Creating a Social Cohesive Product Service System in a Slum Community

The purpose of this project was to create a product service system (PSS) that enhances the social cohesion in a slum community. This report presents the analysis and proposes an approach to develop such a social cohesive product service system, concluding with an example of how the approach works. Social Cohesion is a concept to describe the bonds or “glue” that brings people together in society. It relates to how well people and communities get on together for the benefit of all. It will stimulate socio-economic progress, which is important for people living in developing countries to have a better chance for the future. However the level of community bonding and actions are declining nowadays in slum communities. This project aims at developing a PSS that can enhance the social instead of breaking it down. A context research is performed to create an understanding of the surroundings and users of the PSS that will be developed. Three fictive households are created to gain more empathy with the target group. Next, the theory of social cohesion is explored, which is a multifaceted concept concerning tangible and intangible needs of the community. A dream vision is created which represents the ideal outcome of a good social cohesion. This is a balance between multiple factors: belonging, inclusion, participation, recognition, safety and trust. There is found that the ‘context factors’, these are the basic necessities in life (e.g. health, housing, employment), form the base of social cohesion. Next empowerment and participation of the community play a major role in social cohesion. Making use of the strengths of networks already available and stimulating interaction are other important aspects of stimulating the social cohesion. When stimulating these aspects the outcome will be an enhanced social cohesion. Since participation plays a major role in developing a PSS some research in done into the theory of motivation. It becomes clear that there is a ‘sustainable’ motivation required to generate a long-term participation of the community, this includes a positive intrinsic motivation. Based on the previous finding a list with considerations for the PSS in developed. Combining the findings of social cohesion and motivation led to a three stepped approach for creating a social cohesive product service system for a slum community. First, determine a social cohesive direction by finding a gap in the needs and actual situation of the community regarding the context factors. Second, involve all elements of the community and search for ways in which they can contribute to the PSS. Third, find out what can be a motivation for the residents to participate in the PSS. Combining the outcome of these three steps will lead to a creation of a social cohesive PSS concept. The residents of the slum are the experts; they know best how things work in their community. When using this design approach it is important to involve the residents (co-creation) intensively in each step of the approach. This will also contribute to the empowerment and motivation of the residents. To demonstrate the design approach a waste management system is developed. This is done without real end-users, which have normally a major influence. A concept is created in which the community is rewarded for handing in their waste properly. The residents can save coins for entertainment at the community center. A strong point of this concept is that the whole community benefits from the money that is made with the waste. The design approach is evaluated on theory and assumptions from experts. And in theory this proposed approach will lead to an enhancement of the social cohesion within the slum community. However if the approach really creates a social cohesive PSS can only be tested in practice.