Complementary currency design as resilient service systems: Transforming limits into strategic innovation opportunities

The socio-economic crisis of 2008 persists in creating a need for structural change and radical transformation by applying systemic thinking and holistic approaches to design solutions. This paper questions those limits with regards to economic failures of income distribution among social entrepreneurs in co-working spaces. The argument focuses on exploring the potential for introducing alternative solutions where design can cut across traditional models and lead to economic transformations through new service models. Complementary currency systems structurally diversify monetary eco-systems and act as a mechanism for territorial and social cohesion. Strategic design is summoned here to focus on a new currency through the development of an integrated and resilient service system, a model for activating idle capabilities of community members into innovative collaboration opportunities. On-field research encompassing interviews, survey and persona design methods have been conducted with members of the Impact HUB social business network. The analysis of existing collaborative service models serves as an enabling action platform for service innovation to take place, driven by bottom-up behaviour changes towards social innovation. This research sets the stage to open up possibilities for empowering professionals and capacity building approaches to be implemented in emerging collaborative economies.Keywords: complementary currency systems, strategic design, service system design, resilient strategy

A Conceptual Framework for Social Currency Innovation: A Service Design Perspective

Early-stage entrepreneurs struggle to find financial access to different types of services that help develop their businesses. In recent research, complementary currency systems have been identified as promising alternatives to the deficit of money for accessing goods and services. The purpose of this study is to explore the potential of service design as a tool to create more resilient currency services that enable the exchange of digital credits between entrepreneurs. The theoretical investigation focused on relationships between complementary currency systems as resilient strategies and sociological interpretations of value exchange. Furthermore, service design tools, methods, and approaches are applied to the thinking towards social currency innovation. The resulting Conceptual Framework for Social Currency Innovation (CFSCI) highlights the potential of service design in making services more accessible, transparent, and affordable. Service design is relevant in understanding financial transactions, as it helps to perceive exchanges between entrepreneurs as services. Service design research can contribute to a reframing of issues of unaffordable services by conceptualizing service systems that enable skilled individuals to exchange their knowledge through social currencies. These new currencies make transactions between entrepreneurs possible and the service design perspective makes them more meaningful for the users

Resilient co-creation of value with the consumer. Service design derived forms of value as strategies for subversion

This paper represents the process of an on-going participatory action research project within a city affected by the socio-economic crisis. The focus of the research is to explore the possibilities of transforming idle capacity of skilled professionals into job opportunities through service design and defining strategies for designing a new value creation system between members in a community. The existing complementary currency models serve as an inspiration and foundation for conducting the research in collaborative and creative spaces, using a bottom-up approach in designing this service with the potential users in order to create value for that community. This could be achieved by giving shape to a service with its evidences as a framework to adapt to current conditions in peer-to-peer interactions. If a successful long-term and not only crisis-driven model could be designed, prototyped and globally replicated, based on debt-credit system and knowledge economy with enormous benefits of access to products and services, then it could enhance economic efficiency and distribute social capital while promoting new forms of entrepreneurship

Complementary currency design as resilient service systems: Transforming limits into strategic innovation opportunities

The socio-economic crisis of 2008 persists in creating a need for structural change and radical transformation by applying systemic thinking and holistic approaches to design solutions. This paper presents a part of a PhD research that questions those limits with regards to economic failures of income distribution among social entrepreneurs in co-working spaces. The argument focuses on exploring the potential for introducing alternative solutions where design can cut across traditional models and lead to economic transformations through new service models. Complementary currency systems structurally diversify monetary eco-systems and act as a mechanism for territorial and social cohesion. Strategic design is summoned here to focus on a new currency through the development of an integrated and resilient service system, a model for activating idle capabilities of community members into innovative collaboration opportunities. On-field research encompassing interviews, survey and persona design methods have been conducted with members of the Impact HUB social business network. The analysis of existing collaborative service models serves as an enabling action platform for service innovation to take place, driven by bottom-up behaviour changes towards social innovation. This research sets the stage to open up possibilities for empowering professionals and capacity building approaches to be implemented in emerging collaborative economies

Resilient co-creation of value with the consumer. Service design derived forms of value as strategies for subversion

This paper represents the process of an on-going participatory action research project within a city affected by the socio-economic crisis. The focus of the research is to explore the possibilities of transforming idle capacity of skilled professionals into job opportunities through service design and defining strategies for designing a new value creation system between members in a community. The existing complementary currency models serve as an inspiration and foundation for conducting the research in collaborative and creative spaces, using a bottom-up approach in designing this service with the potential users in order to create value for that community. This could be achieved by giving shape to a service with its evidences as a framework to adapt to current conditions in peer-to-peer interactions. If a successful long-term and not only crisis-driven model could be designed, prototyped and globally replicated, based on debt-credit system and knowledge economy with enormous benefits of access to products and services, then it could enhance economic efficiency and distribute social capital while promoting new forms of entrepreneurship

Designing local food systems in everyday life through service design strategies

Thepaper’spracticalobjectiveistoprovidethosedevelopingcommunityscale food systems with an implementable model. Its theoretical objective is to examine theways toeffectivelydesignpost-capitalistmodels for food systems.In providing a testable model for food systems design, the paper advances concept formationinthefield.Thecasestudyapproachrecognizesthatlocalfoodsystems designcannotdependonabstract,formalizedmodelsduetothespecificityofeach project. The crucial role for designers include the involvement of end-users in everyday life in the research process, experimentation in everyday life, building relationships,aswellasprototyping,policymakingandimplementationofservices to be delivered by public agencies. People-led food systems can engage agencies andcitizensinaco-productionprocesswherebyusersdesignandimplementtheir own service program that can be enabled by public agencies. Design-led food strategies illustrate an approach to create eco-acupuncture points that will ultimately start to change the dominant industrial agriculture system into a new socialandeconomicparadigm

Designing local food systems in everyday life through service design strategies

The paper’s practical objective is to provide those developing community-scale food systems with an implementable model. Its theoretical objective is to examine the ways to effectively design post-capitalist models for food systems. In providing a testable model for food systems design, the paper advances concept formation in the field. The case study approach recognizes that local food systems design cannot depend on abstract, formalized models due to the specificity of each project. The crucial role for designers include the involvement of end-users in everyday life in the research process, experimentation in everyday life, building relationships, as well as prototyping, policy making and implementation of services to be delivered by public agencies. People-led food systems can engage agencies and citizens in a co-production process whereby users design and implement their own service program that can be enabled by public agencies. Design-led food strategies illustrate an approach to create eco-acupuncture points that will ultimately start to change the dominant industrial agriculture system into a new social and economic paradigm

Impact in networks and ecosystems: building case studies that make a difference

open accessThis toolkit aims to support the building up of case studies that show the impact of project activities aiming to promote innovation and entrepreneurship. The case studies respond to the challenge of understanding what kinds of interventions work in the Southern African region, where, and why. The toolkit has a specific focus on entrepreneurial ecosystems and proposes a method of mapping out the actors and their relationships over time. The aim is to understand the changes that take place in the ecosystems. These changes are seen to be indicators of impact as increased connectivity and activity in ecosystems are key enablers of innovation. Innovations usually happen together with matching social and institutional adjustments, facilitating the translation of inventions into new or improved products and services. Similarly, the processes supporting entrepreneurship are guided by policies implemented in the common framework provided by innovation systems. Overall, policies related to systems of innovation are by nature networking policies applied throughout the socioeconomic framework of society to pool scarce resources and make various sectors work in coordination with each other. Most participating SAIS countries already have some kinds of identifiable systems of innovation in place both on national and regional levels, but the lack of appropriate institutions, policies, financial instruments, human resources, and support systems, together with underdeveloped markets, create inefficiencies and gaps in systemic cooperation and collaboration. In other words, we do not always know what works and what does not. On another level, engaging users and intermediaries at the local level and driving the development of local innovation ecosystems within which local culture, especially in urban settings, has evident impact on how collaboration and competition is both seen and done. In this complex environment, organisations supporting entrepreneurship and innovation often find it difficult to create or apply relevant knowledge and appropriate networking tools, approaches, and methods needed to put their processes to work for broader developmental goals. To further enable these organisations’ work, it is necessary to understand what works and why in a given environment. Enhanced local and regional cooperation promoted by SAIS Innovation Fund projects can generate new data on this little-explored area in Southern Africa. Data-driven knowledge on entrepreneurship and innovation support best practices as well as effective and efficient management of entrepreneurial ecosystems can support replication and inform policymaking, leading thus to a wider impact than just that of the immediate reported projects and initiatives

Mapping coupled open innovation processes from activity theory framework

Organisations have started to adopt open innovation processes to supplement their internal competencies and resources. Adoption of these processes assist them in keeping up with the pace of technology and protecting their competitive advantage in the market. Despite the significance of open innovation processes, there are few studies focusing on them. The purpose of this study is mapping coupled open innovation processes to contribute to the field of open innovation. The case study research was set up to explore how organisations undertake coupled open innovation processes from the perspective of employees working in a smallmedium sized enterprise. The Activity Theory was used as a research framework. The research findings revealed how the importing and exporting mechanisms of coupled processes. The findings are discussed to fill the knowledge gaps in the existing literature and help design management academia and practice identify future work areas