Mapping and Measuring Design Thinking in Organizational Environments

Abstract

Dozens of for profit and not for profit organizations across a wide range of sectors explicitly employ Design Thinking as a core innovation methodology. This demonstrates how versatile the tools and frameworks are. It also presents an opportunity to better understand how the organizational environment impacts how design thinking is applied. This chapter covers two studies that explore organizational environments. The first study is the development of a mapping technique called a Design Thinking Ecology that highlights a number of organizational variables and how they interact with design thinking. The second is a case study of a community of design thinking practitioners across four separate companies. Their collaboration highlights the role each organizational context has on the individuals and the group as a whole.