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Communication between people is commonly thought to play a major role in determining the success or failure of collaborative design projects. We conducted 8 weeks of observation and 62 interviews in three design companies. Our findings indicate that communication is blamed for causing many problems which are not of obvious technical nature. However, such problems are more often symptomatic of underlying factors related to information, representation, individual, team, and organisational issues. Examples of factors influencing communication at interfaces are people's understanding of the 'sequence of tasks' or 'goals and objectives' in the design process. With a system-theory informed conceptualisation of communication, we propose that awareness of such factors could assist design practitioners in targeting interventions and researchers in generating hypotheses about communication and design performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry, waste is oft framed as an economic problem typically addressed in a building's construction and demolition phase. Yet, architectural design decision-making can significantly determine construction waste outcomes. Following the logic of zero waste, this research addresses waste minimisation 'at the source'. By resituating the problem of construction waste within the architectural design process, the research explores waste as a data and informational problem in a design system. Accordingly, this article outlines the creation of an integrated computational design decision support waste tool that employs a novel data structure combining HTML-scraped material data and historic building information modelling (BIM) data to generate waste evaluations in a browser-based 3D modelling platform. Designing an accessible construction waste tool for use by architects and designers aims to heighten awareness of the waste implications of design decisions towards challenging the systems of consumption and production that generate construction and demolition waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the measurement of design value in the context of different industries. The aim is to understand the impact design has on the length of the entrepreneurship through the exploration of case studies. There are many factors and indicators that could be influenced by design application in real processes, such as performance of the company in the context of increased competitiveness, increased turnover, market share, brand value growth, and other economic indicators. This article focuses mainly on profit-oriented factors and the possible direct impact of a design implementation. The collections of qualitative data for system-dynamic models were carried out through personal interviews; then, the data were analyzed and compared. The originality of the case studies lies primarily in the application of new design value measurement methodology based on the Design Value Index (DVI) for measuring design potential in combination with the Design Value Algorithm (DVA) for the prediction of the benefits of design implementation in the analyzed Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – In recent years, innovative methodologies of product development such as lean product development (LPD) and agile project management (APM) have emerged. Even though previous research studies focused on these subjects, only few of them were focused on traditional industries, as civil construction. The purpose of this paper is to cover a part of this gap by estimating the potential of the application of these two new approaches (LPD and APM) in the construction industry, more specifically on the design stage. Design/methodology/approach – For this, a case study has been conducted in order to understand if some of LPD and APM tools and practices had already been used, and also to evaluate the potential application of these new methodologies. Three Brazilian companies have been evaluated, all of them were exclusive executors of the design stage and presented distinct characteristics (size, structure, business model, etc.). Findings – The results show that there is currently little adherence to LPD and APM practices within the companies studied. In terms of potential application of these new methodologies, the study has identified evidence regarding technical similarities between the reported cases and others mentioned in literature. However, the interviewees’ reception of these concepts was mostly pessimistic, showing considerable resistance to changes in the current process. Originality/value – According to the analysis, the study identified that the main challenge/hampering to the implementation of these tools in the cases studied herein are the functional organizational structures, the customer–supplier relationships and the internal cultural resistance to change.

While the market orientation of companies has been thoroughly analysed, a review of the marketing literature indicates that there is significantly less research on Design Orientation, and especially on their relationship. This paper analyzes the variables of Design and Market Orientation on the basis of existing models and develops the measurement instrument for future research. The study also investigates the impact of managerial approach on the exploitation of design resources in the company. Two hypotheses are developed: the first on the DO-MO relationship, acknowledging the multiple dimensions of Design Orientation and the second on the difference in managerial approach between more and less design-oriented companies. The first, qualitative stage of the research served to re-examine the research constructs and variables, while an Internet survey was used in the second, quantitative stage, among managers and CEOs from Croatian companies. The design dimensions in our final model represented intermediaries between Market Orientation, managerial approach, and market outcomes. Results confirm that managers in non-design oriented companies differ from those in design-oriented companies by perceived design value. Managers’ and CEOs’ awareness of design, its value and potentials, are of great importance for design implementation and Design Orientation of a company as a whole, especially in SMEs. Managerial approach, according to results, has a direct effect on Design Orientation, but it also influences Market Orientation, both directly and indirectly, as well as business success. Findings of this study can have implications for scholars, as well as for managers in practice, especially in emerging economies, which lack research in Design Orientation. Future research should be expanded to other countries in the region.

Over the past number of years, competence management has become a key issue for companies. Similarly, to the importance of knowledge management, competence management considers an individual’s performance, based on his or her knowledge. Thus, knowledge management becomes an important aspect for companies to manage resources, through the ability of characterizing key competences and evaluating how they are improved through past experiences and roles, thus selecting project team members according to the respective existing skills. This paper focuses on the coordination of design activities in order to propose a tool dedicated to operation-level project managers to help prepare their technical teams based on the required skills. The goal is to enhance the effectiveness of the teams, as well as their performance in the short-term, as well as the long-term, while coordinating with the human resources department. This work is based on the results of the Aides et assisTances pour la conception, la conduite et leur coupLage par les connAissanceS – Help and support for design, coordination and their coupling by knowledge (ATLAS, 2008 - 2011). This project studies the coupling between systems design and management. We propose an initial tool to manage skills in a design project.

The main purpose of this paper is to focus on the awareness of SMEs of the influence of design on their business as well as on the performance of the company in the context of increased competitiveness. What economic indicators do design influence? Can they facilitate direct profit increases or just sales increases (turnover)? Can design factors affect long-term goals such as market share or brand value growth? The research approach is based on theoretical sources as well as empirical studies conducted on design management and its relationship to a company’s profits. Two research questions verifying the thesis were statistically tested at a significance level of 0.05. A statistical search was also undertaken seeking to determine a dependence between how much companies expect to increase profits as well as brand value (achieving a competitive advantage) based on design elements. The practical implications of the research were shown to confirm the thesis and unequivocally support the significant impact of design on the economic results of SMEs. This effect was shown especially in increased brand value, but also by profit as well as sales growth, all factors which are of high importance to businesses. This, however, is not the primary focus of the article. The originality of this contribution lies primarily in the freshness of the data received, i.e. in the context of the current situation in the economy. It is commonly believed among practitioners of Product Life Cycle Theory that it is optimal for companies to invest in innovation (e. g. design) in the third phase, thus it is crucial that firms are (made) aware that design factors affect their economic goals, and to determine to what extent companies accept the reality of these effects. To meet these goals, we also considered profit maximization from the point of view of microeconomic theory, which is undoubtedly reflected in the formation of corporate goals, e.g. as measured by how design influences the four economic indicators of a company.

Addressing the conceptual design stage as a significant part of design management, this article introduces a framework for concept generation and development in architectural design. Evolving throughout eleven years of experimentation, the framework is formulated as a graphical template to plot eight methods of concept generation, and multiple figurative and operative models for concept transformation and development. The framework is intended to be flexible and supportive of iterative cycling, while also offering an explicit, structured and systemized approach to broaden the solution scope and enhance creativity in the proposed alternatives. Developing language-based structures, the research addresses knowledge management in the initial stages of designing using interdisciplinary knowledge mapping. The research comprises a research-through-design methodology for framework development, and questionnaire surveys for its testing. The findings indicate that the framework helps designers initiate their designing process, guide them throughout the process, and generate a wide variety of creative concepts. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate that the analogy-based method is the most common one in shaping the final design products. Despite its contribution, the framework was criticized for generating too many alternatives that consume time and make decisions more difficult to make. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the increasing attention Design Management has received from academics and practitioners a definitive conceptualization or a widely‐agreed upon empirical measure of the construct does not yet exist. This paper proposes a new measurement of Design Management based on the informational elements captured in product design briefs. Exploratory Factor Analysis results suggest that Design Management is made up of eleven clusters: F1 Customer Insights; F2 Business Model; F3 Aesthetics; F4 Authenticity; F5 Symbolic/Experiential Value; F6 Functional Value; F7 Promotions/Distribution; F8 Sustainability; F9 Production/Development; F10 Project Management; F11 Risk/Safety. Our analysis describes how these factors show differing effects on measures of firm performance at the product project‐ and competitive advantage‐levels (for example, F1, F3, and F9 are strongly and significantly positively related to both sets of measures while F4, F5, and F8 are more important to the competitive advantage of a firm than to any individual product offering). Our findings are organized and discussed using the Balanced Score Card for Design Management tool made up of (1) Customer Perspective (Design as differentiator); (2) Process perspective (Design as coordinator); (3) Learning and Innovation perspective (Design as transformer); and (4) Financial perspective (Design as good business). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intersection between Design and Entrepreneurship is an emerging research field. Design is stated as an approach, process or method for Entrepreneurship. This overlaps with the concept of Design Management, especially the entrepreneurial mode of Design Management. However, we argue that the way of bringing Design function into a tech start-up organization was ignored. As a new venture, there is a process of introducing and applying the Design function. This implies a changed relationship between Design function and the tech start-ups, which are in different stages of Design Management maturity. To fill this gap, an online survey of 123 tech start-ups in Hong Kong Science Park was conducted. Three main findings are obtained: 1) heterogeneous Design demands according to the Design Management maturity; 2) a process-based view of bringing Design function into tech start-ups; 3) four main barriers to bringing Design function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses product design as a form of innovation, focussing on its use on products and services. Topics include design management and business performance; the emphasis placed consumer needs as a source of innovation; and a discussion of how to use a design-process to generate innovation in any field.

Design plays an important role in the new product design process for entrepreneurs as well as in boosting market potential. At present, there are many supporting agencies that assist small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in improving their product design and market potential. Nonetheless, not all agencies can provide full support and design assistance to SMEs. The objective of this study is to suggest a design support matrix to improve and develop the SMEs' capabilities throughout the entire value chain of the new product design process. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with forty-seven entrepreneurs and experts from twenty-four supporting agencies in Thailand. On the basis of these interviews, data was compiled and computed to formulate a design support matrix that offers the needed supporting activities for entrepreneurs in two streams: primary and secondary activities. Primary activities consist of design and market assistance, whereas secondary activities comprise financial, networking, and infrastructure assistance. It is hoped that the matrix can enhance SMEs' capability for the new product design process to enable them to be competitive in the global market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Website management for all companies or organizations is carried out on an basis, and provides a separate space for optimizing the delivery of information, especially relating to products or services. Currently, information and communication technology has become a starting point for managing operational and managerial activities. This will lead to the acquisition of the latest, fast and accurate information in order to support decision making. Basic capital in the realm of information systems that utilize intelligent devices, is an innovation better known as electronic computers set and the internet. When faced with business activities that legalize information disclosure, it is certainly able to provide opportunities for the growth of the communication business and its development by optimizing information technology. This literature study, seeks to dissect the optimization of design management in website communication media as a medium for business improvement. In order to gain an in-depth understanding, efforts were made to bring together a variety of important studies from the dimensions of communication media and business management, in order be able to discover the interconnectedness of various facts in a comprehensive manner. The results of the study illustrate that improving business communication based on technology by utilizing a website, this is inseparable from the concept of the sustainability of an information quality which two point includes: (1) technology exists to achieve the highest level of efficiency in time, human and cost management that demands an adaptive attitude to market fluctuations; (2) management communication perspective puts opportunity as business control, so that the relationships that have been pursued provide positive values ​​in line with the use of the latest communication technology.

The aim of the article is to present the creative company’s business model in the context of design management. The article is a literature review. The first part outlines reasons for dealing with the issues of the creative sector, including business models. It presents definitions of the creative sector and of a creative organisation/company, as well as the characteristics of the creative company’s business model. In the second part, reason for focusing on design management issues, its definitions and features are explored. The third part presents a comparison of business models of creative companies with design management. The author also attempts to establish whether any relationship between these two trends exists and what connects them. JEL: M21, Z1 null The creation of the English-language version of these publications is fi nanced in the framework of contract No. 607/P-DUN/2018 by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education committed to activities aimed at the promotion of education.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) implementation represents an important contribution to circular economy (CE). In recent months, these goals have been modified given the significant changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Research shows increasing interests in revealing the efficiency of design in order to pursue new business models as sources of innovation that can contribute to SDGs. Nevertheless, the realization of SDGs is not easy on the level of enterprises and regions. Here, our research goal was to describe the role of design in business model re-design for SDGs implementation. It was presumed that during the pandemic, entrepreneurs significantly modified business models, emphasizing aspects of sustainable development. In order to verify this assumption, desk research was combined with qualitative research. Data were gathered from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and experts. The research raises the point of the underestimated role of design as a determinant of new business models composition connected with the SDGs. As a result, it was found that once applied, design becomes an important tool for sustainable innovation and enable strategic change in companies. Design supports SMEs in business models’ transition towards sustainable, circular performance. In conclusion, it was found that while adjusting business models in a pandemic, entrepreneurs paid more attention to issues related to SDGs.

Introduction/background: One of the strategic tools used by organisations is design management. In this approach, user needs are the major focus, which helps organisation face the changes resulting from turbulent conditions. In this article, the role of a conscious design perspective in a sample organisation was identified with regard to management, work model, and cooperation with end users. Aim of the paper: The aim of the paper is to identify and define the role of design management in a selected organisation which adapts to changes resulting from turbulent circumstances. Materials and methods: The paper has been prepared based on relevant literature and empirical research. The method of an individual case study has been applied. Results and conclusions: Design management is still at the development stage. It fulfils various roles in organisations, depending on the implementation level. The research results suggest that the most important method of tackling challenges, whether those typical of turbulent environments or the so-called black swans (e.g. the Covid-19 pandemic), is to validate the company’s vision in the light of user needs by means of user research. The influence of particular elements of design management on the organisation has been analysed as well. The example presented in the analysis confirms the results of the study, which indicates that the use of design enables companies to change limitations into opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adopting design approaches that allow products to last multiple use-cycles supports European Commission objectives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce primary material impacts. Remanufacturing is an example of an appropriate circular strategy and it can be applied in a variety of industries that are intensive materials users. However, most companies have not yet adopted design strategies facilitating remanufacturing at scale. In this paper, we explored how design management can facilitate the implementation of Design for Remanufacturing, based on a literature review and in-depth interviews. Seven companies active in business-to-business markets were interviewed about the design-related opportunities and barriers they see for remanufacturing. We found that access to technical knowledge is not a barrier, whereas integrating this knowledge into the existing design process is. We conclude that design management can contribute to the uptake of Design for Remanufacturing for the following reasons: by making the value of Design for Remanufacturing to the company at large explicit, by building bridges between internal and external stakeholders, and by embedding Design for Remanufacturing into existing processes by means of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and roadmaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low trust levels among project parties are generally believed to harm construction project performance, but the role of trust in the context of information flow and solving design quality problems (DQP) remains understudied. Whereas lean design management research highlights the importance of managing information flow, few studies have investigated the association between trust, information flow and DQP (or any combination thereof). This exploratory study investigates the association between trust and information flow in design projects and how these factors influence design quality. The paper presents a conceptual framework based on existing research on building design management and trust in a project context. The framework is elaborated on and validated using a single case study approach with multiple sites. The results indicate that even though the trust trend in the project is somewhat negatively connected to the overall amount of work and work in progress of DQP, increasing trust is not a prerequisite for solving DQP and that owners and contractors can have opposite opinions on the trust level. This study contributes to ongoing discussions about trust, information flow and design management and suggests that teams should focus on improving communication and collaboration to compensate for low trust levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For more than fifty years, the Jean-Claude Decaux Foundation has been ranked first in the world, holding the global prominence in communicating with outer space. As for the brands of furniture in urban spaces, it is distributed among global poles and scales that continue to develop its announced communication strategies, and its hidden ones in Western public spaces, while dealing with its relationship with citizens. At this same pace, it exploits its design tools to extend its strategic influence in the public sphere, and has created other contemporary institutions, through the power of its brands, open spaces for expression, free action, and "democratic design". Moreover, the major industrial establishments, throughout their designs available in public urban spaces ; share the history of their trademarks, and in this way, they share with the recipient the excavations of their mark, their development processes, and the values they promote, through which they seek to establish them. High-quality automatic scenarios are managed among the user and the brand in this urban space. This great momentum for the availability of this amount of brands in urban space is the strongest evidence of the intensification of competitiveness between industrial enterprises. This is achieved by focusing on the concept of experiential design while keeping pace with the user's behavioral and cognitive maturity, as well as the evolution of his psychological, social and cultural needs and appreciating its human values. Enterprises that manufacture street furniture can produce experiment if they want to work on designing the value offered for the project (not only in terms of use, but also in terms of the specific aspects of city identities and its illustrations) to prove the honesty of their slogans and reflect the credibility of their signs especially if they want to outperform competitors from the same field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interdepartmental collaboration is considered to be critical to innovation and efficiency. This paper differentiated industrial design (ID) and engineering design (ED), which differ in their nature and are handled by different departments, and reviews in the literature on the impact that interdepartmental collaboration among industrial designers and other areas involved in product development has on innovation and efficiency. We found that: (1) regarding innovation, interdepartmental collaboration has a positive effect on design innovation, and CE type interdepartmental collaboration has a positive effect on technology innovation. (2) Regarding efficiency, we found that the effect on the efficiency of the product development process was not consistent, and production efficiency was not looked into in prior research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper analyzes how design diffusion is changing the organizational logics of established companies. If previously design activities had as its main objective packaging new technologies to create differentials for products and services and to reduce production costs, with the diffusion of digital services currently design activities expand its scope and identify functional and emotional needs from users that are relevant for creating differentiated experiences, that in turn will result in new products and services that incorporate existing and emerging technologies of the firm. This transformation reveals a new organizational strategy, in which design assumes a more relevant position for the creation of innovative business models. However, a point not yet considered in the literature is how companies are restructuring their operations in order to benefit from this transition. This paper analyzes how Brazilian organizations of different sizes and sectors have redefined their management models in order to incorporate design as a catalyst of change. The obtained framework consolidates the main propositions of design while directing of the changes in the organizations in the operational, tactical and strategic levels.