Design Thinking

Chapter 12Leading for a Corporate Culture of Design Thinking

Nathan Owen Rosenberg Sr.

Insigniam

Marie-Caroline Chauvet

Insigniam

Jon S. Kleinman

Insigniam

Introduction

This chapter explores the critical impact of corporate culture on design thinking and is organized in five sections. In the first three sections, we highlight the critical impact of corporate culture on design thinking, our perspective on culture, and the forces in any large corporation that work to undermine the principles and practice of design thinking. In the last two sections, we provide insights and practical applications to evaluate, design, and shift or transform the corporate culture through the four pillars of innovation and the four stages of implementing a culture of design thinking.

12.1 The Critical Impact of Corporate Culture on Design Thinking

Empathy. Ideation. Collaboration. Iteration. These are not the typical terms in the everyday conversations of executives at a large corporation. Instead, top executives are likely to be focused on the top and bottom lines, market share, return on investment, share price, and employee retention. But empathy? Not in most big companies.

Yet empathy, ideation, collaboration, and iteration are critical aspects of design thinking. For executives who want to install design thinking as a source for their companies' successes, knowing and understanding terms like this, and the practices and processes behind them, are also important to achieving those other key ...