This
study aims to design and validate a conceptual and practical model of
co-creation. Co-creation, to design collaborative new products, services
and processes in contact with users, has become more and more important
because organisations increasingly require multidisciplinary
collaboration inside and outside the organisation to respond to
challenges and create added value.

This
is a design and validation study, which uses mixed-methods, a
reconstructive design and a semi-structured interview with a
questionnaire as validation. The designed model is validated by 14
scholars and practitioners across fields.

Designed
is a conceptual and practical model, the four-dimensional
Co-Creation-Wheel, which contains success factors for co-creation: 12
internal team factors plus 4 external conditions and a core. The
validation study of this model, scientifically and as a practical
instrument, supported the importance of the components of the model and
suggested slight improvements. This resulted in a refinement of the
first designed Co-Creation-Wheel.

Although
restricted usefulness to large-scale structured innovation practices
was expected, the instrument has a broader reach. First applications
demonstrate that this Co-Creation-Wheel is multifunctional and
international. It inspires, supports reflection of collaboration,
stimulates interventions to enhance co-creation practices and human
resource development (HRD) activities and is able to measure the quality
of co-creation elements. Further research on its effects in co-creation
practices is necessary, especially on the role of HRD in co-creation..

This
study is the first to design and validate a multifaceted, holistic
conceptual and practical model of co-creation that is easy to use for
innovators in practice and is multifunctional.