LIST OF PANELS

In the last decade or so, government authorities have encouraged varied approaches to policy implementation in an attempt to reinvigorate both their democratic legitimacy and ability to solve public policy problems. One such method is co-creation, which is defined here as a collaborative process through which government and public sector organisations solve problems and seek solutions by working together with citizens and stakeholders in the private, public and voluntary sector (Torfing et al., 2019). This definition is purposefully broad to allow the study of different arenas of co-creation, such as policy networks, partnerships, policy labs, citizen assemblies or e-government at different levels of government, across policy domains, and policy-cycle stages.

With declining trust in government, exasperated by the (mis)management of COVID-19, public service managers and professionals must seek alternative ways of connecting with citizens and societal groups (e.g. voluntary and private sector) other than through the traditional practices associated with governmental paternalism or consumer orientated choice under New Public Management. Co-creation has been argued as part of the solution to austerity (Bovaird et al., 2017) and the trust deficit (Fledderus et al., 2014) and could potentially speed up economic and societal recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yet, while co-creation is widely promoted by initiatives at the international level (e.g. OECD, 2017; UN, 2019) relatively little knowledge exists on the managerial efforts needed to make co-creation successful (Ansell et al., 2020) though some exceptions include Regal & Ferlie (2020), Hendrikx et al., (2020) and Pegan (2020). This is despite the fact that scholars have long recognised the importance of professionals and managers in the implementation of policies and initiatives (e.g. Matland 1995; Moore 1995). In order to harness the benefits of co-creation, it is relevant to understand how strategic actions are applied; which actions are chosen; why actions are chosen; barriers and ways to overcome them; and finally, their impact. Such knowledge is of paramount importance if we think co-creation can “build back better” systems of governance after the Covid-19 pandemic (Ansell et al., 2020).

Thus, the main objective of the panel is: 1) To investigate the strategic management features of co-creation in cases where it has been implemented, and 2) To build the necessary knowledge if we are to rely on co-creation as an enabler of societal and economic recovery from the pandemic. While an organisation might adopt procedures and documents that are “strategic” in their title, these might not necessarily lead to the adoption and (successful) implementation of co-creation as a way to solve public policy problems. Therefore, the panel’s premise is that co-creation is strategized when organisations invests resources as well as take decisions and actions to implement collaborations.  These can include issues of planning, stakeholder engagement, outreach and/or communication (Bryson et al. 2009; Joyce 2015; Ferlie and Ongaro, 2015).  Finally, in order to explore the relevance of strategic management in co-creation, we are also interested in the counterfactual, namely what happens when organisations attempt to implement co-creation without or with minimal strategic efforts or following an incremental “muddle through” path of change (Lindblom, 1959).    

Literature

Ansell, C., E. Sørensen & J. Torfing (2020): The COVID-19 pandemic as a game changer for public administration and leadership? The need for robust governance responses to turbulent problems, Public Management Review, DOI: 10.1080/14719037.2020.1820272

Bovaird, T., Flemig, S., Loeffler, E. & Osborne, S. P. (2017). Debate: Co-production of public services and outcomes. Public Money & Management, 37(5), 363–364.

Bryson, J. M., Crosby, B. C. & Bryson, J. K. (2009). Understanding strategic planning and the formulation and implementation of strategic plans as a way of knowing: The contributions of actor-network theory. International Public Management Journal, 12(2), 172–207.

Ferlie, E., & Ongaro, E. (2015). Strategic management in public services organizations: Concepts, schools and contemporary issues. Routledge.

Fledderus, J., Brandsen, T., & Honingh, M. (2014). Restoring trust through the co-production of public services: A theoretical elaboration. Public Management Review, 16(3), 424-443.

Hendrikx, W., M. Kuiper, N. van Gestel (2020) Scientific Report on the Conditions for Involvement of Professionals in the Strategic  Renewal  of  Local  Governments  and  Public  Agencies, possible Impediments and Counteracting Mechanisms. COGOV Deliverable 6.1. Available at: http://cogov.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/D61.pdf  (24 Oct 2020)

Joyce, P. (2015). Strategic management in the public sector. Routledge.

Lindblom, C. E. (1959). The science of" muddling through". Public administration review, 79-88.

Matland, R. E. (1995). Synthesizing the implementation literature: The ambiguity-conflict model of policy implementation. Journal of public administration research and theory, 5(2), 145-174.

Moore, M. H. (1995 ). Creating Public Value: Strategic Management in Government. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ. Press.

OECD. (2017). Recommendation of the Council on Open Government. Adopted on 14 December 2017.

Pegan, A. (2020). The Diffusion of Co-Creation in Local Government: Evidence from European Countries. Conference paper presented at the ECPR Virtual Conference 2020. https://ecpr.eu/Events/Event/PaperDetails/55741  (24 Oct 2020)

Regal, B. & E. Ferlie (2020) Patterns of strategic renewals. COGOV Deliverable 2.3

Sector Report. Available at: http://cogov.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/D2-3.pdf (24  Oct 2020)

Torfing, J., Sørensen, E., & Røiseland, A. (2019). Transforming the public sector into an arena for

co-creation: Barriers, drivers, benefits, and ways forward. Administration & Society, 51(5), 795-825.

UN. (2019). Sustainable Development Goal 16: Focus on public institutions. World Public Sector Report 2019. Available at: https://www.un-ilibrary.org/democracy-and-governance/world-public-sector-report-2019_9f6b5dc4-en (22 Oct 2020).

Co-creation - defined as the as a collaborative process through which government and public sector organisations solve problems and seek solutions by working together with citizens and stakeholders in the private, public and voluntary sector - has been promoted as part of the solution to austerity and the trust deficit. Despite co-creation's advanced potential, we continue to lack understanding of what managerial efforts are needed to make co-creation successful. Yet, this knowledge is critical if we think of co-creation as a way to "build back better" systems of governance after the Covid-19 pandemic.  Therefore, the panel "Making co-creation work: The relevance of strategic management" investigates the strategic management features of co-creation in cases where it has been implemented.

There are at least three dimensions to strategic management, which the panel seeks to examine:

1) Strategic management as a means towards an objective. For example, to what extent do organisations see co-creation as a strategic objective of their organisation or as a means to deliver public value outcomes? To what extent do organisations exhibit a strategic intent for co-creation as evidenced in the adoption of co-creation in strategic documents, creation of physical or digital platforms for implementing co-creation, organising training of administrators and frontline staff implementing co-creation?

2) Strategic management as a process: How do the stakeholders involved in co-creation develop shared knowledge, understanding and commitment to mission, goals, strategies and actions? How do strategic management documents and analyses on co-creation come about? How are they generated and performed? What role does the public value school of management play in the implementation of co-creation? How do public managers, professionals, and frontline staff implement co-creation? What barriers do they face?

2) The implementation of co-creation through strategic management and the relationship between strategic management and co-creation outputs: To what extent does a strategically managed approach to co-creation contribute to the achievement of public value outcomes?  What strategic management approaches are commonly found in the successful implementation of co-creation? To what extent do models of strategic management aid in understanding the drivers of co-creation? What happens when co-creation is not managed strategically?

The panel is open to theoretical and empirical contributions. We welcome all types of research designs including case studies, mixed methods, and design experiments. We aim to bring together scholars researching co-creation and strategic management in different policy domains, levels of government and administrative traditions.