting the outside in might be a smart move and give some tips on how to go about it.

I recently had a case of company who found itself on a brink: in the past they had received extensive grants from the government to for fill their tasks. Recently it was announced that these grants will be cut severely and a more customer orientated and pro-active approach was needed to secure continuity.

In discussing the issue with top and middle management I learned that solutions were primarily sought in the way the organization organized itself internally. Little attention was given to external factors like customers, competition etc.

I think in this case inviting the outside in is a very smart move. We didn’t organize panel discussions with customers and external partners, we chose to organize a true dialogue between employees and customers and external partners. Throughout the dialogue, all stakeholders where given the opportunity to explore each other’s perspective on things. It turned out that this was a smart move:

People within this organization had a shared perspective on the context they operated in. They were also partially blind to reality. The outsiders put them straight throughout the dialogue with remarkably little effort.
One of the results of the intervention was that a broader understanding of the needs of the customers was integrated within the company’s customers approach.
The company succeeded in strengthening partnerships with existing partnerswho were present in the dialogue.

Here are three things to keep in mind when inviting the outside in:

Convincing a number of people within the organization might be the first step. You’ll get a number of objections on why a dialogue with the outside is risky: “outsiders are invaders” or “it will become a talking shop” or “it will take too long” and so on. In the book “Co-creation … 13 Myths debunked” you’ll find some arguments to go against this. Take the time necessary to convince a number of formal and informal leaders before taking action. On my LinkedIn profile you’ll find some interviews with leaders who have gone through a co-creative process with their organization and have found the experience worth their while.
Think carefully about who to invite. Who are the external stakeholders you need to get an answer to the issue you are trying to solve? Remember that the people who represent “Need”, i.e. the people your organization exists for in the end (patients, students, consumers, …) are certain to have to be represented. “Talking with” is always better than “talking about”.
When preparing a co-creative process, make sure to put a so called planning group in place. These people prepare the process and some of them should have a large network amongst external stakeholders, so they can personally convince externals to join and engage in the exercise.

In conclusion, in some cases inviting the outside in is a smart move. It may seem like a risk at first glance, but the results can be really refreshing.

If you want to know more on the six principles of co-creation, please check out the book “Co-creation … 13 Myths debunked”. Available in Dutch and English. Simply send me an email: Lesley.Vanleke@VanlekeAdvies.be or call me on 0478 51 96 66.

me an email: Lesley@careercoach-network.com or give me a call +32 (0)478 51 96 66.