Peter HorvathUsing direct democracy as a model for co-creation in commercial organizations – why did I chose specifically this topic of for my MBA thesis? There are three answers.
In 2019 I co-founded the Swiss Chapter of the Service Design Network (SDN). A future blog-post will look at service design specifically, but for now let’s just say that co-creation is a central element of this practice. I want to raise the awareness around service design, and specifically the unique Swiss approach to services. This thesis will hopefully serve as a key content piece to raise awareness of service design in Switzerland, and raise awareness of Switzerland within the service design community. (Other SDN Swiss Chapter co-founders were Luzerne University of Art and Design, and UX agency Telono.)
Second reason is that I find direct democracy fascinating. It is mind-boggling that such a system even exists, works so well, and has worked for so long. So I want to make sure people know something else about Switzerland than neutrality, chocolate, cheese and money (not that there is anything wrong with these).
And finally, because within the theme of co-creation I really see that this kind of approach brings value. Practical processes are largely missing within the co-creation literature, and I hope my view will provide a view and considerations for managers. But I’m rushing ahead of myself, some future posts will address the literature of co-creation specifically.
