Drifting off topic

I was inspired to write this entry as a result of my thinking about blackboxing.  In science studies, blackboxing generally refers to processes of simplification that tend to hide the internal complexity of science and technology. This idea is associated with the work of Bruno Latour, who also co-wrote Laboratory life. My mind went off on a tangent, and I started thinking about living labs... and Linux.

I am a Linux user, by which I mean that all my computing devices run some form of Linux. Some of the reasons for this are practical in nature, while others are more philosophical. For example, Linux operating systems are generally more respectful of user privacy (Android is a significant exception) and do not “phone back home”. An additional aspect of the Linux world that I find endearing is the emphasis on transparency. It is most pronounced in the case of Arch Linux, which is one of the more extreme expressions of Linux. An excellent illustration of what I mean is encapsulated in a quote by the developer of Arch Linux, Aaron Griffin.

Relying on complex tools to manage and build your system is going to hurt the end users. [...] "If you try to hide the complexity of the system, you'll end up with a more complex system". Layers of abstraction that serve to hide internals are never a good thing. Instead, the internals should be designed in a way such that they NEED no hiding.

What does this have to do with living labs? Well, I reckon that, as a monitor, one of my responsibilities is to document the evolution of the living lab. The “process of becoming” will likely be messy for most living labs, but the purpose of documenting this process is that others can learn from you and your mistakes, and try out tools and approaches that have been useful for you.  In short, I see it as a matter of (i) keeping your internals open for inspection and (ii) showing that innovative learning emerged through exploratory tinkering that was integral to the whole enterprise. Accidents and failures do not need to be edited out or hidden.

In other words, I hope to do the opposite of blackboxing.

Best,

Emils

A few takeaways on open innovation

Living labs are an example of open innovation. However, as was suggested in the previous post, their theoretical conceptualisation leaves something to be desired, and there are no clear guidelines that a living lab can follow to boost its chances of success. In order to improve my understanding of what our living lab should look like, I did some reading on the concept of open innovation. Specifically I read a few chapters from a book edited by Henry Chesbrouch, Wim Vanhaverbeke and Joel West.

Below you’ll find a few takeaways from what I read.

Takeaway #1: A project should be open to external ideas, but not just occasionally – external input should be accorded a key role in the development of an idea. Consequently, potential users and stakeholders should be engaged and consulted from the beginning.

Takeaway #2: An open innovation approach can allow projects to find their niche and the best ways of engaging an audience and create a user base. Drawing on other peoples’ experience and practices, one can identify blindspots in one’s thinking and overall perception of the situation.

Takeaway #3: Open innovation is useful when there is a broad dispersal of relevant knowledge and no single agent can achieve his/her goals individually.

Takeaway #4: While a confluence of values, professional interests and enthusiasm is important for a project, its long-term sustainability depends on the incentives and motivations that will keep people involved.

Takeaway #5: Relinquishing some level of control over the direction of the project and letting others help guide it is crucial for ensuring that the result is something that the relevant parties find useful and are willing to continue using.

While none of the above takeaways are particularly original, they do emphasise the importance of collaboratively articulating the goals of a project, and understanding the needs the project is expected to meet. That is to say, the creation of a successful living lab hinges on deftly marshalling and engaging a heterogeneous group of potential contributors and users. In our case, this seems crucial. After all, the overall goal is the creation of an online platform that would improve the interaction between a diverse group of users with a diverse group of agricultural advisers.

Best,

Emils