Co-creation with diverse actors for sustainability innovation
Year: 2017
Editor: Anja Maier, Stanko Škec, Harrison Kim, Michael Kokkolaras, Josef Oehmen, Georges Fadel, Filippo Salustri, Mike Van der Loos
Author: Sopjani, Liridona; Hesselgren, Mia; Ritzén, Sofia; Janhager Stier, Jenny
Series: ICED
Institution: 1: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Integrated Product Development, Sweden; 2: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Product and Service Design, Sweden
Section: Human Behaviour in Design
Page(s): 459-468
ISBN: 978-1-904670-96-4
ISSN: 2220-4342
Abstract
Sustainability driven innovations differ from current established technologies imposing new requirements on users and often interdependent with other actors’ changes. Strategic Niche Management (SNM) stresses interactions between actors through niches i.e. protected spaces for experimentation to support innovation. However, it is unclear what activities are necessary when different actors are involved in developing and diffusing sustainability innovation. This paper aims at identifying activities crucial for sustainability innovation in an implemented mobility project. The results show that co-creation through iterations and reflections by combinations of diverse actors and users can be considered a core process for sustainability innovation. Six activities are identified as critical: matching the interdependencies by combining the actors’ diverse competences and resources; facilitating to steer the group of actors into actions; engaging users at early stages of innovation; trying to drive change by offering the users an opportunity; co-creating through a multitude of actors with the development and usage simultaneously; steering and facilitating to enable co-creation.
Keywords: Co-creation, Innovation, Sustainability, Product-Service Systems (PSS)