Watch:
Professors Nambisan and Nambisan present an innovative framework from which to view citizen “co-creation,’ which refers to the development of new public services by citizens in partnership with governments.
The authors present four roles that citizens can play in the co-creation of public services: explorer, ideator, designer, and diffuser, with examples of citizens playing each of these roles.
- Explorers identify/discover and define emerging and existing problems.
- Ideators conceptualize novel solutions to well-defined problems.
- Designers design and/or develop implementable solutions to well-defined problems.
- Diffusers directly support or facilitate the adoption and diffusion of public service innovations and solutions among well-defined target populations.
This report continues the IBM Center’s for the Business of Government interest in the concept of public service co-creation and co-delivery. The report, Beyond Citizen Engagement: Involving the Public in Co-Delivering Government Services, by P.K. Kannan and Ai-Mei Chang, provided a guide for introducing and implementing a co-delivery initiative. Taken together, these two reports are on the forefront of increased insight into how governments can improve services through co-creation and co-delivery.
In their report, Professors Nambisan and Nambisan note that numerous forces are redefining citizen roles in the public sphere, “a shift from that of a passive service beneficiary to that of an active, informed partner or co-creator in public service innovation and problem-solving.“ The authors offer four strategies for government leaders who wish to encourage citizen co-creation. They are:
- Fit the approach to the innovation context
- Manage citizen expectations
- Link the internal organization with the external partners
- Embed citizen engagement in the broader context
More info
- IBM Center for the Business of Government: Engaging Citizens in Co-Creation in Public Services
- Download report: Engaging Citizens in Co-Creation in Public Services
- Download report: Beyond Citizen Engagement: Involving the Public in Co-Delivering Government Services
Via GovLoop: Four Roles for Citizen Co-Creators