LOOKING BACK - Sharing Gains and Pains of co-creating Research in Design Science

Looking back, re-seeing my research design career, what has been my "Guidance"? what do I see today in the light of what I "know" and lived "? what has been what I did not see at the time on the path that brought me here where I am today? what I would do exactly same way and what would I do differently? What were my founding principles? would I ever relinquish them for the positive and positive results they brought me? what value has been structuring and the guiding thread of my way of being in science and specifically in the science of DESIGN?

If I had to name a single "foundation" I elect the principle of co-creation!

I have been in research and science since day one always thinking about the transition from the US to the US, which goes through thinking research in its pure sense of collaboration, transdisciplinarity, because for me, science has always made more sense when it happens in the in the "non-spaces", in the territories that are from "no-one's in their singularity" are rather ecosystems, that is, it depends on the relations, interactions, dialogues and symbiosis between the different "species" or knowledge areas.

Maybe this positioning makes me a Darwinist ... okay, please me! Or maybe make me a Humanist? ... why not!, it connects to the education I received from my parents! I accept it with a smile! ... but in my self-analysis it only emphasises my own "creative and innovative being"...and feeds my restless personality and focused on discovering the "new" and which refuses to just replicate the knowledge of others ... The repetition for me is boring, it tires me, it discourages me.

I need to have new challenges constantly, new barriers to overcome, I need to be put on the front of Impossibilities! these are for me the ignitors that I need to start new paths, to look for new directions and goals for my research career ... In fact, when "others" do not bring me new challenges, I challenge myself by raising the level of ambition and setting the "bar higher", and with these little "gestures and routines," I wake up again at 6 o'clock in the morning or wake up in the middle of the night to write the Moliskine or the paper that is most at hand on the bedside table, happily!

Okay, I'm rambling .... this article today is not about me but about the role of the Others in Me? confused me too but I'm going there ....

So what does all this have to do with co-creation in research and science? EVERYTHING!

You can not research the non-spaces alone!, you do not pose appealing and truly disruptive challenges only within our own area of comfort and knowledge! As in the creative processes, in science to be innovative, we need to come out of our own "sphere of knowledge", seek triangulations with other domains, use the principles of lateral and critical thinking, for example by transforming the disconnections into commonalities, we have to use elements of the other domains of knowledge as multipliers and Sums of our own arguments and evidences...

So I ALWAYS tried to co-relate to researchers in other areas of knowledge, in fact, for that reason, I graduated in Design, Masters in Marketing and Innovation and PhD in Management!

What is relevant to me is that in all this process I did not look for other areas to act and act in their context, but rather to BRING them to "my primordial and central research element"...the science of DESIGN!

That is, I did not become a Marketeer for doing a Master's degree in Marketing or a Business Manager because I did a PhD in Management! I was and I AM a Design that has brought to DESIGN and incorporated into its systems, processes, models and tools principles for example.

Why did i state initially Pains and Gains of co-creating Design research?

I believe I have spoken and written enough about the advantages of investigating in co-creation! the applied results that I have achieved, are due in large part to the people with whom I have been pleased to collaborate! I have left several evidences of the recognition that I have of the value that each of them has brought to my knowledge, methodology and professional practice! but here exactly at this point I enumerate the first Pain that these processes bring or can bring, based on my own experience and as I said doing a flashback to my course!

Being a process with people, we are subject to good things but also to bad things that people have! the "Nerve", principles, values, ethics, uprightness and honesty are unfortunately not the same in all human beings!

From my side, because I read, re-read, created models, sought the most credible sources of co-creation I soon realised that: (a) respect for "Others", (b) the ability to share property with the "Other", (c) re-framing the notion of the Self and the sense of Possession regarding Co-created knowledge was and is fundamental. Therefore, in all this process since its inception I had to make a positioning and operating decisions that is scrupulously followed up to date, for example as:

• Publicly recognise the authorship of the specific embodiments of each co-creator taking into account their base areas, always naming the source even when included in the overall view of the design methodology of which I am the main author, such as IDEAS (R) EVOLUTION: example in its brand DNA component Luiz Salomão Ribas, in the metric quantitative processes Carlos Alves Rosa and Ana Loureiro, in the analysis of Tendencies to Sofia Dias, in the creative techniques and tools to Sofia Martins, in the systemic tools a Susana Leonor, in the project processes António Cruz Rodrigues, in Organisational Learning Pieter Sprangers, in the analysis of emotions and moods to Heidi Weber ....
• publish scientifically in co-authorship and bring the people who contributed to the participation in research projects applied both in the validation aspect of the methodology and in the dissemination and transfer aspect to the organisations. Most of have participate in at least one or two of our projects like EDP, Alvito, Caldas da Rainha, etc...

Ok ...where are the PAINS?

In the present article, i want to state the main difficulties and challenges that researchers that embrace co-creation as a process may face, according to my personal experience:

• The equity of value reciprocity, that is, what you give and what you receive in return! most people lose the focus of their contributions, they easily go from authoring the PART to the assuming ownership of the ALL without having the concrete notion of the value they are giving and what they receive in return! Can I give examples...people that contributed with a minimal part of their knowledge (including giving answers such as "if you want to know more about my research and results read my publications ??") but because they gave and their contribution was recognised by the group, they claimed the full right's regarding the ALL authorship. It is unfair ... it is even unfair not only to the research leader but mainly to the colleagues who contributed and contribute in greater percentage and with a greater scientific VALUE!
• The reciprocity of recognition, that is, the public and personal recognition that the contributors of the "PARTS" make and give to the authors of the ALL is small or non existent. With few rare exceptions to date, few knew how to, and did, recognise the impact of participating in the research process in co-creation had in their academic, research and even professional life! I give examples, in this my / our project evolution of more than 12 years of scientific construction in co-creation, I crossed with people who, when they started the connection with the co-creation research group or myself, were, for example: experts in marketing and market research...today, they are or call themselves Design thinkers and have models of brand building in co-design and focus on doing these jobs with territories! (just by chance it was the focus of IDEAS(R)EVOLUTION for more then 5 years); Others were Branding experts ... today are innovation experts; Others had their entire Business-oriented to Product Design... today are business designers experts; Others were management and economics consultants today their companies do (?) Design thinking and co-branding projects...

But, what is common to all of them is an almost total inability to publicly and personally recognise the impact that being with US has had on their lives and careers! including lack of ethical citation of our work!

a simple "THANK YOU ... you have contributed to change my life!" was enough... But sometimes EGO talks lauder...

They prefer to hide behind sentences like: "I gave a lot, didn't I? or the very common "I already did this" ... "I should have the fatherhood of the ALL" ... if they really think so, so why did they approach us?

It's about the human inability to recognise the VALUE of the "OTHERS" in our "ME"! Looking back and re-reading comments, criticisms that were addressed to us when we started this path (including people that have co-create with US and whom, today follow same path and trajectory ... and very well!), we have a sense of injustice... they keep reminding me how a simple thank you is lacking, but also loyalty and intellectual ethics!

Let me give a example of a clear exception, I have a great respect for people that stepped out of the project because they didn't aligned with our vision, like Sofia Dias to whom i have to thank for the contribution and the honesty!

Thank goodness there are exceptions, or rather, there are exceptional people! I was fortunate along the way to go through a lot and I'm fortunate to have beside me two exceptional humans beings. My research colleagues Susana Leonor and Sofia Martins are no longer "PARTS" they are the "ALL" with me! because what they gave and still give exceeds what they have received ... They have known and know how to bring new paths to the group but also to follow their paths and interests. In addition to our ALL that is the projects that we do together and with which we have projected our knowledge resulting from co-creation far beyond our context including our borders, they have their own vision and identity as DESIGN researchers that I continue following as an admirer and friend, THANK YOU! Susana e Sofia

What would have done differently? perhaps the belief in the kindness and expectations of people who approach me the co-creation group? Maybe yes.. but that would imply denying what I learned since very young age with my parents... the values that they guide me ... ALWAYS VALUING PEOPLE .... those values I do not give up so, I still believe in the people's ... first, second or third chance ... and I do not hold anyone's grudge, i wish them all the best in their life's, just let live mine also....

Américo Mateus - Head of Research at DELLI - Design Lusófona Lisboa