Design Thinking in Organisations: a Practice-based Approach

The concept of Design Thinking (DT) has emerged in business and management discourses as a promising approach to innovation. Numerous organisations start to apply DT practice on different scale for the purpose of the strategic renewal. Despite the growing popularity of the phenomenon in practice, there exists no coherent conceptualisation of DT in theory. The field of DT is young, full of contradictory statements and ambiguities, especially for what regards DT outcomes and benefits. Hence, this dissertation aims at consolidating the field by advancing knowledge on how DT is understood and practiced in organisations. For this, a practice-based approach was selected as a research perspective for gaining theoretical insights based on empirical findings. Moreover, this dissertation aims at explaining the relationship between the DT practice and innovation processes in organisations, so that to establish a dialogue between the two fields. For pursuing these goals, the literature on DT and innovation has been comprehensively reviewed for identifying existent problems and challenges of both fields. The empirical part of the research is developed according to an interpretative philosophical position and a qualitative approach. A single case study of the IBM Company was selected as a research strategy. The primary data were collected by a combination of three ethnographic methods (interviews, mobile ethnography, digital ethnography), and blended with secondary data from the desk research. In the analysis phase, a grounded theory approach and the narrative analysis were used to process the data. Research findings provide a historical context of the IBM Corporation and the IBM Design Company. Then, the IBM DT framework is analysed, and compared with how it is put in practice by IBMers in Italy. The IBM DT practice revealed to be constituent of three main components (mindset, agency, tools) that are orchestrated by DT principles. It was possible to find sub-dimensions and main characteristics for each constitutive element. Specifically, 3 sub-dimensions of mindset (learner, inventor, doer), 4 working modes associated with agency (explorative, sensemaking, imaginative, generating), and four typologies of tools (methods, techniques, frameworks, digital software). Moreover, six DT principles were identified, namely: humanocentrism, focused improvement, diversity-driven collaboration, holism appreciation, continuous learning, and multimodality. It was possible to observe how DT practice contributes to the innovation process in four different innovation phases: identification of the opportunity for change, strategy formulation, roadmap planning, crafting the final output. Finally, the role of contextual factors in the DT practice is discussed. Based on findings, some insights are drawn about the characteristics of the DT practice, and some ideas are advanced regarding the nature of the phenomenon. Finally, possible ways to contribute further to the field development are discussed, together with practical implications.