Design discourse for organization design: Foundations in human-centered design

Abstract

The present paper is a contribution towards a new discourse for organization design, based on the human-centred approach to design (HCD). This adaptation of HCD to organization design is defined as a “language,” presented in the form of organization design concerns that can be absorbed and exchanged among practitioners. The design concerns-Identity & Identification, Service, Interactivity, Effectuation & Heuristics and Normative-are meant as the cognitive scaffolding that underpins and works in tandem with the “hard” elements of organization design (i.e., structures, products, policies and systems). It is suggested that this approach will help narrow the gap between the theory and the practice of organization design.