Enter the word 'co-creation' into Google.com and within
seconds you'll find articles, websites and academic studies on the
innovation discipline which is rapidly being embraced by leading
companies around the world. Do the same in Google.com.au and the
result is more than a little surprising. While there are
certainly business and academic references, equally prominent are
references to auras, healing and the cosmic heart.
Co-creation in the context of business innovation is essentially
about working collaboratively with stakeholders to solve business
challenges. While this might not seem to be that provocative, how
often is the customer truly represented at the boardroom table?
We're not just talking about understanding their needs, but
inviting customers to be part of the process to design new
products, define experiences and influence the decisions
corporations make. We like to think of co-creation as defining the
future with your customers, not for them.
So what's the benefit if companies have been getting it right to
date by merely relying on market research to represent the voice of
the customer?
We believe that the right minds for addressing the challenge
need to represent a range of perspectives, skill sets and
experiences. New problems can't be fully resolved with only 'old'
thinking, so broadening the team tasked with finding a way through
can only have advantages. The most salient benefits of co-creative
processes are heightened relevance of outcomes, and stronger
stakeholder engagement, and thus support for the process and
result.
The art (and science) of facilitating collaborative problem
solving is a reasonably unique skill in itself. While market
research firms have long owned the customer point of view, they
aren't recognised for innovation, creativity or solution
development. On the other hand creative agencies may not be seen as
being 'solution neutral'. Co-creation practitioners need to
be able to engage stakeholders, elicit ideas and prioritise
outcomes - all the while recognising that breakthroughs can come at
anytime, from anywhere.
Global market leaders like Unilever, Nokia, Kraft, McDonalds and
BMW amongst others are embedding co-creation practices in their
innovation processes. "It introduces a new way of listening and
interacting with consumers by treating them as partners rather than
just respondents, and engaging them in the process from beginning
to end" Tom Crawford, Nokia's Director of Consumer Research and
Insight, as reported in WARC. Through co-creation, Kraft created the vision for the company with
thousands of its employees, McDonald's is defining the restaurant
of the future, and BMW invites car enthusiasts to share ideas to
innovate around products and services via the BMW Co-creation Lab.
Co-creation methodologies can take on many forms, from open
innovation platforms, to groups of experts and consumers working
together in online or offline