Short answer

Designers and design consultancies should actively promote their capabilities in strategic development and organizational change, leveraging their unique methodologies to empower client organizations.

Field: Innovation & Design
Source: Lund University Publications (Lund University) (2015)
Method: Mixed-methods research, including interviews, workshops, and literature study.
Evidence: Moderate effect

By positioning design not just as a product-centric service but as an enabling function, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can foster organizational learning, enhance innovation capabilities, and improve their resilience in ambiguous environments. This innovation & design research insight is drawn from a 2015 study published in Lund University Publications (Lund University). Using Mixed-methods research, including interviews, workshops, and literature study., researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Designers and design consultancies should actively promote their capabilities in strategic development and organizational change, leveraging their unique methodologies to empower client organizations.

Study

Innovation & DesignHigh ImpactModerate effect

Design as an Enabling Service Drives SME Innovation and Adaptability

Lund University Publications (Lund University) · 2015

Key Findings

01Design consultancies possess confidence in their ability to orchestrate collaboration and contribute to strategic development within client organizations.
02Design methods and processes are characterized as integrative (hands with thought, theory with practice), collaborative (necessitating interaction for complex problems), and explorative (focusing on ingenuity).

Application

Design takeaway

How to apply

When engaging with SMEs, frame design services around problem-solving, strategic development, and fostering innovation, highlighting the collaborative and learning aspects of the design process.

Project actions

01Consider how your design project can facilitate learning or strategic change within a user group or organization.
02Document the collaborative and explorative aspects of your design process, not just the final outcome.

Method & Evidence

AimTo expand the understanding of design as an enabling service within small and medium-sized enterprises and its potential to drive organizational learning and innovation.

MethodMixed-methods research, including interviews, workshops, and literature study.

ProcedureConducted interviews and workshops with industrial design consultancies in Sweden, Finland, and the USA. Performed a literature study to analyze the characteristics of design methods and processes.

ContextSmall and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and industrial design consultancies.

Variables

IVPositioning of design services (product-centric vs. enabling service).

DVSME innovation capability, organizational learning, adaptability.

CVSize and sector of SMEs, type of design consultancy.

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

+Explores a novel perspective on design's role in business.
+Provides a conceptual framework for understanding design as a service.

Limitations

The scope of the original research might not cover all types of SMEs or design disciplines.

Reliability & validity

The qualitative nature of interviews and workshops may introduce subjectivity; triangulation of data from literature and multiple consultancies enhances validity.

Think critically

To what extent can design services truly drive strategic change in SMEs, and what are the key barriers to adopting this broader view of design?

Design Principles

"Design's value extends beyond tangible outputs to encompass the cultivation of organizational capabilities and adaptive capacity."

This research highlights a crucial shift in how design can be leveraged within businesses. Moving beyond aesthetics, design's inherent integrative, collaborative, and explorative methodologies can unlock new knowledge and competencies within SMEs, enabling them to tackle complex challenges and adapt to market changes more effectively.

What This Means for Your Design

Designers can help companies learn and change by working with them, not just making things look good. This makes companies more innovative and better at handling difficult situations.

How to use in your project

1.Reference this research when discussing how your design process aimed to foster innovation or organizational learning within your design project.

Add to My Project

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

This research highlights that design, when positioned as an enabling service, can significantly contribute to organizational learning and innovation within SMEs. By employing integrative, collaborative, and explorative design methodologies, designers can empower client organizations to develop new competencies and navigate ambiguous environments more effectively, moving beyond a purely product-focused approach.

Source

Lund University Publications (Lund University)

Beyond the Product – Enabling design services in small and medium sized enterprises

journal · 2015

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about design as an enabling service drives sme innovation and adaptability?: Designers and design consultancies should actively promote their capabilities in strategic development and organizational change, leveraging their unique methodologies to empower client organizations. Evidence: Lund University Publications (Lund University) (2015).
Why does "Design as an Enabling Service Drives SME Innovation and Adaptability" matter for design?: This research highlights a crucial shift in how design can be leveraged within businesses. Moving beyond aesthetics, design's inherent integrative, collaborative, and explorative methodologies can unlock new knowledge and competencies within SMEs, enabling them to tackle complex challenges and adapt to market changes more effectively.
How can designers apply this research?: Designers and design consultancies should actively promote their capabilities in strategic development and organizational change, leveraging their unique methodologies to empower client organizations.
What were the main findings?: Design consultancies possess confidence in their ability to orchestrate collaboration and contribute to strategic development within client organizations.. Design methods and processes are characterized as integrative (hands with thought, theory with practice), collaborative (necessitating interaction for complex problems), and explorative (focusing on ingenuity).
What research method was used?: Mixed-methods research, including interviews, workshops, and literature study..
How strong is the evidence?: Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2015 journal from Lund University Publications (Lund University).
What should I do differently in my next project?: When engaging with SMEs, frame design services around problem-solving, strategic development, and fostering innovation, highlighting the collaborative and learning aspects of the design process.
What are the limitations?: The study focused on specific regions and types of consultancies, potentially limiting the generalizability of findings to all SME contexts and design service providers.