Design Thinking for

Creativity and Business

Innovation Series

Idris Mootee

This teaching note was authored by Idris Mootee with contribution from Mathew Lincez solely as the basis for executive
education and class discussion. Teaching notes and cases are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary
data or illustrations of effective or ineffective management.

Copyright © 2011 Idea Couture Inc. Idea Couture is a global strategic innovation, customer insights and experience
design firm that brings together the power of D-School + B-School™ thinking. The firm engages in strategic innovation,
ethnographic research and design programs that identify and fulfill unmet, unknown and unarticulated customer needs to
transform brands and organizations.

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HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF DESIGN DESIGN THINKING FOR CREATIVITY
EXECUTIVE EDUCATION AND BUSINESS INNOVATION SERIES

/A
DESIGN
THINKING
PRIMER Many organizations have been
battered by system level economic
failure, and the collapse of tradi-
tional management processes. These
wounds have left businesses gazing
hopefully towards design thinking as
Idris Mootee a new management “wonder drug”
that will help make sense of the cur-
rent situation. Design Thinking pres-
ents itself as an attractive approach
to problem solving for those who
need to address complex, ambigu-
ous, uncertain and volatile circum-
stances across multiple contexts and
cultures. Design Thinking brings a
There has been a plethora of interest recently refreshed, revitalized and rejuvenated
on Design Thinking but is Design Thinking helpful approach to management and stra-
tegic thinking however, it is far from
or does it merely export the dogmas of design to a cure-all.
business strategy? Corporations are facing crises
on several fronts, not only from the obvious such Will Design Thinking sink in the up-
coming years much like many other
as low cost competition, economic sustainability short-lived management fads or will it
and social development, but business leaders and change business forever? Traditional
design firms (and even branding and
governments are also experiencing a profound design studios) are quick to claim
crisis of trust and legitimacy. All these factors have that they can change the world.
triggered a loss of confidence in traditional pro- Corporations however, may be disap-
pointed with these promises if these
cesses. The core of many management theories companies lack an understanding in
are being questioned and “management” is close business strategy, industry dynamics,
channel economics and capital inten-
to a point of failure. Leaders are looking to find sity. Change requires more than just
something new to grasp onto in order to make sexy designs and catchy slogans but
adding a few MBAs to your employee
sense of what’s going on and to prepare for a roster does not equal a strategy con-
future of unprecedented uncertainties. sultancy firm either.

Copyright 2011 Idea Couture Inc.

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HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF DESIGN DESIGN THINKING FOR CREATIVITY
EXECUTIVE EDUCATION AND BUSINESS INNOVATION SERIES

There are many ways to define Design Thinking. It is:

/ A way to instill customer-centricity and empathy

/ A means to solve complex problems

/ A methodology to foster exploration and experimentation

/ A design buzz word to tell you a designer can do more than design
/ A management buzz word sold as the “next” strategic tool

/ A marketing slogan or tag line

It is important to recognize
Design Thinking has a lot of value but a few questions remain, is it time for us that Design Thinking is
to reinvent design? Will a new organization redesign design? The transforma- not exclusive to designers
tion of design agencies to strategy consulting firms is an interesting idea but an or unattainable to those
extremely challenging one. The term “design thinkers” implies that designers are in another discipline. Design
craftsmen and not thinkers, which is not always the case. It is also a stretch for Thinking is natural and
traditional design firms to rely solely on design thinking to solve strategic issues. inherent in all of us.
Design firms need to explore cultural transformation within themselves before
they can implement it for others.

Today, Design Thinking is frequently compared and contrasted to business.

This is often an over simplification that forces us into predetermined roles along
with their associated rules, conventions, behaviors and formal expectations. It
is important to recognize that Design Thinking is not exclusive to designers or
unattainable to those in another discipline. Design Thinking is natural and inher-
ent in all of us. It is an approach to inquiry and expression that complements and
enhances existing skills, behaviors and techniques. It is also critical not to define
the discipline as the antithesis of data-driven analytical thinking. Design thinking
is its own mode of analysis – one that focuses on forms, relationships, behavior
and real human interactions and emotions. These may include:

/ How an entity (product, service, system or business) currently lives in the

ecosystem or sub-system?

/ How individuals or groups interact with that entity and the nature, frequency
and attributes of that interaction?

/ How the different elements in the environment relate to one another and what
if any system level impact exists?

Design Thinking is a cognitive and intellectual process that balances the rational
and emotional – in effect combining left brain and right brain thinking. When
applied, it harmonizes with other modes of thinking and closes knowledge and
information gaps, creating order and refining meaning.

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HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF DESIGN DESIGN THINKING FOR CREATIVITY
EXECUTIVE EDUCATION AND BUSINESS INNOVATION SERIES

DESIGN THINKING DESIGN THINKING Many however approach Design

CORE VALUES CAPABILITIES AND TOOLS Thinking from the perspective of au-
tomation complemented by imagina-
The evolution of mankind has survived Incorporating Design Thinking into tion – as it employs in some cases
because we work well in groups, we business practices requires certain predictable and repeatable processes
communicate, empathize with one capabilities – a tool kit that includes that can, to some extent, be codified
another, anticipate, understand and observational techniques, needs as algorithms. It can also simultane-
exchange. This collaboration between mapping, opportunity scanning ously embrace more serendipitous,
individuals and groups is tangible and rapid prototyping. These tools ad-hoc and adaptive approaches to
and finite and has ultimately helped facilitate the identification of prob- inquiry, synthesis and expression that
us to survive. lems and allow us to creatively solve leverages the power of intuition.
for them. This process comes with a
Design Thinking is a reflection of this “responsibility to shape the future,” Design Thinking is about seeking
culture and evolution – it is driven by as businesses often have, where we out possibilities and demonstrating
modes of inquiry and expression that need to acknowledge and act upon the willingness to make inexpensive
are accessible, functional, attractive, this human need for meaning, identity mistakes to expand one’s scope of
sustainable and iterative. In that and connectivity. thought and work. Ultimately Design
regard, the culture behind Design Thinking is a bridge builder, an inter-
Thinking and the customs, values Codified through language, Design face that brings us together, helping
and beliefs involved are potentially Thinking often requires communica- us to shrink the gaps between people
more empathetic, human centered tion that differs from other cultures and processes, customers and the
and courageous when compared and disciplines. Design Thinking company. As a new concept, Design
to business management. Design expresses itself through common and Thinking needed to be carefully
Thinking’s mode of inquiry and familiar modes, mediums, traits and adopted and integrated with tradi-
expression is intentionally more ac- artifacts such as sketching, mapping, tional business management prac-
cessible and human-centric. Design model making, prototyping, anima- tice. It should not be exploited as a
Thinking speaks many languages. tions and dramatizations that can marketing tool, tactic or an excuse
give form and meaning to Design for creative ideas to avoid analytical-
A multi-lingualism, multi-functional Thinking. based criticism or common sense
and multi-perspective approach to business logic. It should be posi-
sensemaking and collaboration has Design Thinking needs to be seen as tioned as a creative logic tool that
influenced many of the principles a culture – it is not just what market- can facilitate innovation and strategic
inherent in Design Thinking. Design ers and designers do, or how their transformation.
Thinking has the power to influence work is organized, it also includes
our core values, our identity, our ex- the effect it has in many other fields.
pectations and our view of the world. We have to acknowledge that design
thinking has been popularized – held
up as a “cure-all” – and on some
level, is being exploited rather than
properly applied. From a metacogni-
tive perspective, Design Thinking is
a wrapper, an umbrella, a network
of many types of “thought.” It is part
of a larger cultural phenomenon that
has emerged and will continue to
evolve.

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HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF DESIGN DESIGN THINKING FOR CREATIVITY
EXECUTIVE EDUCATION AND BUSINESS INNOVATION SERIES

/APPLIED
DESIGN
THINKING Applied Design Thinking in busi-
ness problem solving incorporates

IN
mental models, tools, processes and
techniques from design, engineering,
economics, the humanities and social
sciences to help identify, define and

BUSINESS
address business challenges (i.e.
strategic planning, product devel-
opment, innovation and corporate
social responsibility). This integration,
when executed correctly, forms a

PROBLEM
highly productive dynamic between
traditional business management
approaches and design approaches,
complementing and enhancing one

SOLVING
another in a symbiotic fashion.

The increased adoption of multidis-

ciplinary approaches to business
problem solving, including the ap-
plication of Design Thinking, helps
organizations fill in critical, and often
Idris Mootee overlooked, knowledge gaps and in-
formation deficiencies. By combining
the two, organizations establish more
complete and ultimately competitive
Applying Design Thinking to business problem bodies of actionable knowledge and
solving empowers individuals and organizations to insights that allows for a human-
centric and future-oriented approach.
better understand their competitive and operation- This approach does not discount or
al environment; the values, beliefs and behaviors diminish the value of traditional and
of people; the driving forces and key influencers other analytical business methods in
problem solving, rather, by leveraging
involved; the strategic and tactical options therein; the best qualities of both business
and the systemic issues behind these not neces- and Design Thinking it establishes a
more sensitive, powerful and potent
sarily well defined problems. This process enables analytical tool set that escalates our
organizations to identify strategic options in order thinking to a new level. This results
in a more holistic perspective and
to make better more informed decisions even in learning experience that is meaning-
the face of extreme ambiguity. ful, valid and practical.

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HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF DESIGN DESIGN THINKING FOR CREATIVITY
EXECUTIVE EDUCATION AND BUSINESS INNOVATION SERIES

Introducing Design Thinking The following are ten of the core /4 Design Thinking integrates ele-
to business management Design Thinking principles that ments of foresight and anticipa-
also has a positive effect on should be considered when it is tory imagination into the strategic
organizational culture – it used in the context of business and planning process. It opens up the
reveals and introduces new management: future and invites us to explore
behaviors and it challenges uncertainties. It encourages us
people to communicate and /1 Design Thinking is action oriented. to be comfortable with working
learn in new ways while It proposes a cross-disciplinary with many unknowns. Design
learning-by-doing approach to Thinking expects us to cope
empowering them (through
problem solving. It allows us to with inadequate information and
the adoption of tools, tech- multiple unknowns in the process
accommodate varied interests
niques and culture) to think and abilities through hands-on of discovering and creating a
differently. and “applied” learning experi- tangible outcome.
ences between many individuals.
Organizational structure, reporting A big part of Design Thinking is /5 Design Thinking is a dynamic
hierarchies and processes are Design Doing. It is, by nature, constructive process that is
considered hard management and getting your hands dirty and trying iterative in nature. It requires
Design Thinking can fill the role things instead of being an arm- ongoing definition, redefinition,
of the soft management system – chair strategist. representation, assessment and
the creativity, sensibility and social visualization. It is a continuous
bonding that holds an organization
together.
/2 Design Thinking is comfortable learning experience arising out
with change, is disruptive and of a need to obtain and correctly
provocative by nature, and apply knowledge and insights to
The principles and techniques of achieve goals that may change as
promotes new ways of looking
Design Thinking are rooted in and more in depth knowledge of the
at problems, often through new
distributed throughout the design problem is acquired. Here, proto-
lenses. The strategic framing of
community and is not necessarily typing and the creation of tangible
complex and ambiguous issues
a subject area you will find in a text- “sharable” artifacts becomes
requires thinking approaches
book. Design Thinking is becoming an import piece of the Design
that are free from organizational
more widely recognized, but it is Thinking tool kit.
dogmas, codified limitations and
still not fully understood, even by
old assumptions. A large part of
audiences that already subscribe
the Design Thinking process is /6 Design Thinking promotes empathy.
to its qualities and principles.
to step out of conventional roles It puts users at the very core of
and escape from existing dogmas everything. It encourages the use
in order to explore new frames of tools to help us communicate
of thought and approaches to with people in order to better
problem solving. understand their behaviors and
expectations; the values, motiva-
/3 Design Thinking is human-centric tions and needs that surround and
and is always focused on under- drive them. And we can use these
standing the customer’s or insights to develop new knowl-
end-user’s needs, including edge through creative learning
unarticulated, unmet and latent
needs. To do this, Design Thinking
employs various observational
research techniques as well as
design tools, such as journey
mapping, to systematically think
and learn about the needs, tasks,
steps or milestones of a process.

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HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF DESIGN DESIGN THINKING FOR CREATIVITY
EXECUTIVE EDUCATION AND BUSINESS INNOVATION SERIES

and experimentation.

/7 Design Thinking can greatly reduce risks for developing new products or
services. The common saying “fail early and fail often” should not be a part Using Design Thinking in
of the core Design Thinking values. There are many benefits in learning from business problem solving
small failures, but applied Design Thinking practices should help reduce risks, contexts can help to
including technology, market and customer risks. Failure is not encouraged significantly fill in knowledge
at any stage – the key is to use the principles of Design Thinking to manage gaps while inspiring new
risks. perspectives, framing better
questions and driving more
/8 Design Thinking can create meanings. Power Point and Excel spreadsheets competitive answers and
are very limited in their ability to communicate all meaning. Creating mean- solutions.
ing is the hardest part of the design process and the communication tools
employed by Design Thinking (maps, models, sketches and stories) help to
capture and express the information required to form and socialize mean-
ing. Arriving at this is not easy but emerges through multiple iterations and
conversations.

/9 Design Thinking as organizational culture can bring enterprise creativity and

knowledge management to the next level. It helps to foster a culture that
embraces questioning, challenge and discovery including frequent reflection-
in-action, celebrating creativity, embracing ambiguity and visual sense-making
(interactions with physical objects as well as people). A Design Thinking orga-
nization creates strong “inspirationalization” and “sensibility” to give tangibility
to the emotional contract that employees can have with organizations.

/10 Design Thinking as the new “Competitive Logic of Business Strategy.”

This is the most complementary practice that can be applied side by side
with Michael Porter’s theory of Competitive Strategy. It allows companies
to apply them to create new products, experiences, processes and business
models beyond simply what works and turns them into something people
desire – a truly sustainable competitive advantage through innovation.

The principles listed above are a sample of Design Thinking’s qualities – its tone,
culture and approach to problem solving – their use and application in business
problem solving contexts (in addition to traditional methods) can help to significantly
fill in knowledge gaps while inspiring new perspectives, framing better questions
and driving more competitive answers and solutions. Ultimately Design Thinking
approaches increase an organization’s “sensitivity,” improve communication
between all stakeholders (internal & external), and enhance an organization’s
ability to process, synthesize and act upon the potential that is real, latent and
inherent allowing for the constant extraction of economic and social value.

Copyright 2011 Idea Couture Inc.