Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Colliding Influences

When Self-Organizing Teams Encounter Strategic Objectives and Established Routines

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Design Thinking Research

Part of the book series: Understanding Innovation ((UNDINNO))

  • 3752 Accesses

Abstract

This article illustrates findings from a case study on the impact of design thinking within a large organization. As teams apply design thinking as a framework for product discovery and development, there is an increased focus on the user as a source of inspiration as well as self-organizing teamwork. This phenomenon contrast to the result of other frameworks implemented in the organization (e.g., Waterfall and Scrum). These new influential factors are to some extent seemingly in collision with other existing influential factors, such as established routines in project management and a corporate strategy. Contrary objectives lead to paradoxical situations within teams and between teams and their managers. It appears that such situations can only be partially resolved by stakeholders. This case study empirically clarifies the impression from previous research that the integration of design thinking appears to be a managerial challenge yet to be mastered.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    The comparison of design thinking and Scrum in particular, as it is perceived by the same stakeholders, is the subject of a previous article in this series (Rhinow and Meinel 2014).

References

  • Brown T (2008) Design thinking. Harvard Business Review, pp 84–92

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown T, Watt J (2010) Design thinking for social innovation. Stanf Soc Innov Rev 8(1):28–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Buchanan R (2004) Management and design: interaction pathways in organizational life. In: Boland RJ, Collopy F (eds) Managing as designing. Stanford Business Books, Stanford

    Google Scholar 

  • Bucolo S, Matthews J (2010) Using a design led disruptive innovation approach to develop new services. In: Kobe C, Goller I (eds) Proceedings of the 11th international CINet conference: practicing innovation in the times of discontinuity. CINet, Zurich

    Google Scholar 

  • Carlgren L, Elmquist M, Rauth I (2011) Implementing design thinking—an exploratory study of large companies using design thinking in innovation efforts. In: Proceedings of the 2011 Tsinghua-DMI international design management symposium HK in Hong Kong, pp 1–19

    Google Scholar 

  • Charmaz K (2006) Constructing grounded theory. A practical guide through qualitative research. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark K, Smith R (2008) Unleashing the power of design thinking. Des Manag Rev 19(3):7–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Gioia D, Corley K, Hamilton A (2013) Seeking qualitative rigor in inductive research: notes on the Gioia methodology. Organ Res Methods 16:15–31 (originally published online 24 July 2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glaser B, Strauss A (2009) The discovery of grounded theory: strategies for qualitative research. Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindberg T, Noweski C, Meinel C (2010) Evolving discourses on design thinking: how design cognition inspires meta-disciplinary creative collaboration. Technoetic Arts 8(1):31–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin RL (2009) The design of business: why design thinking is the next competitive advantage. Harvard Business Press, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • Rhinow H, Meinel C (2014) Design thinking: expectations from a management perspective. In: Plattner H, Meinel C, Leifer L (eds) Understanding innovation. Springer, Heidelberg

    Google Scholar 

  • Rittel H, Webber M (1973) Dilemmas in a general theory of planning. Policy Sci 4(2):155–169

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rowe P (1987) Design thinking. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmiedgen J, Rhinow H, Köppen E, Meinel C (2015) Part without a whole? The current state of design thinking practice in organizations (study report no 97). Hasso-Plattner-Institut für Softwaresystemtechnik an der Universität Potsdam, Potsdam

    Google Scholar 

  • Simon H (1999) The sciences of the artificial. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hasso Plattner Institute for Software Systems Engineering, Campus Griebnitzsee, 14482, Potsdam, Germany

    Holger Rhinow & Christoph Meinel

Authors
  1. Holger Rhinow
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Christoph Meinel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Holger Rhinow .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hasso Plattner Institute for Software Systems Engineering, Potsdam, Germany

    Hasso Plattner

  2. Hasso Plattner Institute for Software Systems Engineering, Potsdam, Germany

    Christoph Meinel

  3. Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA

    Larry Leifer

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Rhinow, H., Meinel, C. (2016). Colliding Influences. In: Plattner, H., Meinel, C., Leifer, L. (eds) Design Thinking Research. Understanding Innovation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40382-3_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation