Design as Change - From Teleology to Guided Evolution?
Design is connected to change. Whether we start from Herbert Simon’s often cited “the transformat... more Design is connected to change. Whether we start from Herbert Simon’s often cited “the transformation of existing conditions into preferred ones” (1996 p.111) or design as linked to innovation (Brown 2008, Verganti 2006) or even Heskett’s (2002) ‘betterment of the human condition’, design is a future oriented (Buchanan 2001), change inducing activity. But how is design thinking (in a wide sense) different from traditional managerial thinking in terms of the concept of change? What of the process(es) by which the existing conditions are transformed into the preferred ones, i.e. how may the change process be conceptualized in design? How does the general concern of change in the design community relate to the advances in strategic and organizational change theories? Our aim is to begin an exploration of how design may be conceptualized in relation to change.We do this by using two out of Pettigrew’s (1987) three related aspects of change: ‘process’, how something changes, and ‘content’, i.e. what is changed, to frame design as change (the third is ‘context’, the why of change). We make an attempt to explore and identify change perspectives, explicit or implicit, in design by using Van de Ven and Poole’s (1995) synthetic model of four “basic types of process theories” (p. 511): teleology, evolution, life cycle, and dialectic, all driven by different generative mechanisms or ‘motors of change’. Van de Ven & Poole’s ideal process types do though not handle the content aspect. To capture design content, we therefore use Heskett’s (2002) division of the designed artifacts’ function into two concepts, ‘utility’ and ‘significance’.Design processes are normally described as either of a teleological kind, i.e. driven by a goal set at the beginning of the process, or as similar to an evolutionary process. Some elements of the evolutionary model are frequent in descriptions of design processes, e.g. iterativity, prototyping and gradual development. However, the uncontrollability and slowness of evolution are less salient. A better way to frame design processes as evolutionary may therefore be to see them as guided (Lovas and Ghoshal 2000), i.e. driven not only by random mutation and competition but also by intent.By using Heskett’s distinction between utility and significance it is possible to further dissect the design process/design processes. Processes aiming for ‘utility’ eventually must converge into a solution, but is it necessarily the same when it regards the process by which ‘significance’ is designed, created and maintained? By analytically separating (c.f. Archer 1995) the by definition integrative design process, we argue that discussing design as process and content expands previous views of design as change.
I detta nummer publicerar vi två vetenskapliga artiklar. Båda handlar om integration av design i ... more I detta nummer publicerar vi två vetenskapliga artiklar. Båda handlar om integration av design i organisationer-först konceptuellt och sedan ur ett mer praktiskt perspektiv i sammanhanget av högre utbildning. Designmanagement som kunskapsintegration Den första artikeln, ''Knowledge Integration of and by Design'', är författad av Per Åman och Hans Andersson och berör integration av management och design. Dessa discipliner kommer från olika traditioner och bygger delvis på olika logiker. Förenklat finns det inom managementområdet en tradition av teknisk och ekonomisk rationalitet, men också försök att förstå och hantera sociokulturella fenomen i organisationer. Designtänkande har i stället en konstnärlig koppling där praktisk och handfast erfarenhet betonas och där det ofta anses vara en moralisk plikt att förbättra människors livsvillkor, men där till exempel industridesign ingår i ett tekniskt, ekonomiskt och organisatoriskt sammanhang. Managementperspektivet och designperspektivet behöver samspela. Författarna använder sig av kunskapsintegration som ramverk för att förstå management, designtänkande och hur dessa kan integreras. En organisation definieras här som en kunskapsbärare där kunskap kodifieras och handling koordineras. Management och design ses som två olika men komplementära kunskapsbaser. Kunskapsintegration handlar om vilken kunskap som ska integreras, hur detta sker effektivt, och om flexibilitet i integrationsprocessen. Två typer av integration formuleras; att se design som en resurs att integrera i övriga organisationen, respektive att se design som förmågan att integrera olika typer av kunskap. Det vill säga integration av design eller integration genom design. Design i det högre utbildningsväsendet Universiteten tillhör en av de äldsta institutionerna i samhället. Jag som undervisar på universitetet vet att universitetets strukturer ofta är rigida. Heather Madden och Andrew T. Walters beskriver i sin artikel ''Using an Action Research Approach to Embed Service Design in a Higher Education Institution'' ett projekt där aktionsforskning och tjänstedesign kombinerats för att åstadkomma förändring mot ett mer studentfokuserat lärande. Specifikt studeras hur tjänstedesign kan påverka kulturen inom organisationen, på vilka sätt tjänstedesign kan hjälpa universitetet att bli mer innovativt och kollaborativt, och vilket ledarskap som krävs för detta. Idag saknas ofta systematiskt och löpande utvecklingsarbete på universitetet. Användningen av designmetodiker är inte något som har fått fotfäste på universiteten. Därför är Madden och Walters bidrag högst välkommet. Studien visar på svårigheten i att åstadkomma förändring i stora och komplexa organisationer. I ett läge där utrymme i tid och plats saknas för utveckling och där organisationen är uppbyggd enligt funktioner i ''silor'' är det möjligt att åstadkomma mindre förbättringar men svårt att nå större förändring och kulturförändring. Men studien visar att genom att börja arbeta enligt designmetoder kan ''intraprenörer'' få utrymme att visa sig och hitta varandra. Ett nätverk av utvecklingsorienterade individer som är grund för mer långsiktig förändring kan bildas. Nu finns en portal för journalens vetenskapliga bidrag: www.svid.se/sdrj. Där skickar författare in artiklar, där sker review-processen och publicering av artiklar som fristående artiklar. Detta för att öka tillgängligheten för forskare som läsare och skribenter. Det är mitt mål att vi gradvis kommer att öka antalet publicerade artiklar per år. För att förkorta ledtider kommer artiklar första att publiceras digitalt och sedan i pappersform i journalen. Jag vill tacka reviewerna för deras viktiga arbete och hoppas att läsarna ska finna artiklarna värdefulla! n
Experiential knowledge, operational capabilities and competitive advantage - logistics and strategy in two retail companies
Experiential knowledge, operational capabilities and competitive advantage - logistics and strate... more Experiential knowledge, operational capabilities and competitive advantage - logistics and strategy in two retail companies
This study explores the relationship between logistics capabilities and sustainable competitive a... more This study explores the relationship between logistics capabilities and sustainable competitive advantage by using the notion of learning mechanisms. It is argued that a set of processes of learning mechanisms may serve as a source of dynamic capabilities that create, develop and maintain logistics capabilities in their role as source of a company's sustainable competitive advantage. The learning mechanisms, in the form of experience accumulation, knowledge articulation and codification, are identified in two best-practice companies within logistics. Results imply that the origin of the sustainability of a logistics-based company's competitive advantage may be found in the dynamics of organisational learning, ultimately based on trial and error and experience accumulation. As such, the research elaborates on the connection between logistics capabilities and strategic competitive advantage, with learning as mediating dynamic capability.
Experiential knowledge, operational capabilities and competitive advantage - logistics and strategy in two retail companies
Experiential knowledge, operational capabilities and competitive advantage - logistics and strate... more Experiential knowledge, operational capabilities and competitive advantage - logistics and strategy in two retail companies
The purpose of this paper is to explore the possible uses, benefits, limitations and future direc... more The purpose of this paper is to explore the possible uses, benefits, limitations and future directions of a formal knowledge integration perspective on design management. The paper develops the concepts of management thinking and design(erly) thinking, and questions the implied contention. With a knowledge perspective, design management may be seen as including the capability to integrate specialized, distributed and heterogeneous knowledge bases. Consequences regarding the characteristics of scope, flexibility and efficiency of knowledge integration indicate both greater difficulties and greater possibilities. Regarding the architecture of knowledge, integration of design indicates a functional orientation and a limited role for design, while integration by design may indicate a strategic role.
This study explores the relationship between logistics capabilities and sustainable competitive a... more This study explores the relationship between logistics capabilities and sustainable competitive advantage by using the notion of learning mechanisms. It is argued that a set of processes of learning mechanisms may serve as a source of dynamic capabilities that create, develop and maintain logistics capabilities in their role as source of a company's sustainable competitive advantage. The learning mechanisms, in the form of experience accumulation, knowledge articulation and codification, are identified in two best-practice companies within logistics. Results imply that the origin of the sustainability of a logistics-based company's competitive advantage may be found in the dynamics of organisational learning, ultimately based on trial and error and experience accumulation. As such, the research elaborates on the connection between logistics capabilities and strategic competitive advantage, with learning as mediating dynamic capability.
Design as change - from teleology to guided evolution?
Design is connected to change. Whether we start from Herbert Simon’s often cited “the transformat... more Design is connected to change. Whether we start from Herbert Simon’s often cited “the transformation of existing conditions into preferred ones” (1996 p.111) or design as linked to innovation (Brown 2008, Verganti 2006) or even Heskett’s (2002) ‘betterment of the human condition’, design is a future oriented (Buchanan 2001), change inducing activity. But how is design thinking (in a wide sense) different from traditional managerial thinking in terms of the concept of change? What of the process(es) by which the existing conditions are transformed into the preferred ones, i.e. how may the change process be conceptualized in design? How does the general concern of change in the design community relate to the advances in strategic and organizational change theories? Our aim is to begin an exploration of how design may be conceptualized in relation to change.We do this by using two out of Pettigrew’s (1987) three related aspects of change: ‘process’, how something changes, and ‘content’, i.e. what is changed, to frame design as change (the third is ‘context’, the why of change). We make an attempt to explore and identify change perspectives, explicit or implicit, in design by using Van de Ven and Poole’s (1995) synthetic model of four “basic types of process theories” (p. 511): teleology, evolution, life cycle, and dialectic, all driven by different generative mechanisms or ‘motors of change’. Van de Ven & Poole’s ideal process types do though not handle the content aspect. To capture design content, we therefore use Heskett’s (2002) division of the designed artifacts’ function into two concepts, ‘utility’ and ‘significance’.Design processes are normally described as either of a teleological kind, i.e. driven by a goal set at the beginning of the process, or as similar to an evolutionary process. Some elements of the evolutionary model are frequent in descriptions of design processes, e.g. iterativity, prototyping and gradual development. However, the uncontrollability and slowness of evolution are less salient. A better way to frame design processes as evolutionary may therefore be to see them as guided (Lovas and Ghoshal 2000), i.e. driven not only by random mutation and competition but also by intent.By using Heskett’s distinction between utility and significance it is possible to further dissect the design process/design processes. Processes aiming for ‘utility’ eventually must converge into a solution, but is it necessarily the same when it regards the process by which ‘significance’ is designed, created and maintained? By analytically separating (c.f. Archer 1995) the by definition integrative design process, we argue that discussing design as process and content expands previous views of design as change.
Design as Change - From Teleology to Guided Evolution?
Design is connected to change. Whether we start from Herbert Simon’s often cited “the transformat... more Design is connected to change. Whether we start from Herbert Simon’s often cited “the transformation of existing conditions into preferred ones” (1996 p.111) or design as linked to innovation (Brown 2008, Verganti 2006) or even Heskett’s (2002) ‘betterment of the human condition’, design is a future oriented (Buchanan 2001), change inducing activity. But how is design thinking (in a wide sense) different from traditional managerial thinking in terms of the concept of change? What of the process(es) by which the existing conditions are transformed into the preferred ones, i.e. how may the change process be conceptualized in design? How does the general concern of change in the design community relate to the advances in strategic and organizational change theories? Our aim is to begin an exploration of how design may be conceptualized in relation to change.We do this by using two out of Pettigrew’s (1987) three related aspects of change: ‘process’, how something changes, and ‘content’, i.e. what is changed, to frame design as change (the third is ‘context’, the why of change). We make an attempt to explore and identify change perspectives, explicit or implicit, in design by using Van de Ven and Poole’s (1995) synthetic model of four “basic types of process theories” (p. 511): teleology, evolution, life cycle, and dialectic, all driven by different generative mechanisms or ‘motors of change’. Van de Ven & Poole’s ideal process types do though not handle the content aspect. To capture design content, we therefore use Heskett’s (2002) division of the designed artifacts’ function into two concepts, ‘utility’ and ‘significance’.Design processes are normally described as either of a teleological kind, i.e. driven by a goal set at the beginning of the process, or as similar to an evolutionary process. Some elements of the evolutionary model are frequent in descriptions of design processes, e.g. iterativity, prototyping and gradual development. However, the uncontrollability and slowness of evolution are less salient. A better way to frame design processes as evolutionary may therefore be to see them as guided (Lovas and Ghoshal 2000), i.e. driven not only by random mutation and competition but also by intent.By using Heskett’s distinction between utility and significance it is possible to further dissect the design process/design processes. Processes aiming for ‘utility’ eventually must converge into a solution, but is it necessarily the same when it regards the process by which ‘significance’ is designed, created and maintained? By analytically separating (c.f. Archer 1995) the by definition integrative design process, we argue that discussing design as process and content expands previous views of design as change.
I detta nummer publicerar vi två vetenskapliga artiklar. Båda handlar om integration av design i ... more I detta nummer publicerar vi två vetenskapliga artiklar. Båda handlar om integration av design i organisationer-först konceptuellt och sedan ur ett mer praktiskt perspektiv i sammanhanget av högre utbildning. Designmanagement som kunskapsintegration Den första artikeln, ''Knowledge Integration of and by Design'', är författad av Per Åman och Hans Andersson och berör integration av management och design. Dessa discipliner kommer från olika traditioner och bygger delvis på olika logiker. Förenklat finns det inom managementområdet en tradition av teknisk och ekonomisk rationalitet, men också försök att förstå och hantera sociokulturella fenomen i organisationer. Designtänkande har i stället en konstnärlig koppling där praktisk och handfast erfarenhet betonas och där det ofta anses vara en moralisk plikt att förbättra människors livsvillkor, men där till exempel industridesign ingår i ett tekniskt, ekonomiskt och organisatoriskt sammanhang. Managementperspektivet och designperspektivet behöver samspela. Författarna använder sig av kunskapsintegration som ramverk för att förstå management, designtänkande och hur dessa kan integreras. En organisation definieras här som en kunskapsbärare där kunskap kodifieras och handling koordineras. Management och design ses som två olika men komplementära kunskapsbaser. Kunskapsintegration handlar om vilken kunskap som ska integreras, hur detta sker effektivt, och om flexibilitet i integrationsprocessen. Två typer av integration formuleras; att se design som en resurs att integrera i övriga organisationen, respektive att se design som förmågan att integrera olika typer av kunskap. Det vill säga integration av design eller integration genom design. Design i det högre utbildningsväsendet Universiteten tillhör en av de äldsta institutionerna i samhället. Jag som undervisar på universitetet vet att universitetets strukturer ofta är rigida. Heather Madden och Andrew T. Walters beskriver i sin artikel ''Using an Action Research Approach to Embed Service Design in a Higher Education Institution'' ett projekt där aktionsforskning och tjänstedesign kombinerats för att åstadkomma förändring mot ett mer studentfokuserat lärande. Specifikt studeras hur tjänstedesign kan påverka kulturen inom organisationen, på vilka sätt tjänstedesign kan hjälpa universitetet att bli mer innovativt och kollaborativt, och vilket ledarskap som krävs för detta. Idag saknas ofta systematiskt och löpande utvecklingsarbete på universitetet. Användningen av designmetodiker är inte något som har fått fotfäste på universiteten. Därför är Madden och Walters bidrag högst välkommet. Studien visar på svårigheten i att åstadkomma förändring i stora och komplexa organisationer. I ett läge där utrymme i tid och plats saknas för utveckling och där organisationen är uppbyggd enligt funktioner i ''silor'' är det möjligt att åstadkomma mindre förbättringar men svårt att nå större förändring och kulturförändring. Men studien visar att genom att börja arbeta enligt designmetoder kan ''intraprenörer'' få utrymme att visa sig och hitta varandra. Ett nätverk av utvecklingsorienterade individer som är grund för mer långsiktig förändring kan bildas. Nu finns en portal för journalens vetenskapliga bidrag: www.svid.se/sdrj. Där skickar författare in artiklar, där sker review-processen och publicering av artiklar som fristående artiklar. Detta för att öka tillgängligheten för forskare som läsare och skribenter. Det är mitt mål att vi gradvis kommer att öka antalet publicerade artiklar per år. För att förkorta ledtider kommer artiklar första att publiceras digitalt och sedan i pappersform i journalen. Jag vill tacka reviewerna för deras viktiga arbete och hoppas att läsarna ska finna artiklarna värdefulla! n
Experiential knowledge, operational capabilities and competitive advantage - logistics and strategy in two retail companies
Experiential knowledge, operational capabilities and competitive advantage - logistics and strate... more Experiential knowledge, operational capabilities and competitive advantage - logistics and strategy in two retail companies
This study explores the relationship between logistics capabilities and sustainable competitive a... more This study explores the relationship between logistics capabilities and sustainable competitive advantage by using the notion of learning mechanisms. It is argued that a set of processes of learning mechanisms may serve as a source of dynamic capabilities that create, develop and maintain logistics capabilities in their role as source of a company's sustainable competitive advantage. The learning mechanisms, in the form of experience accumulation, knowledge articulation and codification, are identified in two best-practice companies within logistics. Results imply that the origin of the sustainability of a logistics-based company's competitive advantage may be found in the dynamics of organisational learning, ultimately based on trial and error and experience accumulation. As such, the research elaborates on the connection between logistics capabilities and strategic competitive advantage, with learning as mediating dynamic capability.
Experiential knowledge, operational capabilities and competitive advantage - logistics and strategy in two retail companies
Experiential knowledge, operational capabilities and competitive advantage - logistics and strate... more Experiential knowledge, operational capabilities and competitive advantage - logistics and strategy in two retail companies
The purpose of this paper is to explore the possible uses, benefits, limitations and future direc... more The purpose of this paper is to explore the possible uses, benefits, limitations and future directions of a formal knowledge integration perspective on design management. The paper develops the concepts of management thinking and design(erly) thinking, and questions the implied contention. With a knowledge perspective, design management may be seen as including the capability to integrate specialized, distributed and heterogeneous knowledge bases. Consequences regarding the characteristics of scope, flexibility and efficiency of knowledge integration indicate both greater difficulties and greater possibilities. Regarding the architecture of knowledge, integration of design indicates a functional orientation and a limited role for design, while integration by design may indicate a strategic role.
This study explores the relationship between logistics capabilities and sustainable competitive a... more This study explores the relationship between logistics capabilities and sustainable competitive advantage by using the notion of learning mechanisms. It is argued that a set of processes of learning mechanisms may serve as a source of dynamic capabilities that create, develop and maintain logistics capabilities in their role as source of a company's sustainable competitive advantage. The learning mechanisms, in the form of experience accumulation, knowledge articulation and codification, are identified in two best-practice companies within logistics. Results imply that the origin of the sustainability of a logistics-based company's competitive advantage may be found in the dynamics of organisational learning, ultimately based on trial and error and experience accumulation. As such, the research elaborates on the connection between logistics capabilities and strategic competitive advantage, with learning as mediating dynamic capability.
Design as change - from teleology to guided evolution?
Design is connected to change. Whether we start from Herbert Simon’s often cited “the transformat... more Design is connected to change. Whether we start from Herbert Simon’s often cited “the transformation of existing conditions into preferred ones” (1996 p.111) or design as linked to innovation (Brown 2008, Verganti 2006) or even Heskett’s (2002) ‘betterment of the human condition’, design is a future oriented (Buchanan 2001), change inducing activity. But how is design thinking (in a wide sense) different from traditional managerial thinking in terms of the concept of change? What of the process(es) by which the existing conditions are transformed into the preferred ones, i.e. how may the change process be conceptualized in design? How does the general concern of change in the design community relate to the advances in strategic and organizational change theories? Our aim is to begin an exploration of how design may be conceptualized in relation to change.We do this by using two out of Pettigrew’s (1987) three related aspects of change: ‘process’, how something changes, and ‘content’, i.e. what is changed, to frame design as change (the third is ‘context’, the why of change). We make an attempt to explore and identify change perspectives, explicit or implicit, in design by using Van de Ven and Poole’s (1995) synthetic model of four “basic types of process theories” (p. 511): teleology, evolution, life cycle, and dialectic, all driven by different generative mechanisms or ‘motors of change’. Van de Ven & Poole’s ideal process types do though not handle the content aspect. To capture design content, we therefore use Heskett’s (2002) division of the designed artifacts’ function into two concepts, ‘utility’ and ‘significance’.Design processes are normally described as either of a teleological kind, i.e. driven by a goal set at the beginning of the process, or as similar to an evolutionary process. Some elements of the evolutionary model are frequent in descriptions of design processes, e.g. iterativity, prototyping and gradual development. However, the uncontrollability and slowness of evolution are less salient. A better way to frame design processes as evolutionary may therefore be to see them as guided (Lovas and Ghoshal 2000), i.e. driven not only by random mutation and competition but also by intent.By using Heskett’s distinction between utility and significance it is possible to further dissect the design process/design processes. Processes aiming for ‘utility’ eventually must converge into a solution, but is it necessarily the same when it regards the process by which ‘significance’ is designed, created and maintained? By analytically separating (c.f. Archer 1995) the by definition integrative design process, we argue that discussing design as process and content expands previous views of design as change.
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