Development of indicators and tools to measure the design capability of companies

Abstract

Traditionally, the concept of 'design' is associated with the arts, the way a product looks, the way something is presented or similar. This has been the case for decades. However, something that has emerged in recent years is how design can offer much value to companies, organisations and the research field of business management. Professor Kazaru Yaegashi is the Chief Producer at the Design Management Lab (DML), which is based at Ritsumeikan University in Japan. The focus of the DML research is on gaining a systematic understanding of the knowledge related to design management, especially as it relates to design-driven innovation and design thinking in the field of business administration. Yaegashi is focused on developing indicators and tools to evaluate the attitudes and intentions of all members in companies toward design. Taking these and the results of their previous research, his team is hoping to measure the design capability of companies which will then identify areas for improvement and what needs to change to realise the potential.