To what type of questions does co-creation apply?
In my previous blogs, I’ve talked about co-creation. I’ve argued that applying the six principles of co-creation leads to better solutions and higher engagement of those who have to implement the solutions. In this blog, you’ll find out to what type of challenges or questions the six principles apply and when not to apply co-creation.
Maybe you are wondering whether a specific organizational issue which you have on your mind could be solved with co-creation?
A good way to evaluate whether co-creation is the way to go for your particular challenge is to ask yourself the following questions :
1. To what extent is the end result clear to all stakeholders, in other words, to what extent do they agree on what the new situation should look like? This is a question about the WHAT.
2. To what extent are you sure that the decisions you might take will lead to a certain outcome? In other words, is it clear what steps to take to lead you to a result? This is a question about the HOW.
If the answer to the first question is that everybody agrees and on the second that outcomes of decisions are easily predicted, you are dealing with a technical issue. No need to apply co-creation, just let the experts solve it. For example: how do we get as many visitors to our website as possible? Anybody with some knowledge about online advertising will tell you that you need a mobile website and that you have to apply SEO (Search Engine Optimization). The rules for SEO are relatively clear.
If on either one of the questions the answer different, you could consider using co-creation. For example for the first question: What is the vision for our company in the years to come? What is our vision of a great place to work? For the second question: How do we improve customer intimacy in our organization? How do we strengthen our adaptability and power to innovate?
If, based on the answer to the two questions mentioned above you have an issue on your mind, here are some tips to make further steps towards a co-creative approach to the issue:
Ask yourself if the question is an essential one for your organization. If it is not, you probably won’t be able to create enough support for a co-creative approach.
To what extent have formal and/or informal leaders already decided what the course of action will be? If the input of other stakeholders will not be taken seriously, don’t waste time with putting up a co-creative process. Chances are your efforts will be perceived as manipulation.
Before going full speed ahead with co-creation in an organization with a strong top-down tradition, organize an in-house tasting session, to introduce the six principles and start a dialogue with the different stakeholders to create support for co-creation and find out what are the different opinions on the issue within the organization.
In conclusion, not all questions or challenges have to be approached in a co-creative way. Simply put, it’s the complex issues where multiple stakeholders can either block or help each other out, in which co-creation
creation is worth consideration.
Contact me on Lesley.Vanleke@VanlekeAdvies.be or call me on +32 478 51 96 6