Design Propositions Research Articles

Supply chain transparency for sustainability – an intervention-based research approach

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all manufacturing sectors from basic products to luxury goods including the automobile industry. This has necessitated a new line of research on competency building, transparency, and sustainability in automotive supply chains. In this study, the authors examine the competencies required to improve the automotive supply chain routine operations to address the parts supply crisis from multitier suppliers in the post-COVID-19 environment. The authors also propose a list of competencies required in the automotive supply chains to deploy the transparency for sustainability (TfS) framework on a long-term basis.Design/methodology/approachThe authors have adapted a cross-case study process using intervention-based research and a design science approach for use in this study and used multiple sources for data collection such as published literature, operational experience, and critical opinions of original equipment manufacturer representatives. The research design includes interviews with global OEMs practitioners as one of the relevant sources of information.FindingsThe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak on automotive manufacturing operations and global supply chains is unprecedented. The TfS framework cycle has been validated using the real-world semiconductor supply crisis which deals with multitier sustainable supply chain management (MTSSCM), and the authors found that there are competency gaps when compared with existing literature. The list of key competencies identified along with the formulation of design propositions to facilitate both the supply crisis and collaboration among automotive firms to enhance their business performance were also presented.Research limitations/implicationsThe COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the automobile sector significantly. This situation has created many opportunities and obstacles, but this paper only considers the automotive semi-conductor shortage situation, which may be resolved in the near future when there are more installed capacities. Therefore, it is unclear whether the proposed responses will result in long-term solutions. Further adjustments may be needed to revisit the TfS framework. The research paper only addresses the automotive side of the current supply crisis, but more sustainability issues may arise in the future, which need to be dealt with separately.Practical implicationsResearch findings may prove particularly interesting to global automotive vehicle manufacturers, suppliers and policy makers who are seeking to understand multitier supply networks to resolve the current challenges associated with the post-COVID-19 pandemic situation.Originality/valueIn addition to contributing to developing competency requirements, this study enhances the evolving research stream of MTSSCM by linking it to wider research applications of intervention-based research coupled with design science.

Sorting out the sorting in omnichannel retailing

AbstractThe increasing complexity of today's omnichannels has led to challenges with logistics efficiency and customer utility. In this paper, we show how retailers address these challenges by sorting goods at multiple points across the logistics network and inside each material‐handling node. As contemporary research on the omnichannel sorting phenomenon is limited and fragmented, we conduct an abductive multiple case study to elaborate omnichannel logistics and transvection theory. It explains why retailers, depending on their omnichannel context, prepone some sorting activities upstream and postpone others to handle trade‐offs between customer utility and logistics efficiency. An artifact, including structured terminology, six sorting aspects, and an iconographic platform, is constructed to support the analysis of the extent, variety, and complexity of sorting at both the strategic network level and the operational material‐handling node level. We conclude by submitting 10 theoretical and actionable design propositions that support decision making in (re)designing omnichannel logistics networks and offer avenues for future research.

Developing a Framework to Integrate Circularity into Construction Projects

This study provides the first approach to integrating circularity in the early stages of a construction project by the project manager. The circular ambition of the Dutch government stimulates a different approach in project management compared to a traditionally applied approach in construction projects. Design science research (DSR) was used to develop a framework for project managers to integrate circularity in the initial phases of construction projects, and we divided this research into three steps: (1) investigate the problem, (2) design a solution and (3) validate the design. The performed design cycle and formulated design propositions resulted in a framework consisting of two A3 format pages. The framework explains a successful three-step approach: knowledge of circular economy in the construction sector is needed, circularity has to be integrated into the project preparation, and circularity has to be integrated into project management. Furthermore, the framework incorporates extra background information and a checklist with 27 identified success factors. The framework was validated by expert opinions as effective, is ready to be implemented and is described as useful for the current challenges, demands and questions of the market.

Tailoring open government data portals for lay citizens: A gamification theory approach

Government policies focused on Open Government Data (OGD) often aim to stimulate the provision of public, interoperable data towards any user, including lay citizens, through online portals. However, these OGD portals are mostly developed for expert users. This hinders the realization of critical values such as transparency, empowerment, and equality of access. Following a Design Science Research approach, this study aims to examine how gamification can help tailor OGD portals for lay citizens. As a pre-condition to this goal, we identify requirements toward OGD portals through twenty interviews with experts and lay citizens. Compared to expert users, lay citizens expect an OGD portal with a more playful interface, vulgarized content, customized visualizations, and transparency-related datasets in a human-readable format. Second, we develop our research artifact, the OGD portal prototype, implementing fifteen design propositions using gamification theory to address lay citizens’ requirements. Third, the evaluation with ten lay citizens reveals the perceived usefulness of the design propositions. Badges were evaluated as most useful to highlight portal relevance. This study contributes to OGD theory development by identifying lay citizens' requirements towards OGD use. Furthermore, this study is the first to reveal the usefulness of implementing notions from gamification theory into OGD portal design. Finally, practitioners can use our findings to make OGD portals more inclusive and thus contribute to attaining key OGD policy objectives.

A systematic review of industry-level applications of technology roadmapping: Evaluation and design propositions for roadmapping practitioners

Technology roadmapping (TRM) has gained prominence in both firm-level and industry-level applications, however, there is a lack of attention in the evolution of TRM processes in the industry. This paper systematically reviews the literature on industry-level TRM between the period 2000 and 2019 by categorically coding 23 journal articles to account for the general facets of TRM and the stakeholder involvement efforts in the process. The paper contributes to the TRM body of knowledge in three ways, first, by creating a portfolio of articles extending on prior reviews in the field and focusing on the industry-level applications between 2000 and 2019. The results show that many researchers combine methods in different stages of TRM, but only a handful of the industries forgo future planning for technology implementation. Second, the efforts and rigour in stakeholder selection and involvement were assessed across breadth, depth, and timing dimensions. Our results show that the overall stakeholder involvement effort is low, and the process can benefit from including thought leaders from diverse domains, especially from firms to instigate interest in technology development and commercialization. Third, based on our findings we developed design propositions for TRM practitioners to improve stakeholder involvement in the process.

Expertise, playfulness and analogical reasoning: three strategies to train Artificial Intelligence for design applications

This paper presents a theoretical framework for the implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in architectural and structural design processes, and it is complemented by some practical applications. The aim is to demonstrate that AI can be used to simulate certain aspects of human cognition and can therefore be integrated into CAD software to support conceptual design and idea generation in a number of different ways. The aim of this study is also to investigate to what extent AI models can interact with a designer to explore future forms of human–machine interaction, including autonomous and participative design. This study identifies and applies AI models to simulate three distinct learning mechanisms: design expertise, playfulness and analogical reasoning. Each strategy has been applied to train different AI models, including generative models and reinforcement learning agents. In the first application, the AI model extracts visual features from a dataset of shell and spatial structures, and then recombines such features to generate new design propositions. In the second application, an AI agent learns a design strategy to solve a toy-design problem with no prior knowledge of precedents. The third application illustrates that AI can be trained to discover meaningful features from biological forms and generate simple design objects through the visual abstraction of such forms. The applications demonstrate the ability of AI to synthesise design options and interact with a designer through visual data formats, such as 2D images and 3D models. This work does not focus on assessing the usefulness of AI models in a real-world design scenario, or on comparing AI with current computational design tools and approaches. It instead investigates different forms of design exploration for computational design purposes, thus paving the way for the development of future autonomous and participative design systems.

Government data governance framework based on a data middle platform

PurposeThe present paper constructed a new framework for government data governance based on the concept of a data middle platform to elicit the detailed requirements and functionalities of a government data governance framework.Design/methodology/approachFollowing a three-cycle activity, the design science research (DSR) paradigm was used to develop design propositions. The design propositions are obtained based on a systematic literature review of government data governance and data governance frameworks. Cases and experts further assessed the effectiveness of the implementation of the artifacts.FindingsThe study developed an effective framework for government data governance that supported the digital service needs of the government. The results demonstrated the advantages of the framework in adapting to organizational operations and data, realized the value of data assets, improved data auditing and oversight and facilitated communication. From the collection of data to the output of government services, the framework adapted to the new characteristics of digital government.Originality/valueKnowledge of the “data middle platforms” generated in this study provides new knowledge to the design of government data governance frameworks and helps translate design propositions into concrete capabilities. By reviewing earlier literature, the article identified the core needs and challenges of government data governance to help practitioners approach government data governance in a structured manner.

Cyber-resilience of Critical Cyber Infrastructures: Integrating digital twins in the electric power ecosystem

This contribution presents a model for cyber-resilience of critical cyber infrastructures (CCI) based on the implementation of a digital twin. It addresses the risks associated with the integration of computational, communication and physical aspects of CCIs. We focus specifically on cybersecurity in the electric power sector due both to its salience and to the potential risks associated to failures in guaranteeing resilience. Informed by the literature on information security management, situational awareness (SA) and common operational picture (COP), we derive an overarching model to provide CCIs’ actors with increased cyber situational awareness, common understanding of incidents and enhanced response capacity. On the practical side, the model seeks to minimize response time and to reduce the impact of cyber-attacks on the organizations and on society as a whole. We develop a process model and validate three design propositions through a formative evaluation in the context of a digital twin implementation in the EU electrical power sector. We discuss the implications of this model for further research as well as practical applications for the electrical power sector.

New Reactor Safety Measures for the European Sodium Fast Reactor-Part II: Preliminary Assessment.

The European Sodium Fast Reactor Safety Measures Assessment and Research Tools (ESFR-SMART) project offers innovative options for a sodium fast reactor (SFR) to improve its safety. This paper explains the preliminary calculations made on the main options to roughly verify their feasibility. Design propositions and calculations are here provided of the following innovative options: elimination of the safety vessel, innovative decay heat removal systems (DHRS), core catcher, thermal pumps, and secondary loops. In conclusion, all these options seem able to fulfill the key points of new safety rules for Generation-IV reactors. A status of the research and development (R&D) effort necessary to validate these new options is also proposed.

Making Behavioral Ethics Research More Useful for Ethics Management Practice: Embracing Complexity Using a Design Science Approach

AbstractResearch on behavioral ethics is thriving and intends to offer advice that can be used by practitioners to improve the practice of ethics management. However, three barriers prevent this research from generating genuinely useful advice. It does not sufficiently focus on interventions that can be directly designed by management. The typical research designs used in behavioral ethics research require such a reduction of complexity that the resulting findings are not very useful for practitioners. Worse still, attempts to make behavioral ethics research more useful by formulating simple recommendations are potentially very damaging. In response to these limitations, this article proposes to complement the current behavioral ethics research agenda that takes an ‘explanatory science’ approach with a research agenda that uses a ‘design science’ approach. Proposed by Joan van Aken and building on earlier work by Herbert Simon, this approach aims to develop field-tested ‘design propositions’ that present often complex but useful recommendations for practitioners. Using a ‘CIMO-logic’, these propositions specify how an ‘intervention’ can generate very different ‘outcomes’ through various ‘mechanisms’, depending on the ‘context’. An illustration and a discussion of the contours of this new research agenda for ethics management demonstrate its advantages as well as its feasibility. The article concludes with a reflection on the feasibility of embracing complexity without drowning in a sea of complicated contingencies and without being paralyzed by the awareness that all interventions can have both desirable and undesirable effects.

Nature-Based Urbanization: Scan Opportunities, Determine Directions and Create Inspiring Ecologies

To base urbanization on nature, inspiring ecologies are necessary. The concept of nature-based solutions (NBS) could be helpful in achieving this goal. State of the art urban planning starts from the aim to realize a (part of) a city, not to improve natural quality or increase biodiversity. The aim of this article is to introduce a planning approach that puts the ecological landscape first, before embedding urban development. This ambition is explored using three NBS frameworks as the input for a series of design workshops, which conceived a regional plan for the Western Sydney Parklands in Australia. From these frameworks, elements were derived at three abstraction levels as the input for the design process: envisioning a long-term future (scanning the opportunities), evaluating the benefits and disadvantages, and identifying a common direction for the design (determining directions), and implementing concrete spatial cross-cutting solutions (creating inspiring ecologies), ultimately resulting in a regional landscape-based plan. The findings of this research demonstrate that, at every abstraction, a specific outcome is found: a mapped ecological landscape showing the options for urbanization, formulating a food-forest strategy as the commonly found direction for the design, and a regional plan that builds from the landscape ecologies adding layers of productive ecologies and urban synergies. By using NBS-frameworks, the potentials of putting the ecological landscape first in the planning process is illuminated, and urbanization can become resilient and nature-inclusive. Future research should emphasize the balance that should be established between the NBS-frameworks and the design approach, as an overly technocratic and all-encompassing framework prevents the freedom of thought that is needed to come to fruitful design propositions.

Engaging Design - Empowering Beyond ‘Participation’ For Active Engagement

Design’s approach to complexity; often employs tactics aimed at engaging the public, provoking awareness, seeking transitional behaviour(s) and provoking changes in culture. Engaging Design (ED) initiates active involvement (as a new paradigm for embedding provocative design propositions) within communities and society. ED is an empowering practice (traversing beyond participation) energising communities, providing agency and facilitating; ‘self-authored’ and ‘community authored’ responsible change. Distributed tools, capabilities and access to knowledge has transformed ‘authorship’ to be socially, environmentally and contextually led. ED examples respond to environmental concerns; presenting opportunities to achieve sustainable and responsible goals. The work focuses on ‘authorship and responsibility’ as material and engagement ‘mis-use’ remains unregulated. This presents design’s responsibility toward embodying sustainable behaviour in all its means. We analyse two case study research projects that foster independence, authorship, as a means to engender engagement; 1) My Naturewatch, engages DIY technologies to create digital trail cameras, empowering people to create and author ‘accessible nature’, through ‘homecooked’ environment exploration. 2) Grangemead, is a facilitated, community-led response, enabling participants to design their own garden within a local-authority carehome. Authors unpick design practice examples, presenting Engaging Design methods for; impactful, responsible, co-authored, sustainable and resilient design interactions.

Emergent Business Models for Homecare in England

The purpose of this study is to examine how emergent homecare business models are shaping the care market in England. Homecare providers for older people are facing a rise in demand for their services which is driven not only by an ageing population but also from a market demand for personalised care, choice, continuity of care, and real time availability. Combined with a turbulent political and policy environment, the current care landscape presented an opportunity for innovative and emergent homecare models to establish themselves and in some occasions disrupt the market by offering a more inducing service design and value propositions that better match customers’ needs. Utilizing the Business Model Canvas, this study investigated various emergent models of homecare by using semi-ethnographic methods that included field observation and data collection, a narrative summary review and interviews. It has shown that homecare providers for an ageing customer base are becoming increasingly aware of emerging customer needs and expectations. Disruptive and emergent models such as uberisation, community-based, live-in and preventative models are becoming more pervasive in the current landscape. These models offer major shifts related to their value proposition, partnerships and customer segments. The value propositions are focused on several dimensions of wellbeing outcomes, choice and personalisation, whilst their care workforce is perceived as a major customer segments and their network of partners provides access to complementary services, investments and specialist knowledge. These changes are promoting more flexibility and responsiveness in the care market, enhancing service users’ experience and encouraging workforce development.

Precedents in routine and non-routine design situations: an empirical study based on two contrasting urban development projects

ABSTRACT Precedents, recognized as stimuli in the design process, are rarely the subject of research in the field of urban studies. This article seeks to redress the balance by exploring the design processes of two urban projects. The case studies in question were chosen for their apparent differences: the routine design of a neighborhood centred on a light-rail stop in Portland, Oregon, USA, and the non-routine design of a new commercial and leisure hub in Montpellier, France. Despite these differences, a comparison of the design processes reveals two constants: first, designers in both cases use precedents – both endogenous and exogenous – to guide and evaluate development proposals; and second, precedents are closely linked with local knowledge used to contextualize design propositions. This local knowledge has a prescriptive value in the design process and determines how precedents are used.

An information management approach for supply chain disruption recovery

PurposeTo study how supply chain decision makers gather, process and use the available internal and external information when facing supply chain disruptions.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews relevant supply chain literature to build an information management model for disruption management. Afterwards, three case studies in the vehicle assembly sector, namely cars, trucks and aircraft wings, bring the empirical insights to the information management model.FindingsThis research characterises the phases of disruption management and identifies the information companies use to recover from a variety of disruptive events. It presents an information management model to enhance supply chain visibility and support disruption management at the operational level. Moreover, it arrives at two design propositions to help companies in the redesign of their disruption discovery and recovery processes.Originality/valueThis research studies how companies manage operational disruptions. The proposed information management model allows to provide visibility to support the disruption management process. Also, based on the analysis of the disruptions occurring at the operational level we propose a conceptual model to support decision makers in the recovery from daily disruptive events.

A framework for analyzing how context influences lean leadership

PurposeAlthough leadership in lean systems is influenced by context, the mechanisms linking contextual factors (CFs) to leadership have not been explored. This study aims to present a framework for analyzing how context influences lean leadership competencies (LLCs).Design/methodology/approachThe framework’s design was based on insights from literature and refined through an empirical study of a large manufacturing plant formally committed to lean. The evolution of CFs over time was monitored in this study, allowing for analyzing how these triggered the need for using LLCs.FindingsThe framework proved to be useful for as follows: the assessment of LLCs in different hierarchical levels; the analysis of how CFs and LLCs interact in specific “leadership events”; and the identification of improvement opportunities for supporting leadership. Four design propositions emerged from the empirical study, offering complimentary guidance for using the framework.Research limitations/implicationsThe framework was tested in one company, and therefore generalizations about its effectiveness need further applications.Practical implicationsThe framework may be used fully or partly by practitioners. For instance, the assessment of LLCs can be used as a standalone tool according to the specific needs of practitioners. Also, by producing rich descriptions of LLCs and CFs, the framework may inform lean leadership development programs.Originality/valueThe framework allows for a systematic analysis of how a broad range of CFs influence LLCs, thus operationalizing an idea that so far has been discussed mostly on a theoretical level.

The Lean and Agile Multi-dimensional Process (LAMP) – a new framework for rapid and iterative evidence generation to support health-care technology design and development

ABSTRACT Introduction: Health technology assessments (HTA) are tools for policymaking and resource allocation. Early HTAs are increasingly used in design and development of new technologies. Conducting early HTAs is challenging, due to a lack of evidence and significant uncertainties in the technology and the market. A multi-disciplinary approach is considered essential. However, an operational framework that can enable the integration of multi-dimensional evidence into commercialization remains lacking. Areas covered: We developed the Lean and Agile Multi-dimensional Process (LAMP), an early HTA framework, for embedding commercial decision-making in structured evidence generation activities, divided into phases. Diverse evidence in unmet needs, user acceptance, cost-effectiveness, and market competitiveness are being generated in increasing depth. This supports the emergence of design and value propositions that align technology capabilities and clinical and user needs. Expert opinion: We have been applying LAMP to working with medical device and diagnostic industry in the UK. The framework can be adapted to suit different technologies, decision needs, time scales, and resources. LAMP offers a practical solution to the multi-disciplinary approach. Methodologists drive the process by performing evidence generation and synthesis as and by enabling interactions between manufacturers, designers, clinicians, and other key stakeholders.

Industrial business associations improving the internationalisation of SMEs with digital platforms: A design science research approach

This paper aims to contribute to the lack of design knowledge on digital platforms (DPs), by studying the new and specific context of DPs managed by industrial business associations (IBAs) to improve the internationalisation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). A specific objective is to elicit detailed digital platform’s requirements and features for this particular organisational context. A design science research (DSR) approach is adopted to develop design propositions (the artifact), following the context-intervention-mechanism-outcome logic (CIMO-logic). The design propositions are derived for DPs that can support different types of generative mechanisms of social interaction: information sharing, collaboration, and collective action. The design propositions are obtained by balancing empirical knowledge based on interviews performed with IBAs and SMEs in Portugal and in the UK, with theoretical knowledge from the literature of information systems, DPs and collaborative networks (CNs). The utility of the design propositions is further evaluated by experts and IBAs. The findings are proved to be relevant for practice, mainly for IBAs, SMEs, and digital platform designers to develop more effective collaborative DPs and sociotechnical systems, supporting CNs and the internationalisation needs of SMEs. The knowledge generated in this study brings new design knowledge on DPs, contributing with design propositions translated into tangible and concrete requirements and capabilities, situated in a specific context and empirical setting.

Village prototypes: a survival strategy for Chinese minority rural villages

Rural Chinese villages are disappearing at an alarming rate. Unprecedented urban growth either has or is in the process of decimating the physical and cultural identity of the village. This paper explores an alternative adaptive strategy for the Dong Minority rural villages of Southern China. Through the implementation of various forms of architectural prototypes, an operational tool to interrogate the village, local crafts and traditional customs are transformed through design propositions. Dong's inherently social and spatial structures become agents of change, assisting the prototype to calibrate an incremental modernisation approach; a paradigm for the community to realise that coexistence with the times doesn't necessarily equate with the erosion of heritage.

Uncertainty Assessment for the Buckling Analysis of Glass Columns with Random Parameters

Load-bearing elements composed of glass, as known, are often susceptible to buckling collapse mechanisms. This intrinsic characteristic (and thus potential limitation for design) typically derives from the use of relatively small thicknesses to cover large spans and surfaces, thus resulting in a multitude of columns, beams, or plates that are characterized by high slenderness. In the literature, accordingly, several and design propositions support of the definition of efficient calculation models to capture the typical buckling response of glass elements variably shaped, sized, restrained and loaded. In this study, the attention is focused on the buckling analysis of glass columns and on the assessment of uncertainties due to input random parameters. With the support of finite element numerical models, a total of 800 glass columns are investigated, by accounting for stochastic variations in the geometry (size and thickness), modulus of elasticity and density of glass, maximum amplitude of the imposed initial imperfection, material type. Based on the Monte Carlo simulation method, the final result takes the form of 2400 simulations, where the post-processing analysis is spent on the derivation of empirical formulations for the correlation of the relevant buckling capacity indicators. From the global out-of-plane bending analysis, the input random parameters are observed to affect severely both long and short columns with different flexural stiffness. Besides, a stable linear correlation is found for some influencing indicators. The attention is thus focused on the sensitivity analysis of critical buckling load, ultimate failure configuration, deflection at collapse, buckling reduction coefficient.