What's your best method for facilitating co-creation and innovation?

1 What is co-creation and innovation?

Co-creation and innovation are closely related concepts that involve collaborating with others to generate new ideas, solutions, products, or services. Co-creation is the process of involving different stakeholders, such as customers, employees, partners, or experts, in the design and development of something new. Innovation is the outcome of co-creation, the result of creating something that is novel, valuable, and feasible.

2 Why is facilitation important for co-creation and innovation?

Facilitation is the skill of enabling and supporting a group of people to work together effectively towards a common goal. Facilitation is essential for co-creation and innovation, because it helps to create a safe and productive environment where diverse perspectives, opinions, and experiences can be shared, explored, and integrated. Facilitation also helps to guide the group through the different stages of co-creation and innovation, from ideation to prototyping to testing to implementation.

3 What are some facilitation styles and models for co-creation and innovation?

When it comes to facilitation, there is no one-size-fits-all approach as different situations and groups may require different styles and models. However, some common facilitation styles and models for co-creation and innovation include participatory, creative, and iterative. Participatory facilitation emphasizes the active involvement of all participants, while creative facilitation stimulates their imagination and encourages them to think outside the box. Iterative facilitation follows a cyclical process of generating, testing, and improving ideas, allowing for learning from failures and feedback. Such methods used in facilitation can include brainstorming, voting, ranking, mapping, storytelling, metaphors, analogies, games, prototyping, piloting or user testing. These styles and models of facilitation can help to generate and prioritize ideas as well as validate and refine them; ultimately helping to inform and energize the group.

4 How to choose the best method for your facilitation context?

Choosing the best method for facilitating co-creation and innovation depends on various factors, such as the project’s purpose, scope, and complexity, the size and dynamics of the group, available time and resources, and the preferences and expectations of the participants. To select the best method for your facilitation context, consider asking questions such as: what is the goal or problem to be addressed with co-creation and innovation? Who are the stakeholders to involve and what are their needs, interests, and motivations? How much time and resources are available for the facilitation process and what are the expected deliverables or outcomes? What challenges or risks should be anticipated and how can they be mitigated or overcome? What are the best ways to communicate, engage, and motivate the participants? And how can progress and achievements be measured and celebrated?

5 How to prepare and facilitate a co-creation and innovation session?

When preparing and facilitating a co-creation and innovation session, it’s important to select the best method for your facilitation context. Start by defining the objectives, agenda, and roles for the session, and selecting the appropriate tools, techniques, and materials that you will use. Communicate the plan to the participants and invite them to prepare and share any relevant information or inputs. Begin the session with a brief introduction and icebreaker, and establish ground rules and expectations. Create a positive atmosphere and build rapport among the participants. Guide them through the different stages of co-creation and innovation, encouraging participation, creativity, and feedback. Monitor the time, energy, and mood of the group; adjust the pace as needed. End with a summary of outcomes and learnings; thank participants for their contribution. Collect feedback or action items that emerged from the session; follow up with participants on next steps.