A sociotechnical framework for the design of collaborative services: diagnosis and goal forming

Abstract

This study was motivated by the finding that there is a lack of design knowledge in the area of systems design of collaborative services. This study introduces a framework for developing service design strategies to foster collaborative communities and support social innovation. Based on the sociotechnical systems design, the framework allows designers to conceive the strategies, which belong to the domain of technical system, with an understanding of the social system of an organisation. It aims to achieve a seamless interaction between the social and technical systems of a community, leading to increased impact of social innovations. Social network analysis was used to understand social relations, and a co-design workshop to generate design strategies to foster them. For validation, the framework was applied to a community enterprise in South Korea. The paper discusses the effectiveness of the framework and concludes with its bro ad implications to the design of socially sustainable services.