Defence of dissertation in the field of Industrial Engineering and Management, Otso Hannula, MSc (Tech.)

The public defense will be organized via remote technology. Link: https://aalto.zoom.us/j/147394986

Zoom Quick Guide: https://www.aalto.fi/en/services/zoom-quick-guide

The title of the dissertation is "Knowledge co-creation in design games: conversation analysis of an interorganizational design game session"

The development of plans, models and ways of working in various meetings has become commonplace at many workplaces. However, reaching the desired results is often hampered by differences in the participants’ professional backgrounds and opinions on what is being developed. These challenges are especially severe in collaborations between two or more organizations.

The dissertation studied how design games, board games created specifically to support collaboration, could support knowledge co-creation in collaboration between multiple organizations. The study focused on a single design game session, where the design game ATLAS was used to plan a service design project involving two organizations.

The study shows that design games support knowledge co-creation through similar ways as workshops – by providing shared physical design material, a facilitator to guide the dialogue, and a clear that is developed. In design games, the material and the facilitator present the players with opportunities to make and accept new claims about the shared object of development. As new claims are collectively accepted, new knowledge is co-created. Throughout the design game, the game’s structure guides the players to work together toward a shred goal.

The study brings together organization, design and game research in an unprecedented way to study knowledge co-creation and design games at the level of individual statements for the first time. The results of the study can be applied in the creation of new design games, and in the facilitation of knowledge co-creation.

Opponents: Professor Kristiina Kumpulainen, University of British Columbia, Canada and Professor Jacob Buur, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark.

Custos: Professor Riitta Smeds, Aalto University School of Science, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management.

Contact information: Otso Hannula, Nitor, [email protected], +358504002145

Electronic dissertation The dissertation is publicly displayed 10 days before the defence: https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/doc_public/eonly/riiputus/