Elevating Design in the Organization

Abstract

Following evidence of its positive contribution to innovation and company performance, many firms are seeking to elevate design to a strategic level. However, little is known as to how this can be achieved. This study draws on the literatures concerned with elevating organizational functions and with organizational legitimacy, and aims to unravel and detail critical practices and potential tensions influencing the elevation of design's status in firms. To do so, 53 in‐depth interviews were undertaken with key informants, representing a range of functional specialisms, in 12 companies, including large multinational companies as well as small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). Findings show how six practices—top management support, leadership of the design function, generating awareness of design's role and contribution, interfunctional coordination, evaluation of design, and formalization of product and service development processes—affect the design elevation process. In contrast with previous studies on raising the status of organizational functions, this research reveals that the same practice can play both positive and negative roles, and that there are fundamental tensions, which should be reconciled if design's status is to be elevated. Drawing on the concept of organizational legitimacy, we also examine how design moves beyond being seen as pragmatically useful, to being identified as a relevant, alternative way of operating, to being regarded as essential for success. The article concludes by articulating contributions to design and innovation management theory and practice, and to the body of scholarly work seeking to understand how to elevate the status of a function.

From Design Thinking to Art Thinking with an Open Innovation Perspective—A Case Study of How Art Thinking Rescued a Cultural Institution in Dublin

“…Recent literature suggests that if enduring and sustained attention for a topic is an indication of its value, then Design Thinking merits considerable further scrutiny [1]. The motivation for this paper is to add to the recent scholarship on Design Thinking, but also to contribute to the foundation of an emerging dimension of Design Thinking: Art Thinking [2].…”

Design-Led Strategy: How To Bring Design Thinking Into The Art of Strategic Management

“…This work is concerned with where design thinking should be located within the organizational structure 33 and also considers how design can be elevated to a strategic level in organizations. 34 and formalization of product and service development processes. 35 They suggest that strategic design is more effective when designers operate cross-functionally because it enables designers to better balance the role of design champions alongside commercial considerations.…”

“…34 and formalization of product and service development processes. 35 They suggest that strategic design is more effective when designers operate cross-functionally because it enables designers to better balance the role of design champions alongside commercial considerations.…”

“…43 In their case, design thinking served as a powerful legitimating approach that allowed managers to challenge and discuss underlying assumptions about "the right way to work". 44 Beyond design thinking influencing ways of knowing and working in organizations, design can also play an integrative role between functional areas at odds with each other 45 by contributing practices which complement existing organizational approaches. 46 Rather than focusing merely on the cognitive aspects of design thinking, this stream gives attention to process of "designerly" 47 ways of thinking influencing the rest of the organization.…”

Expanding industrial design’s contribution to manufacturing SME’s in Hong Kong by introducing a Balanced Scorecard for industrial design management

“…In literature on increasing the contribution of design, different models and frameworks can be found. For example, various models have similarly considered design as capability or as resource (Acklin, 2013;DDC, 2003;Kootstra, 2009;Westcott et al, 2013), as a contributor to branding and firm strategy (M. Beverland & Farrelly, 2007), as requiring cross-firm acceptance and cross-functional collaboration (Bilson & Aitchison, 2016;Micheli, Perks, & Beverland, 2018), and as process guided by design maturity models with various measurement metrics (Acklin, 2013;DDC, 2003;Kootstra, 2009;Westcott et al, 2013). Micheli et al (2018) found critical success factors for increasing industrial design contribution to a strategic level to include: top management support, leadership of the design function, generating awareness of design's role and contribution, inter-functional coordination, evaluation of design, and formalisation of product and service development processes are all necessary ingredients.…”