website:
WHAT
MindLab is a cross-governmental innovation unit which involves citizens and businesses in creating new solutions for society. They are also a physical space – a neutral zone for inspiring creativity, innovation and collaboration.
They engage civil servants and citizens in identifying problems and developing policy recommendations
WHEN
from 2007
WHERE
based in Copenhagen, Denmark
covers mostly National issues
WHO
Powered by
A group of pubic enitites represents Mindlab’s owners: the Ministry of Employment, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Business and Growth and Odense Municipality. MindLab’s staff, management board and networks ensure that it is solidly grounded in its group of owners and the research world.
Runned by
MindLab’s core staff consists of:
Six project managers with a background in design, political science, anthropology, sociology and communication
HOW (Method)
MindLab uses different User-Centred methods that allows the interaction with public entities, experts and citizens. Citizens are mostly included as stakeholders groups(final users) so particularly interested in the public service discussed. The most common methods in which citizens are involved are:
THE ETHNOGRAPHIC INTERVIEW
WORKSHOP FACILITATION
PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION
The tools that are used by MindLab team (not involving citizens):
SERVICE JOURNEYS
PATTERN RECOGNITION
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
BRAINSTORM
PERSONAS
IMPACT on Social capital
(what did they bring new or interesting?)
on Bonding
internal relations among actors (Tecnique, tools, activities?)
Mindlab is structured as a Design agency. They have defined methods that are used and combined in different projects.
The MindLab team includes a mix of skills including social research, design, public administration, project management, organisational development and creative facilitation. The initiative Hacking Mindlab’s culture tried to review their methods and the relationship among the members of the team through a game logic.
on Bridging
relation with other individuals and external communities
(which part of the process citizens enter?)
Mindlab has a limited interaction with people, it tends to create ties among the users that are already part of the same group. The most kind of interaction are based upon traditional user-centered tecniques where people are considered as final users not as participant of the process. The most common tecniques to approach personally citizens include interviews, observation and target groups workshops.
on Linking
vertical relation with institutions
(which part of the process designers/experts enter?)
Mindlab has a strong relationship with institutions and policy makers. It is owned by different ministries and funded publicly. The 80 per cent of their time is pre-committed by government and the remaining 20 per cent left open for flexible and ad hoc requests.
OUTCOMES
- Knowledge and Information for ministries action
- Supporting Public reforms
EVALUATION
The Mindlab’s culture is closer to the expert/researcher approach then to traditional democratic approach.
The relevant difference is the limited problem ownership allowed to citizens. When dealing with public policies the inclusion is guaranteed just to the interested people more than to a wider group. On one side, this method is effective since it generates a narrow focus on the problem and a straighter path to the solution (and this is probably necessary for a lab that is directly committed and responsive to the government). On the other side, a targeted approach might encourage NIMBY behaviors or at least not contrasting them. Neverthless this may not consitute a risk in Denmark or in any other context where there is already an high committment for the public but it could result in-appropriate in lower-democratic cultures.
OPPORTUNITIES.
As it has been reported, Mindlab has had a big impact on the finance of Government and on the efficacy. Design methods generated a more effective spending of time and resources and a better interaction between actors.
WEAKNESSES.
-incremental innovation
Mindlab outcomes are mostly deputed to incremental innovation, that means to the improvement of existing services. Most part of the projects start with the surveying of current users of a service to try to understand their interaction and the way to improve them.
-targeted approach* (described above)
CIvic engagement in public policies 