Building a shared relational identity: shifting notions of self in designing social innovation

Abstract

While designing social innovation (DSI) is increasingly considering the role and value of relationships, little attention is placed on the complexity of relationality and the specific, situated dynamics of dealing with relational entanglements. In particular, as design’s ontological background comes into question, the designers’ identity and the processes of collective and personal transformation that characterise DSI need further consideration. This paper reports the outcomes of an exploratory qualitative study aiming at examining relational approaches to DSI pertaining to the construction of a collective sense of self. It provides insights into how practitioners interact and how they construct and nurture shared relational identities, concluding with suggestions for future DSI work based on these perspectives.