Process Design I: Building Containers

Abstract

In co-creation, our job is not unlike that of improvisational actors at times. The co-creative facilitator, like an actor, performs and must be able to improvise when conditions change. Our structure—or script—is called “process.” Process consists of the design and the facilitation of a multi-segment engagement, as well as all other activities that run in conjunction with a co-creative program.

In this chapter, we introduce guidelines that apply to the planning phase, occurring prior to leading a program. The starting place for planning a co-creative program lies in the perspective that collective creativity and insight are emergent properties of a designed experience. Introduced in Chap. 2, here we go further into the nature of this experience and how to design for it. Setting the container—establishing a community space of trust, clarity, engagement, and safety—is the first step and vital. Without this, co-creation is nearly impossible, and creating this container begins long before the program itself. Given how vital the container is for co-creation, we dedicate this entire chapter to understanding what a good container is and how to prepare it.

In this chapter we introduce PACE (presence, authenticity, courage, and eco-systems awareness) as the pillars of co-creation. Like structural supports for a house, these creative leadership capacities reinforce the container. And when grounded in PACE, co-creation has the potential to transform organizational culture and generate breakthrough innovations. It does this by shifting the place from which people act and how they interact with each other.

We close the chapter with a discussion of how to set the container in the planning stage. From stakeholder dialogues to integrating needs and onboarding, setting the container requires careful consideration of several moving parts. Each co-creative journey is bespoke, and it is in this pre-journey stage that the unique design is crafted. The guidelines offered help ensure that your program will be effective, empowering, and relevant.