By the editorial team. (Original publication in Spanish)

Throughout this year, citizens have shown that when we work together, success is greater. That citizen talent enriches systems, organizations, and the planet. That there is a well-established, real, and solid capacity among those of us who are part of society. These phrases may seem trite, idealistic, but that is not the case. We explain three projects that bet on the citizen perspective to address collective needs and value shared knowledge. Keep reading!

Imagine being able to contribute to research on air quality by carrying a small tube that collects pollution, hanging around your neck. Sounds good, right? The CitieS-Health project put citizens at the forefront of the study on how pollution affects our mental health through participatory kits and ideation workshops. More than 1,000 residents of Barcelona participated in the experiment and the conclusions were as follows: concentration decreases on days with higher pollution, stress is affected by pollution, and green and blue spaces help protect our cognitive health.

On the other hand, a few months ago, WeCount ended, an initiative dedicated to traffic data collection on the streets of Madrid and Barcelona. The aim was to empower citizens to promote public policies in urban design and mobility, distributing digital sensors that measured the number of cars, trucks, bicycles, and pedestrians along with the speed. These sensors were installed in their windows to understand mobility in their streets. You can consult the results in detail for both Madrid and Barcelona.

Thus, projects that promote co-creation, talent, and citizen ideas to build a better world. However, to do so, it is necessary to involve all stakeholders in a system. Therefore, organizations must support and promote this citizen perspective in their strategies. We tell you the roadmap to do so.

It is called Plan C and it is the solution we have designed together with Mind The Gap to accelerate business growth by incorporating citizen capabilities. How? By creating a symbiosis between communities and business models aimed at contributing to the common good. Here are the steps to follow:

Draw the route. Discover how you relate to citizens, including new generations to drive your organization of tomorrow and become a benchmark.

1. Build bridges. Expand your sales and innovate your value chain. Explore the available potential around you and create an unprecedented opportunity map.

2. Create value. Design the business model of the future with co-created and cutting-edge strategies that drive transformation in a new direction.

Focusing on what interests communities and the market is essential. As Javier Creus, founder of Ideas for Change, and Sergi Corbeto, CEO of Mind The Gap, point out in their latest article Go Out to Win!, “betting on a new perspective brings forth new promising and disruptive opportunities.” And indeed, leveraging the virtues and concerns of citizens is contributing to a fairer and more inclusive future while humanizing the values and products of a company. 

In summary: in this explosion of collective productivity, citizens, in addition to consumer capacity, have many capabilities or roles, such as providing scientific data for research or being part of a disruptive business strategy. So, don't get left behind and change the rules of the game. Take advantage of shared knowledge and the potential of citizen capabilities!