Designing and being designed: organizing complex collaborative innovation in a societal challenge

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Societal challenges are inherently complex societal problems that cannot be solved using traditional innovation management approaches. Instead, collaborative governance is needed to enable the inter-organizational arrangements that are required to address a societal challenge. In this study we explore, applying a design perspective, which governance practices are used and how they are used to foster the necessary collaborations in the context of such complex innovation. Our case study of the societal challenge related to the Swedish traffic safety environment reveals two linked design processes in which the governance practices are used for continuous re-framing and re-designing of the collaboration as well as the societal challenge. We propose a model for collaborative governance in the context of a complex innovation that highlights path-creating, identity creating and meaning making as central practices that shape the dynamic governance process. On this basis, we discuss the implications for managing a societal challenge, and we emphasize a design-based approach for organizing complex collaborative behavior in a societal challenge, also acknowledging a societal challenge as a wicked problem.
Original languageEnglish
Article number10036
JournalAcademy of Management Proceedings
Volume2016
Issue number1
Number of pages6
ISSN2151-6561
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2016
EventAcademy of Management Annual Meeting: Making Organizations Meaningful - Anaheim CA, United States
Duration: 5 Aug 20169 Aug 2016
Conference number: 76

Conference

ConferenceAcademy of Management Annual Meeting
Number76
CountryUnited States
CityAnaheim CA
Period05/08/201609/08/2016

ID: 173283634