Before we get into the nitty-gritty we have to understand the relationship between social issues and design. In order to do so, we have to get into the topic of social design.
What is social design?
Social design is creating a product that assists, facilitates, and empowers culture. It is also viable, attainable and alluring. Economically and socially viable, environmentally attainable, which sequentially makes it alluring society. All in all, Social Design means designing for society with the help of society.
Why should social design be a north-star for business people?
Social design is looking at ways to affect entire communities or organizations.
We, humans, are very good at solving linear and technical problems, issues that are straightforward and that at most times have a black and white solution. On the other hand, social problem solving is something we are not yet fully proficient at, as it requires many steps of prototyping and adjusting it based on the feedback and reaction from the user. These feedbacks and responses are unique to each culture which makes it impossible to foresee and plan. Only by observing and understanding people can adjustments be made.
A great example of how Social Design was achieved by understanding the community and society is Jeff Brown’s example. He is a grocer that transformed his grocery business by applying social design to the business model. He created social experiments in his grocery stores to try to affect society positively.
With that said, Social Design begins with an ultimate vision, not just with simple goals such as „I want a successful business.“ It needs to start with its primary purpose to make a difference and positively affect society so that people involved feel passionate enough to pivot around what is required to be done to get to where it is necessary.
So, who is THE Finish company: Demos Helsinki?
Demos Helsinki is a global think tank based in Helsinki. A think what? It might sound abstract at first, but a think tank it’s actually a very simple concept – Usually, it’s an institute that conducts research and advocacy on a wide range of issues such as social policy, economics, technology, etc.
Now, there are several such think tanks, but what distinguishes Demos Helsinki from others is the independence of the institution, which is 100% project-funded, without any political affiliation or external core funding. The organization has 50 people from different backgrounds spread over three units: Demos ry is a registered non-profit association, which owns Demos Helsinki oy and Demos Research Institute oy. Demos Helsinki oy specializes in consultancy for clients from the public and private sectors, NGOs and foundations. Demos Research Institute oy specializes in academic research.
What do they actually do?
The services of Demos Helsinki range from conducting research, consultancy services, to reimagining and experimenting with futures for their clients. Sounds like a task, doesn’t it?
Who’s hiring them?
They often work for curious governments, cities, companies, universities and other partners. In their own words, Demos Helsinki works for everyone who shares their mission of building a fair, sustainable and joyful next era.
Why does Demos Helsinki choose to work with social design?
Demos Helsinki believes that the future needs to be created from a multitude of perspectives, which is reflected in our people. Additionally, they are aware of how change can only happen if we all work together.
This awareness that Demos Helsinki possesses becomes clear as day when you analyze their work and how it influences a broad range/group of society.
And, when it comes to their work, we can see how Demos Helsinki tackles human issues and social change in projects such as carbon-neutral strategy, public services, Sustainability Goals, etc. An example is their carbon neutrality for businesses, which they intend to help companies in the marriage of their business strategies and climate goals.
Moreover, they clearly express their positioning and mission by having quotes on social change highlighted throughout their website. Quotes such as:
„Demos Helsinki has been built on the idea that change can only happen together.“
„Only together can we fight for a fair, sustainable and joyful next era.“
„We work with curious governments, cities, companies, universities, and other partners.”
What is their approach to change the world they wish to see?
When it comes to their approach, how they want to change the world they wish to see with their work. Demos Helsinki focus on the following four steps:
- Expanding agency in decarbonization:
With their work, Demos Helsinki wants to „achieve fast and radical decarbonization“ by different actors such as the states, citizens and corporations.
- Transformative governance:
They believe that citizens do not have enough trust in politics and public governance and want to change that by finding a “new governance mindset.” - Regenerative infrastructure:
They are also convinced that the current physical and digital infrastructure is not used at their full potential because the users do not have enough influence over those structures.
- Emancipatory economy:
And finally, they are convinced that financial capital should no longer be the main goal in our economy, but we should focus on wellbeing and sustainability.
But let’s get to an actual example…
By utilizing the above-stated approaches Demos Helsinki have successfully worked on projects such as the Kesto project and the carbon neutrality strategies for businesses;
What is the KESTO project about?
The goal of this project is a localization of Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) in Finnish municipalities. It deals with how to bridge the everyday management work with the SDGs’ global sustainability framework. The result of the project is a replicable three leadership models, and they help strengthen the strategic leadership and cooperation process of municipalities when applied on a local level. The KESTO project suggests the importance of sustainability and the direction to Finnish.
What are the Carbon neutrality strategies for businesses about?
In this project Demos Helsinki created a four-ring model to help companies react to climate challenges and conduct business better. This is an example of their business model, as carbon-neutrality is at the core of all their operations.
- First ring(core): company’s carbon footprint
- Second ring: it facilitates the carbon neutrality of customers
- Third ring: it seeks impacts on the whole industry
- Fourth ring: idea of a carbon-neutral society
To come back to our first question of how a Finish company solved social issues with the help of design, Demos Helsinki tackles the problems of their clients with the help of research, a human-centred approach that involves a number of perspectives and a focus on sustainability. In their view, change can only happen if we stand together and fight for a fair, sustainable, and joyful future.
The Authors: Jeanne Streit, Marina Praxedes, Yeon Lee, Ayko Neil Kehl