Leveraging design thinking to innovate

Advances in mobile technology and the shift from product-based economies to service-based economies are forcing companies to create new value propositions which inevitably impact the design of their business model. In response, companies are seeking new approaches to adapt to this ever changing complex environment. Design thinking is increasingly being viewed as a new approach to dealing with complex challenges in business, most notably when applied to areas such as product and service innovation, strategy development and ultimately to achieving competitive advantage. This chapter explains what design thinking is and explores how it complements the practice of management by providing empirical evidence on the benefi ts that practitioners have from a wide range of industries in Ireland and Luxembourg experienced when they adopted a positive design attitude when using visualisation tools to approach a complex business challenge.