1,720,963 research outputs found
Enlightening the dynamic capabilities of design thinking in fostering digital transformation
Full text linkDigital transformation describes the deep-seated changes in organizational activities, processes, and capabilities induced by the advent of digital technologies. Digital transformation requires sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring the digital technological challenges into opportunities. Academic literature acknowledges the central role of design as a driver of innovation. Furthermore, recent research discloses the value that design, especially design thinking, can have in leading digital transformations. In this understanding, design thinking has been proven to be an approach based on dynamic capabilities. What seems to lack in the current understanding is how the dynamic capabilities of design thinking can facilitate digital transformation. Thus, the paper aims to shed light on how dynamic capabilities of design thinking foster discovering the opportunities digital technologies provide to enact the transformation. This paper investigates four different cases of consulting projects where the adoption of design thinking dynamic capabilities enhance the value of digital technologies towards a more human centric digital transformation. By being a business-to-business market, the consulting environment might inform readers how design thinking dynamic capabilities are salient for digital transformation. Examining them, the paper proposes five design thinking dynamic capabilities that managers should cultivate: extending, debating, cropping, interpreting, and recombining. Concerning academic debate, the paper enriches the understanding of digital transformation by unshadowing the value that design thinking dynamic capabilities might play in it
The creative process of problem framing for innovation: An integrative review and research agenda
Full text linkWhile today's society tends to prioritize problem solving and idea management, framing the problem is often more important than solving it. Problem
framing is not a linear process; rather, it requires creativity and the ability to
explore multiple dimensions of the problem. Scholars and practitioners
increasingly recognize the value of “building the right things” and addressing
the right problem, rather than “building things right” and addressing the
wrong problem. In this context, understanding the process of problem framing
and the role of creativity—characterized by the ability to navigate uncertainty
and explore unconventional perspectives—has garnered attention across disciplines. Management, psychology, and the social sciences are among the fields
in which researchers have examined the role of creativity in problem framing
from three interrelated perspectives: business and organizational, cognitive,
and social or relational. To gain a holistic understanding of these contributions, we conducted an integrative review of 188 academic papers, synthesizing
the synergies and differences between the management, psychology, and social
science communities of practice on problem framing and creativity. Our
review identifies and integrates key concepts of the creative process of problem
framing from these communities and organizes them into four constituents:
(i) problem representations, (ii) activated knowledge, (iii) influencing stimuli,
and (iv) creative logics. This integration forms the basis of the framework we
present, which synthesizes insights across disciplines to redirect the innovation
management debate. In addition to outlining a research agenda to guide
future investigation and theorizing, our research provides practical insights
into the temporal interactions of the constituents of the creative process of
problem framing. These insights can help innovation managers not only
navigate the dynamics and complexities of this process, but also foster more
effective innovation
The role of design thinking in Big Data innovations
Full text linkDigital technologies are disrupting the way companies manage business. In today’s society, where a plethora of different digital solutions are booming and the attention of both practitioners and scholars is growing, little is known about how to make the most of such technologies. Given the complexity of the phenomenon, this paper refers to a single digital technology, Big Data. It is commonly recognised that Big Data can represent a competitive advantage source for companies. However, there is still a lack of literature on how to exploit the opportunities provided by this technology, while the amount of data is so vast that their interpretation is complex. The focus on human centricity, iteration, and prototyping of Design Thinking brought the academic world towards the recognition that this approach could be valuable in steering and managing this technology. Thus, the paper investigates how Design Thinking can foster innovation based on Big Data technologies. It leverages three explicative case studies to shed light on a new set of hybrid practices. By comparing and contrasting cases, the four practices of (i) Cropping Big Data Landscapes, (ii) Reframing Big Data applications, (iii) Unveiling Big Data Opportunities, and (iv) Proving Big Data Releases are proposed. These hybrid sets of practices support both practitioners and academics in opening up the black box to interpret and value Big Data
Predictive or imaginative futures? Experimenting with alternative future‐making approaches
No full textFuture-making, the act of imagining and producing the future, is becoming increasingly
relevant in scholarly and practitioner debates. In a constantly evolving society
where the future is difficult to navigate, there is an urgent need to explore new and
innovative ways of imagining plausible futures that are more desirable to people. The
future-making literature proposes different practices, tools, options and possibilities
for envisioning futures and advancing the debate on issues that affect society. To
explore how different future-making approaches influence the generation of future
scenarios, we conducted an experiment in which we asked 64 practitioners participating
in teams to anticipate and imagine futures using two different future-making
approaches: predictive and imaginative. The resulting future scenarios were then
evaluated by 227 practitioners in a postexperiment survey measuring their plausibility
and desirability, as well as their similarities and differences in terms of future scenario
generation. Our study contributes to both theory and practice. In particular, we
contribute to the future-making debate and enrich current understanding of the different
processes and tools adopted in predictive and imaginative future-making using
an experimental approach. Our study also supports practitioners in unpacking the
potential of adopting different types of future-making, from predictive to
imaginative
The 4S Model for AI Adoption Integrating Design Thinking and Technology Development
No full textOrganizations often face challenges in exploiting the opportunities of digital technologies due to a technology-centric focus that overlooks user value. This study explores how organizations can develop artificial intelligence (AI)-based solutions from a human-centered perspective. An in-depth case study of two projects that use both design thinking and technology development to adopt AI solutions yielded a new hybrid approach, which we call the 4S Model. The 4S Model, which combines design thinking and technology development approaches for adopting AI-based solutions, draws on the theoretical lens of microfoundations, defining (1) the process phases (storming, solving, scoping, scaling); (2) the individualsinvolved (designers, technology experts, users); and (3) the structure and tools required (blueprint, pilot AI solutions, façadeprototyping). The 4S Model provides guidelines for organizations seeking to apply design thinking to the deployment of AI
WHAT MAKES YOU THINK DIFFERENTLY? THE ROLE OF STIMULI IN THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN CREATIVE LOGICS AND PROBLEM FRAMING
No full textIn a fast-changing society, where new challenges emerge and organizations face unprecedented
complex situations, it is extremely important to understand how to frame ill-defined problems.
Problem framing is the act of transforming ill-defined problems into problem representations – i.e.,
one’s interpretations of the central features of the problem. Many studies have implicitly described
problem framing as an analytical process. However, framing ill-defined problems is not a linear
process. In fact, it is a messy, creative process that leverages the creative cognition of individuals and
the interaction with stimuli from the external environment. Hence, the role of creative cognition in
problem framing is still unclear. Similarly, research in problem framing still needs to unpack the
interactions between the creative cognition of individuals and the stimuli from the external context.
With a qualitative experiment this study investigates the role of creative cognition in problem framing
by analyzing the problem representations resulting from different creative logics. Then, the study
analyses the interaction of two types of stimuli – informational and sensory – with creative logics in
problem framing. For our analysis, we triangulated the participants' outcomes, performances, and the
transcript of their conversations. In analyzing the results, the study contributes to both theory of
creative logics and the influence of stimuli in the process of reframing. Moreover, the research
highlights four natures of interaction between creative logics and stimuli: (i) ameliorative
sabotage, (ii) sparring enrichment, (iii) surrealist inspiration, and (iv) metaphoric detailing
STARTING FROM THE NEW OR THE OLD? A STUDY ON HOW INDIVIDUALS CREATIVELY PROCESS INFORMATION IN PROBLEM FRAMING
No full textIn an environment that is increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous, individuals who undergo the innovation process need to manage a large quantity of information and various cues. To make sense of these, framing becomes paramount. Through framing, individuals activate schemas that support the interpretation of the environment. To activate schemas and manage the complexity, individuals need to direct their attention to only a selection of cues. Literature has shown that individuals can direct their attention by attending cues that resonate with knowledge schemas that they expect to find (i.e., top-down), or by being driven by cues only (i.e., bottom-up). These directions of attention determine which creative logics – i.e., thought modalities – are involved in problem framing. Despite theoretical literature has highlighted the interaction between framing and attention, and creative logics, the way this interaction works remains largely underexplained. With an ethnographic study, we uncover the way attention is directed and the way it triggers creative logics. Specifically, we shed light on a third attentional direction that we call middle-out that describes a dynamic interaction between top-down and bottom-up. Moreover, we open the black box on how the different direction of attention triggers different creative logics. Namely, associative thinking is triggered by bottom-up and middle-out directions. Instead, abductive reasoning is triggered by bottom-up and top-down directions. Finally, associative thinking is triggered by top-down and middle-out directions
A Systematic Literature Review of Knowledge Sharing in Creativity: Factors, Barriers and Enablers
Full text linkLAUREA MAGISTRALEL'innovazione aziendale è essenziale per mantenere un vantaggio competitivo e migliorare le prestazioni organizzative. Nell'innovazione, la creatività è il processo fondamentale con cui le persone generano idee nuove e significative. Per creare idee nuove e significative, la conoscenza è fondamentale perché è la base su cui fiorisce la creatività e si costruisce il successo organizzativo. Sebbene la creatività tragga spesso beneficio dalla condivisione della conoscenza all'interno delle organizzazioni e tra di esse, la condivisione della conoscenza non è sempre facile da ottenere e non sempre sostiene la creatività. Sono state condotte numerose ricerche per analizzare la condivisione della conoscenza e determinare le variabili che influenzano il processo nel contesto delle organizzazioni. Alcune ricerche sono state condotte separatamente a livello individuale, di gruppo, organizzativo e inter-organizzativo. Altri studi, invece, sono stati condotti non considerando il processo attraverso il quale avviene la condivisione della conoscenza, considerando solo la comunicazione o solo il processo di traduzione. Pertanto, i diversi fattori, barriere o abilitatori presenti nella letteratura non sono stati analizzati in modo olistico. Questo studio contribuisce alla comprensione della condivisione della conoscenza nella creatività, offrendo una visione multilivello dei suoi fattori, barriere e abilitatori. In particolare, questa letteratura sistematica propone un quadro concettuale che identifica i fattori, le barriere e gli abilitatori nelle due attività principali coinvolte nel processo di condivisione della conoscenza (ossia, i processi di comunicazione e traduzione). Inoltre, il quadro concettuale evidenzia le differenze tra i fattori, le barriere e gli abilitatori ai diversi livelli di interazione in cui avviene la condivisione della conoscenza (individuale, di gruppo, organizzativa e inter-organizzativa). Infine, lo studio contribuisce proponendo future direzioni di ricerca. In particolare, mentre alcuni fattori, barriere e abilitatori sono stati ampiamente discussi, altri come la reputazione, la reciprocità, la struttura malformata delle idee nascenti, il piano di conservazione della conoscenza e gli abilitatori organizzativi nel processo di traduzione non sono stati sufficientemente esaminati. Analizzando invece le ricompense e la competizione, sono emersi impatti contraddittori tra gli studiosi. L'analisi della letteratura sembra inoltre suggerire che alcuni elementi a livello individuale e di team possono influenzare anche le dinamiche inter-organizzative. Pertanto, un'altra direzione di ricerca è quella di indagare la relazione tra individui, team e inter-organizzazioni per capire se le meta-teorie di un dominio possono essere applicate all'altro e come sono correlate tra loro.Firm innovation is essential to maintain a competitive advantage and to improve organizational performance. In innovation, creativity is the fundamental process in which people generate novel and meaningful ideas. To create novel and meaningful ideas, knowledge is crucial because it is the basis upon which creativity flourishes and organizational success is built. While creativity often benefits from knowledge being shared within and among organizations, knowledge sharing is not always easy to achieve nor is it always supporting creativity. Numerous research has been conducted to analyze knowledge sharing to determine the variables that affect the process in the context of organizations. Some research was done at the individual, group, organizational, and inter-organizational levels separately. Other studies, instead, were conducted without considering the process through which knowledge sharing occurs, considering only the communication, or considering only the translation process. Therefore, the different factors, barriers, or enablers found in the literature have not been analyzed holistically. This study contributes to the understanding of knowledge sharing in creativity by offering the much needed multi-level view of its factors, barriers, and enablers. In particular, this systematic literature proposes a conceptual framework that identifies the factors, barriers, and enablers across the two main activities involved in the knowledge sharing process (i.e. communication and translation processes). Moreover, the conceptual framework highlights the differences in the factors, barriers, and enablers across different levels of interactions in which knowledge sharing occurs (i.e. individual, team, organizational, and inter-organizational). Finally, the study contributes by proposing future research directions. In particular, while some factors, barriers, and enablers were widely discussed, others such as reputation, reciprocity, the ill-formed structure of nascent ideas, knowledge retention plan, and organizational translation enablers were not examined enough. Instead, by analyzing rewards and competition, contradictory impacts emerged among scholars. The analysis of the literature also seems to suggest that certain elements at the individual and team levels can also influence inter-organizational dynamics. Therefore, another research direction is to investigate the relationship between individuals, teams, and inter-organizations to understand whether meta-theories from one domain can be applied to the other and how they are related to each other
Combining creative logics and stimuli in problem framing: understanding the dynamics of interaction
No full textLAUREA MAGISTRALEIl dinamismo dell'epoca odierna pone individui e organizzazioni di fronte a una complessità e a una tendenza all'innovazione sempre crescenti. In questo scenario, è facile immaginare l'importanza non solo del processo di identificazione e formulazione del problema - prima della sua soluzione - ma anche della dimensione creativa della formulazione stessa. Infatti, se parliamo di innovazione e dinamismo, non possiamo non considerare il processo attraverso il quale gli individui elaborano nuove idee ed esplorano diverse possibilità: il processo creativo - che nel presente studio viene esplicitato attraverso le logiche creative.
La storia è piena di casi in cui intuizioni epocali sono state innescate da incontri casuali con stimoli provocatori. La scoperta del principio di spostamento da parte di Archimede è avvenuta durante un bagno nella vasca da bagno, l'ispirazione di Picasso per il suo famoso dipinto Les Demoiselles d'Avignon è stata provocata da una visita casuale a una mostra d'arte africana e l'idea dell'ingegnere della NASA James Crocker per la riparazione del telescopio spaziale Hubble è stata provocata da un incontro casuale con un soffione regolabile della doccia citep{SmithKohn}. Da qui la necessità di indagare come il processo creativo e gli stimoli si combinino nell'inquadramento dei problemi.
Per rispondere alla domanda di ricerca, è stato sviluppato un esperimento qualitativo che ha coinvolto 92 pensatori di design ai quali è stato chiesto di svolgere diversi compiti. I dati raccolti sono stati analizzati attraverso una protocol analysis che ha tracciato delle dinamiche generate tra gli individui che inquadrano un problema, grazie alla combinazione di logiche creative e stimoli. Il risultato è stato l'identificazione di pattern, che ruotano principalmente intorno a tre dinamiche: formalizing - che consiste nel riformulare o dettagliare il problema; root-causing - cioè indagare il problema andando alla ricerca delle sue cause effettive; relocating - l'atto di cambiare prospettiva sul problema o comunque apportare modifiche a variabili più o meno rilevanti. Queste non solo contribuiscono ad arricchire la conoscenza teorica delle questioni legate all'inquadramento dei problemi, ma forniscono anche una base informativa per possibili applicazioni a livello pratico e manageriale. Il presente studio, infatti, si pone come obiettivo principale quello di comprendere come l'interazione fra gli individui sia influenzata dalla combinazione tra le logiche creative - attraverso le quali questi ultimi sono indotti a pensare - e gli stimoli. Le dinamiche generate da questa combinazione forniscono un dato rilevante per la comprensione dei meccanismi che avvengono tra gli individui coinvolti nella riformulazione innovativa del problema.The dynamism of today's age confronts individuals and organizations with ever-increasing complexity and tendency toward innovation. In this scenario, it is easy to imagine the importance of not only the process of identifying and formulating the problem - before its solution - but also the creative dimension of the formulation itself. Indeed, if we talk about challenging innovation and dynamism, we cannot fail to consider the process through which individuals come up with new ideas and explore different possibilities: the creative process - which is made explicit in the present study through the creative logics.
History is replete with instances in which momentous insights were triggered by chance encounters with provocative stimuli. Archimedes' discovery of the displacement principle was triggered when he bathed in his bathtub, Picasso's inspiration for his famous painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon was triggered by a chance visit to an African art exhibition, and NASA engineer James Crocker's idea for the repair of the Hubble Space Telescope was triggered by a chance encounter with an adjustable shower head citep{SmithKohn}. Hence the need to go out and investigate how the creative process and stimuli combine in problem framing.
To answer the research question, a qualitative experiment was developed involving 92 design thinkers who were asked to perform various tasks. The collected data were analyzed through a Protocol Analysis that identified the trace of dynamics generated among individuals framing a problem, thanks to the combination of creative logics and stimuli. The result was the identification of patterns, mainly revolving around three dynamics: formalizing - which consists of rephrasing or detailing the problem; root-causing - that is, to investigate the problem by going after its actual causes; relocating - the act of changing perspective on the problem or otherwise making changes to more or less relevant variables. These not only contribute to enriching the theoretical knowledge of issues related to problem framing but also provide an informative basis for possible applications at the practical, managerial level. In fact, the main objective of the present study is to understand how the interaction between individuals is influenced by the combination of creative logics-through which they are induced to think-and stimuli. The dynamics generated by this combination provide relevant data for understanding the mechanisms that occur among individuals involved in innovative problem reformulation
Opening the black box of search & recombination: the cognitive styles of individual creativity
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