The role of design thinking in adaptive strategy making - An interview study with Finnish design and strategy professionals

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Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

School of Business | Master's thesis

Authors

Date

2024

Department

Johtamisen laitos

Major/Subject

Mcode

Degree programme

Strategic Management in a Changing World

Language

en

Pages

90+9

Series

Abstract

This qualitative study examines how design thinking is utilized in the context of adaptive strategy making in Finnish companies. It explores this topic through five semi-structured interviews that enlighten the topic through the perspectives of strategy and design professionals consisting of consultants and in-house professionals. More specifically, through the theoretical perspective of dynamic capabilities and strategy as practice, this study aims to find out how design thinking is utilized in the practical process of adaptive strategy making, and how it contributes to creating adaptiveness in strategy making. Therefore, this study contributes to the existing research by combining the topics of design thinking, adaptiveness and strategy making. The results of the study indicate that design thinking does contribute to enhancing adaptiveness. This could be observed in three ways. Firstly, design thinking promotes the inclusion of a wider group of people in strategy process, which enriches the viewpoints and information gained, and impacts behavior. Secondly, design thinking brings to strategy the act of shape giving and concretizing, which enables better communication about abstract topics, experimentation with the ideas, and discussions about the future. Thirdly, design thinking holds the characteristic of continual and simultaneous progression, which is needed in adaptive strategy. These elements are reflected in relation to dynamic capabilities to assess their contribution to adaptiveness, with the results indicating connections to mostly sensing and seizing capabilities, but also to reconfiguring in one aspect. This study also discusses the contradictory position of design thinking at the moment in the strategic management field. On one hand, interest towards design thinking seems to be decreasing, while on the other hand, signs of its relevance could also be identified. This, in addition to the argument that this study makes about the potential of design thinking to support adaptive strategy making, makes it seem like design thinking is at a turning point, which might require some adaptation for it to be utilized as a serious part of adaptive strategy making in the future.

Description

Thesis advisor

Huopalainen, Astrid

Keywords

adaptive strategy, design thinking, strategy process, strategy as practice, dynamic capabilities

Other note

Citation

Permanent link to this item

https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202411177130

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[gradu] Kauppakorkeakoulu / BIZ