Abstract
Typical organizations are characterized by complexity, comprising individuals working in isolated groups with competing priorities. Structural and cultural factors often hinder effective collaboration, despite organizational efforts. This paper examines collaboration dynamics in organizations through the lens of behaviour-change. It introduces the CraftChange framework for behaviour-change for promoting collaborative participation, demonstrating the approach through an analysis of two real-world organizational projects. The paper argues that genuine participatory engagement cannot be achieved solely through top-down directives or establishment of support units like innovation labs, design thinking or prototyping teams. Instead, there is a need to focus on bringing behaviour-change through a stagewise approach to encourage meaningful collaboration, beginning by raising awareness among stakeholders and gradually supporting their transition into active participation. The methodology outlined in this paper provides a pragmatic guide for practitioners seeking to implement participatory design within dynamic and evolving workplace environments.
Keywords
Participatory Design; Behaviour Change; Collaborative Engagement; Organizational Dynamics
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1168
Citation
Lobo, S., and Mahamuni, R. (2026) Strategies for successful collaborative engagement: Navigating organizational dynamics, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1168
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
Strategies for successful collaborative engagement: Navigating organizational dynamics
Typical organizations are characterized by complexity, comprising individuals working in isolated groups with competing priorities. Structural and cultural factors often hinder effective collaboration, despite organizational efforts. This paper examines collaboration dynamics in organizations through the lens of behaviour-change. It introduces the CraftChange framework for behaviour-change for promoting collaborative participation, demonstrating the approach through an analysis of two real-world organizational projects. The paper argues that genuine participatory engagement cannot be achieved solely through top-down directives or establishment of support units like innovation labs, design thinking or prototyping teams. Instead, there is a need to focus on bringing behaviour-change through a stagewise approach to encourage meaningful collaboration, beginning by raising awareness among stakeholders and gradually supporting their transition into active participation. The methodology outlined in this paper provides a pragmatic guide for practitioners seeking to implement participatory design within dynamic and evolving workplace environments.