Co-design Readiness: Strong Relationships
To effectively implement co-design processes, it's essential for an organisation to have strong relationships. Strong relationships refer to the level of trust and credibility an organisation has established with its target communities, stakeholders, and within its sector.
Without these trusting and robust relationships, not only with community members but also with sector partners and funders, co-design processes may face challenges in being authentic and meaningful. It's the depth of these relationships that fosters genuine engagement and collaboration.
Strong relationships are about more than just meetings and discussions. They involve continuous, meaningful interaction that fosters successful co-design. This ongoing engagement builds familiarity with the specific issues, challenges, and potential solutions within a community or sector.
True co-design occurs when the right people are involved for the right reasons. Establishing and maintaining these strong relationships is critical in ensuring that the co-design process is both effective and genuinely representative of the needs and ideas of all involved.
About the Beacon Strategies organisational co-design readiness assessment tool
The Beacon Strategies Organisational Co-Design Readiness Assessment Tool is a tool that has been designed to evaluate an organisation's preparedness and capability to engage in effective co-design practices. The tool is based on a combination of our insights in delivering co-design work but also inspired by the work of co-design thought leaders from Australia and beyond regarding the ‘enablers’ that organisations can have in place to deliver co-design effectively.
The tool focuses on key domains that are central to delivering a ‘good’ co-design process. This tool isn’t academic in any way, it has simply been constructed to give your organisation an insight into how you can give your co-design activities the best chance to succeed.
Assessing the strength of your existing relationships
Questions to ask yourself to gauge the strength of your existing relationships related to co-design could include:
Is my organisation trusted by the people with lived experience we aim to engage?
Does my organisation have strategies or mechanisms to sustain long-term relationships with individuals who have lived experience?
Is my organisation known for its ability to collaborate effectively with a variety of stakeholders, including funders and partners, both within our sector and beyond?
Is my organisation suitably positioned to lead co-design efforts in comparison to other key stakeholders?
Does my organisation have the support of our funders to involve people with lived experience and other stakeholders in co-design activities?
Tangible ways that you can form and maintain strong relationships to increase your organisational readiness for co-design
If your organisation is looking for tips on how to form and maintain 'strong relationships' to improve the effectiveness of future co-design processes, here are some tangible examples that your organisation could commit to:
Build a lived experience community: establish a community comprising individuals with lived experience who show interest in ongoing engagement with your organisation. Organise regular meetings, community events, and workshops, both in-person and virtual, to share updates, gather feedback, and foster a sense of belonging and commitment.
Establish lived experience advisory mechanisms: form advisory boards or committees with individuals holding lived experience. These mechanisms can offer valuable insights, provide advice on organisational strategies, and ensure inclusion of the lived experience perspective in decision-making processes, thereby building trust and a sense of ownership among community members.
Long-term partnership agreements with key partners: initiate formal long-term partnership agreements with key sector partners or key stakeholders to ensure sustained collaboration and mutual support, formalising the manner in which you 'work together'.
Transparency and communication: establish clear communication channels to share organisational objectives, progress, and challenges with lived experience individuals and sector peers, promoting transparency and trust. Consistent communication about co-design opportunities and findings builds trust over time.
Feedback and listening mechanisms: set up mechanisms to collect, act upon, and communicate feedback from lived experience individuals and sector stakeholders, showcasing a genuine interest in their perspectives and concerns and proposed solutions.
Build strong relationships and do 'good' co-design
In conclusion, building and maintaining strong relationships is at the heart of successful co-design. It's these relationships that provide the trust and engagement necessary for genuine collaboration. When an organisation prioritises trustworthiness, demonstrates commitment to sustained partnerships, and values transparent communication, it lays the foundation for co-design efforts that can lead to innovative solutions and lasting impacts.
For a comprehensive understanding of where your organisation stands and practical steps on how to increase your co-design readiness, we encourage you to utilise the Beacon Strategies Organisational Co-Design Readiness Assessment Tool.
For more information on how the team here at Beacon Strategies can support your next co-design process, head across to our co-design home page here.
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