Co-Creating through Conflict: The hidden power of service design

@meganerinmiller Co-Creating through Conflict Megan Erin Miller Senior Director of
Service Design, Stanford University Co-Founder, Practical by Design @meganerinmiller The hidden power of service design SDN Next Gen Conference May 27, 2023

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@meganerinmiller Being human has not changed, though the world around
us has. 3

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@meganerinmiller Service design puts us in a position to mediate
conflict 5

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@meganerinmiller 13 What are the ﬁnancial implications? This will cost
too much…

@meganerinmiller 14 It should be the city’s responsibility to address
this…

@meganerinmiller 15 It’s a consumer problem. We need better waste
sorting…

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@meganerinmiller 17 Conflict

@meganerinmiller 18 Service design requires engaging in complexity

@meganerinmiller 19 Values Beliefs Identities Power Influence Motivations Interests Positions
Personalities History

@meganerinmiller 20 Values Beliefs Identities Power Influence Motivations Interests Positions
Personalities History

@meganerinmiller Conflict is natural. 21

@meganerinmiller The brain in conflict 22 Realistic threat Perceived threat
triggers Fight, Flight, Freeze, Appease

@meganerinmiller Perceived threats 23 Symbolic threats Ingroup vs. outgroup Identity
threat Stereotype threat Uncertainty Potential risk Inner critic

@meganerinmiller SCARF model 24 Status – our relative importance to
others Certainty – our ability to predict the future Autonomy – our sense of control over events Relatedness – how safe we feel with others Fairness – perception of fair treatment I am valuable I feel certain I have a choice I belong I am treated fairly Source: ʻSCARF: A Brain-Based Model for Collaborating with and Influencing Othersʼ by David Rock (2008)

@meganerinmiller Conflict is present in any space there are people.
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@meganerinmiller Conflict is not inherently bad. 26

@meganerinmiller Benefits of conflict 27 ✓ Encourages diverse perspectives ✓
Stimulates critical thinking ✓ Enhances creativity ✓ Promotes deeper understanding ✓ Strengthens decision making ✓ Builds stronger relationships

@meganerinmiller 28 How conflict shows up in service design

29 Service design requires navigating levels of zoom 🔎 Business
Strategy Service Strategy Service Experience User Experience Usability & Accessibility @meganerinmiller

@meganerinmiller Conflict scenarios in service design 32 Discovery Design Implementation
User research Co-creation Decision-making

@meganerinmiller 33 Discovery User research puts us in a position
of mediation and advocacy between people in positions of power (sponsors), and those in positions of lesser power (the impacted audiences).

@meganerinmiller 34 Design Co-creation brings diverse roles together and requires
that we eﬀectively facilitate through potentially conflicting needs and perspectives.

@meganerinmiller 35 Implementation Decision-making during implementation is a negotiation between
what we desire to create, and what is feasible to deliver. We become advocates for the service experience, negotiating with the sponsors on behalf of impacted audiences.

@meganerinmiller 36 But how can conflict mediation help us?

37 @meganerinmiller

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@meganerinmiller 40 Service design is hard.

@meganerinmiller 41 Embrace conflict in your practice

@meganerinmiller 42 Build trust and shared understanding 1

@meganerinmiller Building trust and shared understanding 43

@meganerinmiller 44 A team is not a group of people
who work together. A team is a group of people who trust each other. — Simon Sinek “

@meganerinmiller Trust is… choosing to risk making something you value
vulnerable to another personʼs actions. 45 Source: ʻThe Thin Book of Trustʼ by Charles Feltman

@meganerinmiller 46 Care Weʼre in this together, I have your
interests in mind, as well as my own Reliability You can count on me to deliver what I promise Sincerity I mean what I say, say what I mean, and act accordingly Competence I know I can do this. I need to learn to do that. Source: ʻThe Thin Book of Trustʼ by Charles Feltman Four ways to build trust

@meganerinmiller 47 Building trust in service design work • Make
time for understanding, connection, and relationships • Participate in research • Have them present the otherʼs viewpoint

@meganerinmiller 48 Separate the people from the problem 2

@meganerinmiller 49 Separate the people from the problem Source: ʻGetting
to Yesʼ by Fisher and Ury We must… This is… Positions Statements of where a person or organization stands Interests Underlying reasons, values or motivations that explain why someone takes a certain position

@meganerinmiller 50 Separate the people from the problem

@meganerinmiller 51 Separate the people from the problem Source: TRIP
framework – Hocker & Willmot (2013) Topic Relationship Identity Process

@meganerinmiller 52 Employ your design research toolkit Why? • Inquiry
• Active listening • Empathy • Five Whyʼs • Problem Tree Analysis

@meganerinmiller 53 Design and facilitate the process like a mediator
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@meganerinmiller 54 Design the process like a mediator 1 Agree
on approach and roles Gather points of view Identify issues and interests Develop options Evaluate options Create agreement 2 3 4 5 6 Project initiation Discovery Problem framing Ideation Testing, analysis Implementation plan

@meganerinmiller 55 Facilitate like a mediator • Do your homework
• Stay neutral • Help all be seen and heard • Use 1:1, small group settings • Establish ground rules • Lead with gracious authority

@meganerinmiller 56 Leverage co-creation to bridge the divide 4

@meganerinmiller 57 Leverage co-creation to bridge the divide

@meganerinmiller You canʼt just framework your way out of conflict.
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@meganerinmiller 60 Have courage to engage the whole human

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@meganerinmiller Letʼs connect and grow together. Megan Erin Miller LinkedIn
@meganerinmiller www.practicalbydesign.co

Co-Creating through Conflict: The hidden power of service design

Co-Creating through Conflict: The hidden power of service design

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