Design as a knowledge agent: How design as a knowledge process is embedded into organizations to foster innovation

Abstract

This study presents how design, as a ‘knowledge agent’ can contribute to innovation processes. It was developed through the analysis of 30 cases in which design was applied as a strategic competence for the development of product and business innovation. In order to examine and compare extremes, the cases were selected from two distinctive contexts with different characteristics in corporate strategies, organizational structure, and ‘contextual infrastructure’. From the analysis of the cases, it was possible to identify how design activities adapt to different contexts in accessing different knowledge domains. In fact, this research presents two distinctive ways in which design acts as a knowledge agent: as a ‘knowledge integrator’ in ‘global corporations’; and as a ‘knowledge broker’ in ‘local companies’. The two identified strategies emphasize the opportunity of envisioning design as a multi-functional activity, capable of flexibly adapting to specific contextual factors and contributing to the development of product and business innovation in any given situation.