Ambiguity as agency: critical opportunists in the neoliberal city

Kaethler, Michael; Blust, Seppe De; Devos, Tim

doi:10.1080/15710882.2017.1355002

Cited by 16 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Some recent articles on participatory urban planning indeed argue that co‐design processes are subject to co‐option by neoliberal forces and that participants risk being coerced and given a false sense of agency while legitimising the political agendas of elites (Kaethler et al. ; Palmås and von Busch ). Similarly co‐production in the United States has been critiqued for co‐opting and ‘responsibilising’ citizens in the state's quest for efficiency and governing at a distance (Durose and Richardson :36–37).…”

Section: The Challenges Of Co‐design For Policymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Promise of Co‐Design for Public Policy

2018

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As a novel method for creatively engaging citizens and stakeholders to find solutions to complex problems, co-design holds great promise for policy makers. It has been vaunted as a way to generate more innovative ideas, ensure policies and services match the needs of citizens, achieve economic efficiencies by improving responsiveness, foster cooperation and trust between different groups, meaningfully engage the 'hard to reach', and achieve support for change. This article considers how we might determine whether co-design has real potential to dramatically improve policy processes and outcomes. Drawing on relevant literature on participatory design, design thinking and public sector innovation, this review explores the meaning and potential of co-design in the context of public policy. It highlights the philosophical underpinnings and normative implications of participatory design, and questions the feasibility of achieving the promised outcomes in the challenging context of contemporary policy making.

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Section: The Challenges Of Co‐design For Policymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Promise of Co‐Design for Public Policy

2018

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“…Ambiguity enables the co-existence of multiple meanings, which may prove plausible and are not resolvable through clear definable rules. The room for interpretation afforded by the presence of ambiguity can enhance or deepen the act of personal engagement (such as in the arts: poetry, literature, visual arts); it can also enable differing parties to come together as described in Eisenberg's 'strategic ambiguity' which is now used across a range of fields such as political science, corporate communication, and urban activism (Kaethler et al 2017). In order to explore ambiguity as a condition for seeding, the paper empirically investigates its influence on the four factors of peer recognition, problem loyalty, slack space and alignment, as emphasised by Amin and Roberts as channels for creative openings.…”

Section: Ambiguitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Curating creative communities of practice: the role of ambiguity

Kaethler

2019

J Org Design

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Communities of Practice (CoPs), it is argued, are loci for creativity, innovation and problem-solving. Instigating a CoP and harnessing this creative energy from an external position (be it institutional or individual) is, however, problematic. Literature surrounding CoPs emphasises the delicate manner in which they are formed and sustained. Those instigating these communities from an external position, such as curators, managers, or educators, do so at the risk of undermining some of CoPs' fundamental qualities. Namely: the fluid social relations, the level of informality and the processes of self-selection and moderation that characterise CoPs. Asking the question 'how, if possible, can one instigate creatively-oriented CoPs?'-in particular those composed of experts working within limited timeframes-this paper analyses eleven newly formed groups partaking in an experimental design biennial (BIO50) organised to foster collaborative learning and practice. The study focuses on the relationship between a curatorial structure with high degrees of ambiguity and participant collaboration. The paper provides practical implications and theoretical elaborations for those seeking to organise creative collaborations.

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“…However, it is also widely recognized that working with multiple actors, particularly on participatory or co-design processes, creates additional complexity and risks associated with having individual perspectives challenged and sharing control (Huybrechts et al 2014;Kaethler et al 2017). Bratteteig and Wagner (2012) describe how 'openness' in design is purposely invoked to handle the complexity of perspectives and a commitment to not closing down options prematurely.…”

Section: Managing Risk In Design For Social Innovationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Designers working with multiple stakeholders will often navigate very different kinds of knowledge in complex, generative and open ways. The purpose of this is to both enable creative risk through opening up, while being mindful of potential ways this can impact and challenge people involved sometimes in uncomfortable ways (Akama, Pink and Sumartojo 2018;Huybrechts et al 2014;Kaethler et al 2017;Bratteteig and Wagner 2012). In our example, TACSI compiled a myriad of different types of information, including data, evidence, and personal experience from people involved in and affected by employment services.…”

Section: Understanding Holisticallymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hall et al 2017;Ham 2016). Practitioners are regularly engaged in creative risk-taking (Dempster 2009;El-Murad and West 2003;McKinlay and Smith 2009), navigating uncertainty (Akama, Pink and Sumartojo 2018), and the ambiguity of meanings associated with experimentation, prototyping, and unspecified futures (d'Anjou 2010;Kaethler et al 2017). As socially oriented design matures (Manzini 2015;Wilson and Zamberlan 2015), there is growing recognition of the risks beyond those related to generating creative outputs and the potential successes or failures of products and services (Appadurai 2013;Tonkinwise 2016;Yee et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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