Traditional design approaches of reductionist thinking can create knowledge that is powerful and productive in a positive way only when that takes into account the existence of complex relationships and the collaborative nature of social systems. When we consider society and nature as an aggregated whole, then the traditional isolated approach of a design looks narrow in scope and limited in nature. A holistic view will consider the interrelated and complex social systems and analogous experiences of life with its associated knowledge and actions that provide the ability to engage in design/innovation purposefully and meaningfully. The challenge for designers is to take advantage of analytic thinking in their design processes, while at the same time integrating these elements into a trust-centric collaborative approach. 

This is why it is essential for designers to theoretically understand the comprehensiveness of systems and for them to use a collaborative approach as the basis for design or change requirements. A collaborative approach allows designers to consider economic, social, environmental and health views and fine-tuned design requirements and ingredients in order to mitigate some negative consequences in society and nature.

In addition to the collaborative approach, building and maintaining trust to hold collaborative networks and build social capital to accelerate innovations.  Finally, in order to maintain social harmony, we must allow the benefits of design artifacts to reach all. 

We believe design must be holistic in perspective, and collaborative in nature, trust as the core, and access to all as a goal. Designers or innovators need to build and maintain trust which is the foundation of collaboration and holds a collaborative network to produce knowledge and innovations. Therefore, a trust-based collaborative approach taking a comprehensive analysis and bringing stakeholders into the design reflects a desire to understand how systems are interrelated and caused to become real and meaningful and to act on that knowledge. We also argue that in order to deliver the benefits of innovations to society at large, every innovation or design must be accessible to everyone if it is not at the level of an individual then it is at the level of a group or community. 

So, the trust-centric collaborative approach is something that is roused out of a belief, an intention, a desire, a will, a hope, a wish, and a passion to make something meaningful in addition to making something useful.

The trust-centric collaborative approach will mitigate the risk of unintended and intended negative consequences of innovations through the following ways –

• taking a holistic approach – considering environmental, health, social and economic views in the design process will reduce the risk of the potential damages from the implementation of the innovations

• bringing stakeholders – engaging all stakeholders will help to understand how innovation can contribute to all and mitigate the negative impacts and fear of the innovations 

• building and maintaining strong trust – a trusted environment hold collaborative networks, allows to share ideas of from different perspectives, and builds social capital to accelerate the innovations

• access to all – minimize the chance of social inequality, and anxiety, and maintain social harmony and socio-economic balance  

Here are some different ways to understand the approach and the benefits it creates:

A cultural framework with a new work ethic and meaning 

The approach is a cultural framework for leading and managing a project or an enterprise, collaboration is a work ethic that governs human behavior within groups, teams, and even companies. It is a total shift in the way we work together, the reason we work together, and the service and social values we will bring to everyone. It is a principle-based process of working together, which produces trust, meaning/purpose, and breakthrough results by building true consensus, ownership, and alignment in all aspects of the process. The approach provides long-term stability for the work environment because it is a work ethic that recognizes that work gets done through people with a purpose; end results of the work create social value and serve all. It is a way of life that enables us to meet our fundamental needs for self-esteem and mutual respect through a trusted collaborative work environment.

An ownership feeling with shared responsibility and accountability

The approach creates an environment for individuals to participate, contribute and build consensus for producing breakthrough results and innovations. We feel ownership when we contribute and see our contributions shape the end results and produce the final outputs. The approach provides shared responsibility and accountability among team members for the impact of innovations or design. It means designers shared responsibility with all stakeholders by engaging them in the design process.

A common denominator for relationships

A common denominator for relationships refers to the shared understanding and beliefs that form the basis for collaboration between members of a team or organization. In this approach, the team members work together towards a common goal, which is the creation of a new product, innovation, or change. Collaboration provides a common denominator for relationships by ensuring that all members who are affected by the end product or innovation are engaged and working together. This helps to build trust-based relationships and to create a shared understanding of what the change should be, based on a shared perception of current realities. The shared understanding is essential for maintaining strong relationships, as it helps to align the team members’ values and beliefs, leading to greater cooperation, collaboration, and ultimately, the success of the project or innovation.

A decision-making framework

A decision-making framework is a systematic approach to decision-making that is based on a network-based leadership model and consensus-based decision-making. This framework aims to move away from traditional decision-making models that are based on power or personality and instead focus on creating a system where decisions are made based on the collective input and agreement of the entire workforce. The framework provides a set of tools that help to align the workforce for the success of a particular innovation or design project and to build a distributed process for ongoing modification and improvement of the system. This approach helps to ensure that decisions are made in a transparent, collaborative, and inclusive manner and that the entire workforce is invested in the success of the project. By creating a shared decision-making process, the framework helps to build a more resilient and sustainable system that is better equipped to meet the changing needs of the organization and its stakeholders.