Design Thinking: A Catalyst for Innovation in Modern Businesses

This essay explores the significance of design thinking (DT) in today's competitive business environment, highlighting its role in fostering innovation and driving business growth. It emphasizes how DT combines designers' sensibilities with clients' needs and its increasing importance in business management and engineering education. The essay also discusses how DT, with its human-centered approach, encourages creativity and engagement among employees, leading to ambidextrous mindsets crucial for innovation. The references cited support the argument that design thinking is not just a methodology but a vital mindset for modern businesses aiming to innovate and stay competitive.

How DT is connected to innovation?
According to Lande (2016), the design mindset
must be present in the earning process of the
students of business management as well as
the students of engineering. This is due to the
fact that these students are the future
employees who will introduce changes in their
organizations.
To Daniel, A. D. (2016), design
mindset has an advanced human-centered
approach that instigate the employees to
enhance creativity and get engaged in their
respective fields. Therefore, this ambidextrous
mindset for the innovation has gained
popularity in the business studies.
What is DT?
Design mindset is a process that has
gained much importance in this highly
competitive business world. Each and
every business owner is finding design
mindset to be essential to grow their
business and bring variety in their
products. Design mindset combines the
sensibility of the designers and matches
with the needs of the clients.
• Daniel, A. D. (2016). Fostering an entrepreneurial mindset by
using a design thinking approach in entrepreneurship
education. Industry and Higher Education, 30(3), 215-223.
doi:10.1177/0950422216653195
• Zheng, D. (2018). Design thinking is ambidextrous.
Management Decision, 56(4), 736-756. doi:10.1108/MD-04-
2017-0295
• Cairns, G. (2017). Can design inform effective social
innovation? The Design Journal, 20(6), 725-734.
doi:10.1080/14606925.2017.1370658
• Lande, M. (2016). Catalysts for design thinking and
engineering thinking: Fostering ambidextrous mindsets for
innovation. International Journal of Engineering
Education, 32(3), 1356-1363.
• Fusionlabs.com.au. (2018). Entrepreneurial mindset over
innovation methodologies. Retrieved from
https://fusionlabs.com.au/mindset-over-innovation-
methodology/
• Gobble, M. M. (2014). Design thinking. Research Technology
Management, 57(3), 59-61. doi:10.5437/08956308X5703005
• Livinginegypt.org. (2018). Choosing your Egypt Mindset >
Community Services Association (CSA). Retrieved from
http://livinginegypt.org/portal/Publications/OasisMagazine/Art
icles/tabid/199/ID/4901/Choosing-your-Egypt-
Mindset.aspx#.W2KojtIzbIU
• Blog.hslu.ch. (2018). Business Design Thinking | Patrick Link's
Blogs. Retrieved from https://blog.hslu.ch/talink/business-
design-thinking/
Figure1. positive mindset and thinking
Source: (Livinginegypt.org, 2018)
Figure 3. business design thinking
Sources: (Blog.hslu.ch, 2018)
Design mindset is a process that has
gained much importance in this highly
competitive business world. Each and
every business owner is finding design
mindset to be essential to grow their
business and bring variety in their
products. Design mindset combines
the sensibility of the designers and
matches with the needs of the clients.
Figure 2. many minds one team
Source: (Livinginegypt.org, 2018)