Leadership and design thinking intersect in successful companies

 

We’ve written about the difference design can make in organisations. And it’s not just the fluffy stuff of make things nice to look at. There is increasing evidence that the world’s leading companies are integrating design thinking into all aspects of their businesses.

In 2014, we wrote about the UK Design Council’s findings that the value of design-led companies on the S&P Index was 228% greater than companies without design at the forefront.

So, here’s the latest research from Boston Consulting Group on the 5 Key Trends in Design Leadership, which every company needs to embrace.

• Management needs to lead and demonstrate a commitment to design thinking.
• Make design thinking a core way of working, work together across business units and disciplines to solve the ‘wicked problems’.
• Design thinking is at the core of innovation, without embracing it in your business you’re unlikely to find or keep your competitive edge.
• User experience is at the core of everything you do. It’s not just about your website – it should be considered in all aspects of your brand, in product design, customer service, etc.
• Seek talented designers to employ or to contract to help turn your company into a design-led innovator.

If you’re not sure what design thinking means or where to start, have a read of this article from last year’s Adobe’s Behance 99U Design Thinking conference.
Reference: Trends in design leadership