Around the world, there are clear trends pointing to the potential of design-driven approaches to social innovation. At Forum for Social Innovation Sweden , we Forum for Social Innovation Sweden identified significant interest in this field, but also a great need for knowledge development. Our preliminary study has made it clear that there are many initiatives in Sweden working with design-like processes that not only want to strengthen their design expertise but also integrate it into the DNA of their organizations.
“We want to hone their design and innovation skills so that, at a later stage, they can move toward starting and running their own design labs. We see this supportive role as a central part of the design lab that is now getting underway,” says Per-Anders Hillgren, a design researcher at K3 at Malmö University and Forum for Social Innovation Sweden.
Moving into the real world
Co-Labs will focus on working with other stakeholders to build this kind of support capacity. Unlike the common perception of a design lab as a studio located in a specific place, Co-Labs is based on strengthening innovation capacity in the everyday contexts and environments where societal challenges exist and must be addressed. The lab is thus based on creating a learning environment for design and innovation in connection with efforts to tackle these challenges.
Distributed model
“What makes Co-Labs innovative is that they anchor the capacity built within the organizations that will tackle these challenges. This model therefore has the potential to have a greater societal impact than other, more traditional labs,” says Louisa Szücs Johansson, project manager at Forum for Social Innovation Sweden.
Co-Labs draw inspiration from research circles and the long-standing tradition of practice-oriented collaboration between academia and the professional world. Research circles are a format in which knowledge is developed collaboratively, with a clear focus on challenges related to the participants’ day-to-day work.
Building on a long tradition
In the same spirit, participants in a Co-Lab will meet regularly over a set period of time to work together on their processes. The meetings will be organized around themes drawn from design practice and various methods of collaborative learning, and will focus on topics such as citizen and user participation, problem framing, and prototyping.
What is interesting about the research circle model for a design lab is that it is based on a mutual exchange of knowledge between participants and facilitators. On the one hand, participants can learn from one another and use this new knowledge to develop their work and working methods; on the other hand, facilitators have the opportunity to gather insights and experiences that can help them better understand and improve opportunities for innovation.
“Design Labs are an interesting and growing model for new forms of collaboration that can serve as an important testing ground for the development of social innovation. As a national knowledge hub, we want to ensure that the knowledge and capacity built up here benefit the whole of Sweden,” says Hanna Sigsjö, Executive Director of Forum for Social Innovation Sweden
Focus on societal challenges
A Co-Lab can be initiated by one or more organizations across various sectors of society. The starting point is a societal challenge for which an innovation or collaboration process has been launched or is to be launched by the participants.
“A prerequisite for a Co-Lab is that the participants have a connection in their daily lives to the challenge the lab focuses on. Otherwise, the lab’s composition can vary, with representatives from different sectors and professional groups, or consist of homogeneous groups from the same organization,” says Louisa.
Regardless of its composition, Co-Labs is characterized by interdisciplinary work; therefore, there must be a willingness to be open and collaborate broadly.
“We’d prefer to see participation not only from practitioners who work on the ground to develop new solutions, but also from people who can influence strategies and systems at the organizational level. This fosters learning across these levels,” explains Per-Anders.
Pilot Project Underway:
In 2015, we will establish, test, and evaluate 2–3 Co-Labs led by faculty from the Department of Art, Culture, and Communication (K3) and the Department of Urban Studies at Malmö University.
The first pilot project has just begun, in which we are working with Region Skåne and five libraries in the region on innovative collaboration. The pilot will focus on gaining experience with various design processes and methods for change management and collaboration.
The participants in the pilot come from libraries in Bjuv, Eslöv, Lindängen, Kävlinge, and Lund, and the lab builds on the various development or engagement processes that are currently underway or in the planning stages in each municipality.
“Since many more people than we had room for expressed interest in participating in this Co-Lab, we hope this pilot will whet people’s appetite and that we can expand the initiative in the future,” says Kristina Elding, who works on library development at Region Skåne.
Another example is the research group that has just been launched in collaboration with the Innerstaden City District Administration in Malmö. In this group, city officials will work with researchers from Malmö University to explore ways to create attractive gathering places.
“By adopting a more design-oriented approach, we can develop the research circle as a method and create new arenas for collaborative learning,” says Magnus Johanson, one of the leaders. The circle will run until the summer of 2016 and is an example of how to develop knowledge alliances between the university and the city, which is in line with the Malmö Commission’s recommendations for developing new knowledge and finding new solutions.