Master of Product Service System Design

Networks and Services

Academic Year 2014-2015
Prof.sa Anna Meroni
Prof. Ezio Manzini

Tutors: Ida Telalbasic

Network and Services

Assignment n. 3: Collaborative encounters

(Launch April 15th due April 30th)

ASSIGNMENT TO BE CARRIED OUT IN GROUPS OF 8-10 PEOPLE.

Aims
To understand services as collaborative organizations and service encounters as collaborative encounters.
In particular, to focus on collaborative encounters and their characterizing dimension.
To apply these concepts in an existing and in an up-graded case.

Rules and method of work

Assignment to be carried out in groups of 8-10 people. Evaluated.

Brief
1. Consider an existing service as a collaborative organization and describe it with a specific focus on
practical and cultural sides of its main encounters (choose the a service among the ones considered in the
Assignment 1)
2. For the proposed service, discuss its possible improvements (what, why, how) and write the brief for the
re-redesign exercise.
3 Following your brief, define an up-graded service and describe its main collaborative encounters

First step: Consider an existing service and focus on its main collaborative encounters
1.1 Service profile (plus image)
1.2 Service activities and enabling solution (plus sketches)
1.3 Participant involvement (plus PI Map)
1.4 Interaction quality (plus IQ Map)

Second step: Brief construction

2.1 Decide which characters of the existing service you intend to change, and why.
2.2 Write your own brief.

Third step: Following your brief, define an up-graded service and describe its main
collaborative encounters
3.1 Service profile (+ image)
3.2 Service activities and enabling solution (+ sketches)
3.3 Participant involvement (+ PI Map)
3.4 Interaction quality (+ IQ Map)

PLEASE USE THE FOLLOWING TEMPLATE TO PREPARE THE 18 PDF. SLIDES (9 WITH IMAGES,
9 WITH TEXTS) TO BE PRESENTED, AND GIVEN TO THE TUTOR, THE 30 APRIL, BEFORE THE
START OF EXERCISE REUSLTS PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION.

1
1.1 Service profile

Title and sub-title of the service

(country and town - year of start)

100-200 words

What is it? What is it main aim? How does it work? What is its main idea?
Who are the main actors?
Which are the main collaborative encounters?

Title and sub-title of the service
(country and town - year of start)

A meaningful image of the service

2
1.2 Service enabling system

Service enabling system

100-200 words

Which are the main activities?

Which are the enabling services, places and products? If there is a digital
platform, what does it do?
Which are the main collaborative encounters?

Service enabling system

Sketch 1: Sketch actions and the enabling system (see example at the end)

Sketch 2: Position the collaborative encounters on the previous Sketch1 (see example
at the end)

3
1.3 Participant involvement

Participant involvement
100-200 words

Which are the main collaborative encounters?

What are the main actors asked to do (in each collaborative encounter)?

Position the different encounters in the corresponding quadrant of the PI Map

(see example at the end).

Participant involvement

Participant Involvement: PI Map

active
involvement
+
D C
do-it-yourself co-production

collaborative
involvement
- +

being served co-management

A B
-

4
1.4 Interaction quality

Interaction quality
100-200 words

What is the quality of interactions in the previously proposed collaborative encounters?

Position the different encounters in the corresponding quadrant of the IQ Map

(see example at the end).

Interaction quality

Interaction Quality: IQ Map

social tie
strength
+
D C
formalized / relational /
strong strong

relational
intensity
- +

formalized / relational /
weak weak

A B
-

5
2. Brief construction

Brief construction
100-150 words

Which existing service characters do you intend to change? And why?

Write brief for the up-grading design exercise

Brief construction

A meaningful image of the service

6
3.1 NEW Service profile

NEW Service profile

100-200 words

What is it? What is it main aim? How does it work? What is its main idea?
Who are the main actors?
Which are the main collaborative encounters?

NEW Service profile

A meaningful image of the NEW service

7
3.2 NEW service enabling system

NEW service enabling system

100-200 words

Which are the main activities?

Which are the enabling services, places and products? If there is a digital platform, what
does it do?
Which are the main collaborative encounters?

NEW service enabling system

Sketch 1: actions and enabling system components (see example at the end)

Sketch 2: Position the collaborative encounters on the previous Sketch 1 (see example at the
end)

8
3.3 Participant involvement

Participant involvement
100-200 words

Which are the main collaborative encounters?

What are the main actors asked to do (in each collaborative encounter)?

Position the different encounters in the corresponding quadrant of the PI Map

(see example at the end).

Participant involvement

Participant Involvement: PI Map

active
involvement
+
D C
do-it-yourself co-production

collaborative
involvement
- +

being served co-management

A B
-

9
3.4 Interaction quality

Interaction quality

150-200 words

Which is the quality of interactions in the previously proposed collaborative encounters.

Position the different encounters in the corresponding quadrant of the IQ Map

(see example at the end)..

Interaction quality

Interaction Quality: IQ Map

social tie
strength
+
D C
formalized / relational /
strong strong

relational
intensity
- +

formalized / relational /
weak weak

A B
-

10
Example (for an existing case)
Circle
UK, Southwark, 2009

1.1 Service profile

(What is it?)
The Circle is a membership organization of elderly people supported by neighborhood helpers and
professional social workers. It was developed by Participle, a London based social enterprise, in 2007.
The first prototype was launched in Southwark in 2009. There are now 7 Circles in the UK with over
5,000 members

(What is its aim?)

Its aim is to improve elderly everyday life thanks to self-help and peer collaboration, with the support of
volunteers (the volunteer helpers) and of professional social workers (the organizers).

(How does it work?)

It makes possible for elderly people to be involved in different everyday life actions: from shopping to
going to theatre; from health care to learning. A digital platform coordinates the variety of activities that
the Circle offers and organizes.

(What is the main idea?)

It enables elderly to be (for what their physical condition permits) as much active and independent as
possible. In order to do that, it creates and supports a local network of volunteer helpers and social
workers capable to promote self and mutual help and to integrate it with the needed expertise.

11
1.2 Service activities, enabling system and collaborative
encounters

Main activities: to the organize, and practically enhance, with elderly active collaboration, of
different everyday life actions as:
Doing something together (from shopping to going to theatre or cinema)
Learning activities (from computer use to gardening)
Social events (from meetings to dancing)
Solving practical problems (form house keeping to domestic appliance maintenance)
Healthcare-related activities.

Enabling systems components:

Digital platform for calendars of activities and elderly and helpers coordination.
Physical place for meetings and to give the Circle visibility and tangibility
The access to specialised problem solving capabilities
The management of the overall organization (done by the Circle organizers) .

Main collaborative encounters:

1. Elderly-helpers: to decide and enhance different events
2. Elderly-organizers: to discuss new programs and solve specific problems
3. Helpers-organizers: to co-design and co-manage the whole organization.

Circle # learning
activities and activities
(computer)!
# help with practical
enabling system problems!

# organizing community
activities!

# help with
transportations!
# learning
# organizing activities
organizational support! meetings! (gardening)!

# help with
expert staff ! everyday stuff!

on-line platform!
space support! economical support!

providing funds for special

giving spaces for meetings! activities!
providing a calendar of
activities!

Circle # learning
activities and activities
(computer)!
# help with practical
enabling system problems!

# organizing community
activities! 1 elderly-helper
# help with

3 helper-organizers transportations!
# learning
# organizing activities
organizational support! meetings! (gardening)!

expert staff !
2 elderly-organizers
# help with
everyday stuff!

on-line platform!
space support! economical support!

providing funds for special

12
giving spaces for meetings! activities!

providing a calendar of
activities!
1.3 Participant involvement

The Circle conceives and practically enhances everyday life activities involving elderly people. In order
to do that three main actors are involved: elderly, helpers, and organizers. Their interactions take place
in three main collaborative encounters:

1. Elderly-helper: they meet to do something together. They both participate to this event being active
and collaborative. They decide together what to do and how, in a framework of programs prearranged
(in their general lines) by the organizers. The helpers role is to integrate, when needed, the elderlys
capabilities.

2. Elderly-organizer: they meet in 3 main moments: when the elderly person is entering in the Circle;
when new programs of activities are presented and launched; and when specific professional support is
needed. It is a classical, asymmetrical user-service deliver interaction.

3. Helper-organizer: they meet to co-manage the on-going programs, to discuss the new ones and
solve, day by day, specific problems that may emerge. It is collaboration among colleagues in which the
one (the helper) is involved in the discussion on organizational issues, where the other (the organizer)
will practically put it in practice.

Participant Involvement: PI Map

active
involvement
+
D C
do-it-yourself co-production

1 collaborative
involvement
- +
2
being served
3
co-management

A B
-

13
1.4 Interaction quality

The core of the Circle initiative is to include elderly persons in a social network of friends, neighbours
and social workers.

The informal, friendly daily interactions characterizing this network are enabled by a platform permitting,
at the same time, horizontal, informal collaborations (among elderly people and helpers) and the
vertical, more formal ones (with organizers).

1. Elderly-helper: they are neighbours and friends who do things together because they like to do so.
Their interactions are based on strong ties and imply a high level of relational intensity.

2. Elderly-organizer: this is, basically, classical service user-deliverer interaction. But given the
specificity of this service, it requires some degrees of empathy.

3. Helper-organizer: they interact as colleagues but, in this case, the helper is a volunteer where the
organizer is a professional social worker (employed by the organization). Therefore, their expected
rewards are different. Beyond that, this meeting, being among colleagues, is a rather formalized one;
mutual empathy is possible but not necessary.

. Interaction Quality: IQ Map

Circle conceives and practically enhance everyday life activities involving elderly people. In order to do
social tie
that three main actors are involved:strength
elderly, helpers, and organizers. Their interactions take place in
+
three main collaborative encounters:
D C
1. Elderly-helper: they meet to do something together. They both participate to this event being active
formalized
and collaborative. They/ decide togetherrelational
what to do/ and how, in a framework of programs prearranged
strong
(in their general strong
lines) by the organizers. The helpers role is to integrate, when needed, the elderlys
capabilities. 3 1 relational
intensity
- +
2. Elderly-organizer: they meet when the elderly person decides enter in the Circle, when new programs
of activities are to be decided and launched and when some professional knowledge is needed. It is a
classical, asymmetrical user-service deliver interaction.

formalized
3. Helper-organizer: they
2
/ meet to co-manage
relational /
the on-going programs, to discuss the new ones and
weak
solve, day by day, weakemerge. It is a peer-collaboration among colleagues.
specific problems that may
(150)
A B
-

14