The Experiences of Lahti

Living Lab in Finland

Anne Pässilä
Lappenranta University of Tehnology
Lahti School of Innovation
anne.passila@lut.fi
anne.passila@susinno.fi
 Structure of the Presentation
•WHY - Background and theory
•HOW –Developing the participatory
technique for Lahti Living Lab
•WHAT –Experiences using the technique
•WHAT THEN –Experiences and lessons
learned
•REFLECTON ZONE
 Regional innovation systems –broad based
and practiced-based
Innovation system
Constructed competitiveness
Knowledge exploitation subsystem

Economic
Changing
Related variety platforms Development
Techno-
Policy
Economic Innovation policy
Innovation intermediary tools
Paradigm Innovation culture
Science and
Knowledge generation subsystem
Technology

Policy
Cross-disciplinarity

for further information, see http://www.lut.fi/en/lahti/pages/default.aspx

 LL - Looking for Dialogue
Public organisation
Education field
Public organisation School
Companies
Health care field Youth work Nokia

McDonalds
units YOUNG CUSTOMERs
LL LL Nearby market
units

.
Primare group of LL Research
customers Youth researsch

Business and economies

 Theoretical Background

BROAD BASED INNOVATION – interpretative & social orientation

LEARNING IN ORGANISATION – focusing on transformative learning

INNOVATION PROCESS – service producers and customers

RESEARCH BASED THEATRE METHOD

ORGANISING DIALOGUES
Interaction in a context of aesthetic understanding
and user driven innovation
 Research purpose and
methodology
• WHY?
• To explore social change and interactive learning within a context of
Living Lab and interpretative innovation action

HOW?
• Intensive case study with a specific participatory action research
(Kemmis & Wilkinson 1998, Kemmis 2001, Park 2001 ) and research
based theatre (RBT). (Mienczakowksi, 1995; Mienczakowksi, Smith
& Sinclair, 1996, Mienczakowksi & Morgan 2001, Boje 2002)
• The method for narrative analysis developed here is based on
Burke´s (1962), Brecht´s (1964) and Boal´s (1992, 1995, 1996) idea
of drama as an interrogative reading of meanings in real-life
situations
 Research Question

• How to learn from customer’ s experiences

within a context of Lahti Living Lab using
research based theatre?

–Where knowledge conversions take place

during participatory interactions?
–How customers’voices are transformed via
role-playing scenes in a theatrical setting?
–How to facilitate the collective learning
creation in Living Lab context?
 Participatory action research orientation

3 schools and 32 employees were involved as well as

researchers, applied theatre artists, visualists and students

Timeline -Time period of 8 months

Development team

Theatre work with students Devising & Rehearsing

Writings from 2 schools/6 classes

Analysing

6 workshops with customers

1 workshop with employees

Theatre session

Design of participatory exercises of theatre session

How to use Workstory - method

facilitating discussions
facilitating interpretations

opening up new experiences at individual level

facilitating conceptualizations at group level
 Collective storytelling -
Imagine events through pictures
ill b e…
0 we w
In 202

To achieve that
we have to…
Video
Aesthetic understanding
 To enhance the voice of the
customer perspective
It is important to know how to bond and
relate to different actors in the Living Lab
network so that these interactions can
produce social innovations . It is important
to understand and develop solutions that
respond to user needs.
 Reflecton zone:
Demonstration - How is 'Still Image' used?
Theme: LLiSA

• Please divide into groups of four.

Discuss what you just heard about
Lahti Living Lab .

After a brief discussion please, start to

construct an still image of LLiSA.
Make an image which illustrates all the
element you would like to have in
LLiSA. Mold a still image by using your
partner's body.

After molding your still please, share

your ideas with the other groups by
showing your image to them. Talk with
each other and try to answer the
question: what is the core of LLiSA?
 Meaning Making
• What do you see when you look at the
image?
• Describe the image with adjectives and
verbs.
• Describe what kind of a Living Lab you
constructed in the image? What is the
most important element of function of it?
 Theatre References
• Boal, A. (1992). Games for Actors and
Non-actors. Trans. by A. Jackson. Routledge,
London
• Boal, A. (1995). The Rainbow of Desire
Trans. by A. Jackson. Routledge, London
• Boal, A. (1996) Politics, Education and
Change, in Drama, Culture and
Empowerment. J. O´Toole and K.Donelan,
eds. IDEA Publications, Brisbanep. 47–52.
Thank you for your attention