Abstract
Design and design thinking have been identified as making valuable contributions to business and management, and the numbers of higher education programs that teach design thinking to business students, managers and executives are growing. However multiple definitions of design thinking and the range of perspectives have created some confusion about potential pathways. This paper examines notions of design and design thinking and uses these definitions to identify themes in higher educational programs. We present the findings from an initial exploratory investigation of design and design thinking in higher education business programs and define four distinct educational approaches around human centred innovation, integrative thinking, design management and design as strategy. Potential directions for management education programs are presented.
Highlights
The importance of design thinking for management has been argued in the last decade (Boland & Collopy, 2004; Brown, 2008, 2009; Brown & Martin, 2015; Dunne & Martin, 2006; Martin, 2009; Starkey & Tempest, 2009)
Interest in applying design thinking to management education is strongly influenced by Dunne and Martin (2006), Martin (2007a), and more recently by Glen, Sucio and Baughn (2014)
Many universities were found to have programs where students were exposed to design thinking in classroom situations and workshops around problem based issues
Summary
The importance of design thinking for management has been argued in the last decade (Boland & Collopy, 2004; Brown, 2008, 2009; Brown & Martin, 2015; Dunne & Martin, 2006; Martin, 2009; Starkey & Tempest, 2009). Interest in applying design thinking to management education is strongly influenced by Dunne and Martin (2006), Martin (2007a), and more recently by Glen, Sucio and Baughn (2014). This approach requires change from traditional work patterns to something closer to a “design shop” where the focus is on the flow of work life, style of work, mode of thinking, source of status and dominant attitude (Dunne & Martin, 2006). Design thinking has moved from product and process design to becoming a key element in company strategy (Camillus, 2008; Fleetwood, 2005; Verganti, 2006, 2008)
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