Design thinking to foster members’ participation in co-operative enterprises. A proposal and a primer

This chapter aims at establishing a connection between the need for quality democratic participation in the governance processes of co-operative enterprises and the tools of design thinking. It is argued that design thinking techniques can help foster member’s participation in co-operative enterprises. The chapter introduces the concepts underpinning design thinking to a general readership and offers two brief case studies of the use of these tools to achieve better participatory outcomes within organizational decision-making and consultative processes. A set of practical recommendations for co-operative managers and practitioners interested in applying a design thinking approach in co-ops concludes the chapter.