e[CO]system

e[CO]system by SauraMandala Foundation | Centre for Accelerated Development delivers insights, learnings, techniques, ideas and innovations from the field as we strive to establish an ecosystem for collaborative and context-specific solutions to address societal challenges.

It is often tempting to opt for quick fixes to complex problems. To create lasting change, we must dig deeper, understand root causes, and develop tailored strategies. In a world with increasing scale and complexities of societal problems, how can we develop innovative and sustainable solutions that address what the communities need?

Edition FOUR: Design & Co-Design- The Many Challenges and Opportunities

What defines it?

How do we co-design for public problem-solving? By bringing together diverse partners? By mobilising resources? Or are there more layers to be considered??

These are questions we are still striving to find the answers to, a challenge that unfolds layers of complexities at every step.

For more than 2 years now, along with our partners, we have been attempting to find a way to make the process of co-design frictionless and resource efficient.

For others who are still new to this idea of [co]design, here’s how we define it- it's designing with, rather than designing for. It is the process of bringing together lived experiences and professional experiences involving creative and participatory principles and tools to engage all the stakeholders.?

Why do we choose to co-design?

'Co-designing is designing with, not for'- What is co-design? — Beyond Sticky Notes

The problem we're addressing is the disconnect between policy design and the communities they affect. Our goal is to involve communities in the design process to incorporate their lived experiences and create more effective policies.?

At SMF, our co-design process is non-linear, beginning with identifying on-the-ground realities and determining the appropriate policy lever to address gaps in the system. By integrating the perspectives of both communities and the system, we gain a deeper understanding of the challenges. At this stage, we emphasise finding the right partners rather than predefined solutions.

Nagakarthik MP , Founder, SauraMandala Foundation | Centre for Accelerated Development

By co-designing with communities, we ensure that their real-world insights shape the solutions, contrasting with the traditional reliance on external experts. This collaborative approach forces all participants to constantly reevaluate the original problem, enriching the process with diverse perspectives.

Involving different stakeholders, including those directly impacted by policies and other change agents, brings a range of experiences to the table, ensuring a more holistic and innovative approach to policy design.

Co-design thus challenges conventional approaches to planning and policymaking, as it requires wide input into problem definition and the development of solutions.

It goes beyond just design- It is also about enabling or empowering people to participate and contribute.

'It is only co-design if people affected by the issue are active participants in the design process,' - The Promise of Co-Design for Public Policy Emma Blomkamp. First published: 01 March 2018

In Perspective

The Chief Minister's Youth Centre project is one of our flagship projects, with the highest number of partners. There has been a transition from the pilot phase of the project (Trailblazer Community Labs) to the larger CMYC project, and in this process, we realised the need to be open to iteration and feedback.

Project DEFY has been our longstanding and constant partner in this journey of creating the CMYCs in Meghalaya, with a vision of placing the choice of learning directly in the hands of the rural youth in the state.

We asked Abhijit Sinha , Founder, CEO, Project DEFY on what his takes are on the topic:

I feel the first barrier usually is presumption. People, organisations, and governments tend to have a certain image of each other, which can hinder honest conversation or even making the right pitch. While removing this entirely may be asking too much, one should approach with the intention of discovery and open possibility. Since organisations are usually the ones pitching to both governments and people, this openness, vulnerability, and optimism must come from them first.

Abhijit thinks these presumptions and images must be replaced with empathy, which requires knowledge and shared experiences. While the latter may take time and consistent engagement, knowledge-building can begin quickly.

Our attempt must be to understand (as objectively as possible) the needs of the people, the needs of the government, and, of course, the needs of a potential collaboration among the three of us. In many ways, a government can be personified in that it has its own goals, missions, interests, fears, insecurities, dreams, and dreads. A willingness to seek these out on the part of organizations allows both communities and governments to feel less anxious.

The final thing is attempting.

Abhijit recounted an incident when Project DEFY approached a state government official, almost assuming their ideas might be too radical to digest, only to be surprised by the loads of optimism they received.

The officials were positively happy with new ideas and said that people tend not to bring them in the first place. There is certainly no dearth of new ideas, yet most of them are never introduced to the state desks. There shouldn't be too much hesitation to propose an idea. Most people see first ideas as a work-in-progress, and there is usually a chance to continue engagement and modify the idea until all parties find it useful.

CMYC is also one of our projects that is co-designed with multiple partners, many of whom also came into the ecosystem after the project was launched on the ground.??

This partnership-focused approach is crucial, as collaborations often falter when organizations come together solely to implement a specific solution. Such an approach can be a recipe for disaster and hinder scalable collaboration. Instead, we believe in bringing together individuals from different organizations who develop solutions, enabling them to collectively address ground-level needs. By combining expertise from both organizations, we can harness collective intelligence to design contextual solutions. This form of co-design fosters successful collaborations, overcoming ego and branding challenges, and facilitating scalable solutions.

Another challenge is the need to let go and hand over aspects of the project to scale effectively. Aligning with partners on this principle from the outset is essential for successful scaling.

Shares Nagakarthik MP.

In Conclusion

As hopeful as the outcomes of co-design may sound, it is often shadowed by an array of challenges. Choosing to engage in co-design frequently means being willing to relinquish some decision-making power. This is particularly challenging when larger entities like the government or large-scale funding agencies are involved.

Another common dilemma is whether to design for the majority or everyone, often stretching discussions at the design table. This article explains why it is better to choose the majority over everyone.

As Abhijit said earlier, despite the many challenges, deciding to start is what truly matters. This often leads to outcomes beyond our imagination and provides the community with solutions they want and need.

Are you driven by a problem statement?

Let's connect, collaborate and co-design.

Write to us at [email protected]

Visit www.sauramandala.org to know about our work