Apropiación al externo del sistema central

After the discussions regarding what design thinking means and what kind of elements are typical for it, the next topics I discussed with the interviewees related to how design thinking had initially started and who had been the one to introduce it in the organization. These discussions ultimately led to the different reasons and motivations for why companies decided to start the implementation of design thinking; what were the benefits the organization could gain from it. In my analysis, I named this phase of the design thinking implementation as the Dating phase. This phase is largely defined by the matchmaking that happens in it: finding out whether design thinking could be a match for the organization and bring value to it.

Figure 7: Dating phase and the Gateway of permission

In mapping the data from the interviewees’ answers and impressions for this phase, four main sub-themes (Internal motivations, To gain competitive advantage, Organic reasons, and External influences) emerged which can all be considered to fall under the category of Organization, since based on the interviewees’ impressions, these sub-

Supporting factors in implementing design thinking Challenging factors in implementing design thinking

Time Gateway of understanding Gateway of permission Gateway of proof Gateway of acceptance 02 Dating phase 03 Honeymoon phase 04 Maturing phase 01 Awakening phase

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themes consisted of organization-centric reasons or influences regarding the use of design thinking. More specifically, these sub-themes help to explain why design thinking could be used from the point of view of the organization.

4.2.1. Internal motivations

Based on the interviews, there were many reasons for why design thinking should be implemented in an organization. One of the interviewees considered design thinking to complement their core business model (cf. Table 9, INT#1), whereas another felt that the design thinking mindset and methods complemented some of their processes with their clients (cf. INT#2). Some interviewees mentioned that design thinking had slipped into the organization due to things such as digitalization (e.g. cf. INT#3, INT#3:2, INT#4), branding guidelines (cf. INT#2:2), or agile development methods (cf. INT#5, INT#1:3). Other internal motivators for implementing design thinking included the ‘because we can afford it’ mentality (cf. INT#1:4) and the wish to create a unified omnichannel customer experience (cf. INT#3:3). In general, it could be concluded that most of these internal motivations relate to ease of adoption, as well as to a more holistic approach on the companies’ relations with their customers.

4.2.2. To gain competitive advantage

Another cohort of reasons to apply design thinking related to creating a competitive advantage for the organization. Some of the interviewees felt that design thinking helps companies to go through business renewal (cf. INT#6, INT#7), while others found it helpful in improving the organization; making processes better (cf. INT#6:2, INT#8, INT#1:5), producing better business results (cf. INT#9, INT#7:2), and improving the innovation capabilities of the organization (cf. INT#6:3, INT#10). Finally, another reason for implementing design thinking was found to be the desire to differentiate from competitors with customer experience (cf. INT#3:4, INT#2:3). All in all, it could be said that most of the motivations for gaining competitive advantage involve improved performance, as well as helping to overcome change in a better way.

66 4.2.3. Organic reasons

The organic reasons for adopting design thinking were some of the more interesting insights that emerged from the data. One of the interviewees felt very strongly that doing design thinking is pure common sense (cf. INT#7:3), and that “anything else is just madness” (cf. INT#7:4). Many others also considered it to be the natural, start-up styled way of working (cf. INT#6:4, INT#10:2, INT#3:5). Finally, one interviewee considered that the way design thinking had emerged in their organization had not been planned, but it was more of a thing that merely happened organically; “There was no conscious decision that we made, like ‘now, let us put design thinking into these projects and let’s wait what comes out of it’, but it was kind of… organic.” (cf. INT#6:5). Based on these reasons, it could be said that design thinking may also be implemented for implicit, not only explicit, reasons.

4.2.4. External influences

Finally, some of the reasons for implementing design thinking referred to reasons beyond the company’s own immediate influence. One of the most common reasons the interviewees mentioned was to implement design thinking in order survive on the market (cf. INT#6:6, INT#2:4, INT#7:5, INT#2:5). Another common reason was the continuously shifting nature of the markets, which are forcing companies to react and renew themselves (cf. INT#3:6, INT#1:6). Relating to this, some of the interviewees felt that merely being technologically advanced is no longer enough to sustain a competitive position in the market (cf. INT#2:6, INT#8:2). As a whole, the pressure from competitors was considered another reason to implement design thinking (cf. INT#4:2). Finally, some interviewees felt that the existence of encouraging examples and benchmarks have also encouraged and motivated more companies to implement design thinking into their own business (cf. INT#3:7, INT#8:3). All in all, it could be argued that the rapidly changing business environment and the pressure from competition are forcing companies to look for alternative options for creating value, for which design thinking appears to be one option.

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As a conclusion, it can be argued that there exist different as well as mutually complementary reasons for employing design thinking. However, acknowledging these motivations and the potential benefits of design thinking is usually not enough to; it seems that real life applications are required to further concretize and ensure the advancement of the design implementation in the organization. It would seem that in order for this to happen, the Gateway of Permission needs to be passed.

4.2.5. Gateway of Permission

As mentioned earlier, the Dating phase of the design thinking implementation process is about determining whether design thinking could be a potential match for the organization. As listed previously, there seem to be several reasons for why this could be. At the Dating phase, the individual has most likely gotten excited about design thinking and has perhaps started to implement it in their own, daily work. However, it is unlikely that these sporadic, trial uses of design thinking will make it to the wider knowledge of the organization unless the organization is able to pass through the Gateway of Permission.

Based on the conducted interviews, it would seem that in order for design thinking to move beyond an individual-led activity and in order for it to spread further in the organization, design thinking as an idea needs to be sold in to the organization. More specifically, it should be sold to a person in the organization who has as much decision-making power, resources, and influence as possible. It would seem that in order for design thinking to be implemented smoothly and to move into the Honeymoon phase, this supporter of design thinking (e.g. a product or project owner, manager of a function or a team, or even a C-suite director) needs to give their blessing and permission to the practice of design thinking; in other words, legitimize in some way the use of design thinking in some projects or cases. This selling of the design thinking seems to be one of the more crucial stages of the design thinking implementation, and the specific challenging and supporting factors for it will be discussed in more detail in the later sections.

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Should this sales pitch of design thinking fail or should the implementation of design thinking stop at the Gateway of Permission, design thinking is likely to remain as a small, sporadic, and individual-led activity, utilized and adopted in some projects and cases. However, it is unlikely to become a company-wide activity or provide business- wide value and benefits.

4.3. Honeymoon phase: How do we implement design thinking in our