Are you co-designing your information and decision-making processes?

You may have seen the hierarchy that goes from data to information, knowledge, wisdom and decisions. For collaborators there is an important overlay to consider. If we want to make decisions with people rather than do to them, if we want everyone to trust conclusions made, if we want to build relationships with collaborators as we work together, then our approach to this hierarchy is critical.

In our Power of Co pathway these considerations are largely part of the co-design step. Co-design means jointly deciding how we will work together, including how decisions will be made. This includes questions about data and how we transform it into new knowledge and collective wisdom. Authentic collaborators make these decisions together.

Useful questions

Great co-design discussions can be had around questions including:

Generating data

  • What data is available? What other data do we need and what can we live without?
  • What data do we trust? Whose data do we trust?
  • What data can we share? What can’t we share? Why?

Turning data into information and new knowledge

  • Who interprets our data? How do we do that together?
  • What methods of analysis and interpretation are appropriate? What methods do we trust?
  • How do we summarise what’s emerging? What is it telling us?
  • How do we feel about it?

From new knowledge to conclusions and decisions

  • How is this new information relevant to our situation?
  • What patterns can we see? What connections are emerging?
  • What are the implications for our work?
  • What do we know now that we didn’t previously know?
  • What conclusions do we draw? What decisions can we make?

Making these sorts of decisions together is at the very heart of collaboration. If you are striving to build bridges with stakeholders as you tackle difficult problems together, then co-designing around your data, information, knowledge and decision-making can make a huge contribution.

Are you co-designing your processes?