Implementation Of Design Thinking Research Articles

Development of a Model ofProject-Based Learning

Project-based learning as a principle of the educational process that is being implemented at the universities has a long history. The model of Aalborg University (Denmark) which was created in 1974 to change the traditional approach to teaching students in higher educational institutions of the country is the basic (archetypal) model of project-based learning. The School of Economics and Management of the Far Eastern Federal University is currently implementing its own model of project-based learning (SEM model). This model is developed on the basis of design thinking, which is a methodology for solving ill-structured problems in the face of uncertainty. The implementation of design thinking in the educational process should promote the development of creativity and critical thinking competencies among students, and the organization of project work should contribute to the development of communication skills necessary for interaction with internal and external stakeholders as well as teamwork skills. The purpose of the article is to compare this model with the base model of Aalborg university, to identify the general and the special features of both of these models, to outline prospects for the further development of the SEM model. Thesis: the experience gained at the SEM over the three years of the learning implementation provides an opportunity to create its own systemic model of project-based learning and to recommend its implementation in the other Russian universities.

Engaging Communities on Health Innovation: Experiences in Implementing Design Thinking.

Design thinking is an approach gaining momentum as a strategy for promoting empathy-driven, human-centered innovation. To evaluate the implementation of design thinking for engaging with communities about health and well-being, we undertook a qualitative analysis of an engagement between students and relevant community stakeholders during a project to develop a health intervention aimed at increasing medication compliance in an elderly community in South Africa. Major findings from this research indicated that design thinking offers opportunities for enriching community-university engagements. However, given constraints on time and procedure that are associated with the academy, the fast, dynamic style of design thinking is not optimally suited for developing the level of trust and rapport that is required for engagements in communities where social-cultural differences operate as barriers. Researchers who wish to utilize design thinking will need to devise and tailor additions to tool kits to meet the specific needs of engagements related to personal health and well-being.

Implementation of Design Thinking to Improve Organizational Agility in an SME

Dieser Beitrag befasst sich mit der Anwendung von Design Thinking (DT) in kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen (KMU), die deren organisatorische Agilität (OA) verbessert. Unsere Studie zeigt auf, dass sich in traditionell organisierten KMUs durch den Einsatz dieses kreativen Innovationsansatzes agile Subkulturen bilden können, die sich im Unternehmen über die Zeit ausbreiten und so die drei Kernelemente von OA positiv beeinflussen. Dies umfasst die OA-Elemente (1) Kommunikation und Streben nach organisationsbezogenen Zielen, (2) die Organisationskultur und (3) die betrieblichen Aktivitäten. In diesem Beitrag werden die funktionalen Beziehungen und Abhängigkeiten zwischen DT und OA anhand einer Langzeitstudie in einem KMU aufgezeigt. Die Ergebnisse unserer zweijährigen Fallstudie spiegeln sich in einem explorativen Forschungsrahmen wider, der als Basis für die weitere Erforschung von Beziehungen und Abhängigkeiten zwischen DT und OA dienen kann.

Doing it Right - Critical Success Factors for Design Thinking Implementation

AbstractProficiency in design thinking (DT) can contribute to the success of many companies. Successful implementation of DT can be achieved by identifying its Critical Success Factors (CSFs). Critical success factors are items or actions that should be present in a particular project or situation in order to be successful. However, to date, there has not been any formal study on synthesizing the critical success factors for a successful DT implementation based on existing research. In light of this, the aim of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework that proposes factors that may play a role in influencing the success of the DT implementation. Based on best practices and protocols from thematic analysis, we analyzed and synthesized extant literature in order to recognize research topics from the selected papers and categorize them into specific themes to build a framework. This study significantly contributes to the body of knowledge related to DT by offering the first attempt to identify CSFs for DT implementation, which can allow companies to take required precautions to elude failures or problematic areas and be able to increase the success rate of implementing DT

Embedding Design Thinking in a Culture of Innovation at Two Community Colleges

ABSTRACT Design thinking is a strategy for innovation popularized in the business press and recently investigated in academic literature. Some research points to design thinking as an enabler of an organizational culture of innovation. Much research demonstrates a link between a culture of innovation and successful business outcomes in every sector, and establishes values for a culture of innovation. Colleges, including community colleges have begun using design thinking as a strategy for change. This comparative phenomenological case study analysis aims to increase understanding of the use of design thinking and innovation at two community colleges, Valencia College and Cuyahoga Community College’s Metro Campus, and cultural values that support its implementation. The study uncovers several key findings. First, it confirms a link between transformational leadership and a culture of innovation, as well as establishing that link specifically for design thinking. Second, it identifies values for design thinking at community colleges that are not related to values for innovation in general, i.e., focus on data and inquiry, student success, and inclusion. Third, it demonstrates that transformational leadership and innovative institutional identity must be sufficiently strong to mitigate the negative effects of bureaucracy on innovation and design thinking. Fourth, it identifies the importance of symbols and metaphors as descriptive communication that facilitates the implementation of design thinking. Last, it proposes a model for design thinking implementation at community colleges based upon six major themes identified by the study.

Design Thinking in Leading European Companies—Organizational and Spatial Issues

In the last decade, design thinking has been discussed as a new paradigm for dealing with complex business problems. The implementation of design thinking is linked with substantial changes in the organizational culture, and becomes visible in new approaches to designing office and learning spaces. To analyze proponents’ perspectives on the implementation process, we adapted Schein’s (1990, 2017) approach of different layers of an organizational culture. In general, two layers in an organization are addressed, namely visible artifacts and behaviors, as well as basic principles to think about approaches to deal with business problems (mindset). In total, eight semi-structured expert interviews were conducted with proponents to learn more about the implementation of design thinking and the architecture of related office spaces. The findings suggest that design thinking addresses both aspects—the provision and inner design of physical space as well as a change of mindset.

A systems perspective on exploring the sustainability of leadership initiatives in a secondary school setting

Abstract This paper uses a systems approach to examine the implementation of a design thinking (DT) initiative in a Singaporean secondary school setting. In particular, the paper uses the systems representational tools attributed to Senge (1990) to better understand the factors and relationships that underpin successful change initiatives in terms of the change process and related outcomes. The systems approach sheds light not only on those managerial and behavioural factors that facilitate initial acceptance and adoption of the design thinking change initiative, but also those factors that might inhibit or undermine ongoing change and success. As such, the paper provides interpretive insight about what constitutes effective systemic change in the implementation of design thinking, and on the nature of individual managerial intervention necessary to sustain ongoing and effective use of the design thinking and other initiatives.

Design Thinking and Organizational Culture: A Review and Framework for Future Research

Design thinking comprises an approach to problem solving that uses tools traditionally utilized by designers of commercial products, processes, and environments (e.g., designing a new car or the layout of a new airport). While design thinking was originally introduced as an approach that would work best when infused into the culture of an organization, most early studies of design thinking focused on identifying the specific tools and methods that might be used to solve management problems. Only recently have researchers examined how the implementation of design thinking might relate to organizational-level constructs, such as organizational culture. In this review, we examine empirical research (mostly from the past decade) that relates the practice of design thinking to the development of culture in organizations. Through this review, we identify how the use of specific design thinking tools supports the development of specific organizational cultures and vice versa. In addition, we identify how using design thinking tools produces emotional experiences and physical artifacts that help users to understand why and how specific cultures support the effective use of specific tools. Together, our review findings suggest that the experiential nature of design thinking tools and cultures (i.e., that they require people to actively engage in hands-on work) allows them to support one another. On the basis of this insight, we develop a general framework for organizing design thinking research and identify a number of avenues for future research that might advance our understanding of design thinking in organizational contexts.

Enhancing Collaboration Through Leadership: Design Thinking Based Innovation

Using the lens of social learning theory, this study investigates how the business leader harnesses collaborative learning to encourage innovative thinking within his/her organization. This qualitative paper utilizes a rapid scan of the research literature to analyze material that stands at the intersection of design thinking, social learning theory and innovation. The paper contributes an innovation collaboration model of factors that a leader would have to consider in implementing design thinking in the organization. The model draws several implications for management. First, design thinking implementation is more complex than simply applying techniques from the design world. In addition, implementation of design thinking depends on a foundation of learning within the organization. Design thinking also is founded on a culture of knowledge sharing throughout the organization. Design thinking is also predicated on an organization of collaborative behavior between leaders, teams and individual employees.

Design Thinking

This paper outlines a project to develop and track 'design thinking' skills within groups of students in late primary and early secondary years of schooling in order to strengthen their creative skills and innovative mindsets. The outcome of the research will be the development of a model for the broad-based implementation of design thinking in schools which will foster students' creative skills, critical for 21st century living and their capacity to make a strong contribution to innovation in their future workplaces. Students will develop competence in using the steps - 'understand, observe, visualise, evaluate, refine and implement' - in relation to examining contemporary issues concerned with living in rural and remote areas and will subsequently design illustrative multimedia presentations or computer games. Design thinking as a framework to solve problems and/or as a pedagogical framework has emerged from the processes that designers have used over the last twenty years to create unique and innovative products. A convincing literature base has continued to grow across almost every discipline area, yet 'design thinking' is only just starting to influence school-based education.