Discovering the World of Design in Business
through the eyes of an organisational anthropologist
While the popularity of design in business is expanding, design is coming in new places. Design is no longer only oriented at the creation of (digital) products but used to develop strategies, systems and even societies. Possible outcomes of design work are becoming increasingly abstract (Krippendorff 1997). Also, as design is entering new territories, designers are interacting with different groups and their own ‘object worlds’ (Bucciarelli 1994) - both inside and outside their own occupation. While these changes demand pragmatic action, such as reorientation of tasks, they also have severe impact on the identity, capabilities and positioning of designers. Yet, so far, we still know little about this.
Until today most attention on the value of design in business. For example, it is argued that design can help companies achieve competitive advantage, increase profitability (Gemser & Leenders 2011) and develop innovative capabilities (Calabretta & Kleinsmann 2017). While such knowledge is important to better position and ‘sell’ design, the focus on the consequences for business has been deviating attention from the designers themselves.
I would like to take you on my journey in which I am trying to better understand the meaning of design in business by zooming in on the behaviour, experiences and stories of designers themselves. Especially I will look at strategic designers, designers that use design-based approach to solve business challenges, including strategy development or reorientation, organisational transformation and innovation.
What does it mean for designers to design strategies, services and other abstract outcomes in which ‘making’ has no central place? How can designers stay close to their own beliefs and values while they are collaborating with people with entirely different work ethics? How do designers differentiate themselves from other people working in similar domains, such as traditionally trained business strategists? How do designers reinvent themselves and become experts in domains they have never worked before? What are key competences and skills for designers to thrive (and survive) in business today without loosing their ‘designerliness’?
Answering these questions can help designers not only to reflect on themselves and create a more coherent story about what design in business means, but also to grow as an occupation. This is especially important as design in business is relatively new, meaning that designers are still figuring out what are their shared values and what sets them apart from other occupations that are involved in similar work (Fayard, Stigliani & Bechky 2017).
Further, it can also help to improve collaborations between designers and ‘non-designers’, mostly referring to people with business backgrounds (Fayard et al. 2017) This is especially important as such collaborations are increasing. Since the mid 2010s, designers work more and more together with ‘non-designers’: occasionally, through consultancy projects and more structurally, through acquisitions. Better comprehending design in business can help to articulate needs, create empathy and set conditions in collaborations that are shaping the reality of design today.
Finally, better understanding design in business can help enhancing the future of design. It allows to better prepare students for their career in strategic, service and organisational design. It can help teachers to adapt and improve their curriculum based on what designers experience in practice. It can allow designers to develop a strong, independent and unique occupation and better articulate the overall story and value of design.
Are you a designer that recognises him- or herself in these observations? Are you a business strategist, innovation consultant or project manager who is interested in design and tries to make collaborations between design and business happen? Are you a design student who wants to move into the domain and business and better comprehend what this entails? Are you a researcher that wants to expand knowledge in and on design? Are you interested in better understanding what an anthropological perspective to work and organisations entails? Or are you simply enjoying interacting with me and curious about my thoughts and reflections? Then click below to subscribe yourself to my newsletter.
Through a series of newsletters, I will share my latest discoveries about the world of design in business from an anthropological and organisational perspective. Drawing on conversations with practitioners, academic studies, my PhD thesis entitled ‘Design meets Business’, podcasts, blogs and other sources of inspiration, I will post articles that can serve as inspiration and reflection.
It is like exploring a new territory without a map. I would like to have you on board in my journey. Ready for the ride?
References
Bucciarelli, L.L. 1994. Designing Engineers, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Calabretta, G., & Kleinsmann, M. (2017). Technology-driven evolution of design practices: envisioning the role of design in the digital era. Journal of Marketing Management, 33(3-4), 292-304.
Fayard, A. L., Stigliani, I., & Bechky, B. A. (2017). How nascent occupations construct a mandate: The case of service designers’ ethos. Administrative Science Quarterly, 62(2), 270-303.
Gemser, G., & Leenders, M. A. (2011). Managing cross-functional cooperation for new product development success. Long Range Planning, 44(1), 26-41.
Krippendorff, K. (1997). A trajectory of artificiality and new principles of design for the information age.
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