Why Fusing Design Thinking Into Business Strategy Matters?

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Why Fusing Design Thinking Into Business Strategy Matters

11 Jan 2023
- admin
- Innovation & Design Thinking
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The events of the past few years have led to extreme disruption in the business world. In the backdrop of upheavals that had no precedents, traditional approaches and strategies have failed to provide answers to rapid changes. Businesses have been found wanting and are faced with the challenges of staying relevant. Dramatic changes to the landscape at the world, country, industry, and organizational levels have led to a redefining of the competitive landscape. This has led to the business leaders raising a question – How should organizations look to tackle these rapidly changing scenarios?

One thing is certain. Reliance on past data and historical analysis cannot be used with certainty in decision-making. Meeting challenges in the current context requires unique approaches to strategy. Design thinking is the answer. When complemented with traditional strategic approaches, it can help to bridge the gap. Design thinking can provide answers to businesses with perspectives that are user-focused. This in turn can help businesses to improve performance over the long term. The rapid emergence of Design Thinking can drive organizational performance and lead to a significant change in an intrinsic value for all stakeholders.

Reliance on past data and historical analysis cannot be used with certainty in decision-making. Meeting challenges in the current context requires unique approaches to strategy. Design thinking is the answer.

Design Thinking – A Brief Preamble

Design Thinking is a systematic approach that integrates imagination, logic, and reasoning in creating outcomes that are positive for the end customer. This can be reflected in products/ services or then in internal processes. Design Thinking goes beyond the problem set to finding an actionable solution that is customer-centric. The ultimate goal of design is to improve the user experience and thereby create organizational value. The structured process involves an iterative and non-linear approach to decision-making that involves the following steps:
- Empathise with user
- Define the problem
- Ideate
- Create Prototype
- Test the prototype
- Implement
Click here to read and learn more about Design thinking.

Design Thinking is a systematic approach that integrates imagination, logic, and reasoning in creating outcomes that are positive for the end customer. This can be reflected in products/ services or then in internal processes.

How Integrating Design Thinking With Business Strategy Matters?

The concept of business today is veering towards making better decisions through prototyping and iterative learning. Combined with data and artificial intelligence has led to the emergence of new techniques that lead to insights that can be used in strategic and user-centric decision-making. The opportunities in strategy are now open to business leaders to pursue strategic planning through a rich and informed design thinking approach

Design thinking allows the manager to unpack leadership value through de-risking by understanding, testing, and iterating with users. It provides perspectives that are
1. Analytical – Design decisions move away from gut decisions as against concrete data. Organizations develop a strong focus with the customer in mind and leaders develop a user-centric approach.
2. Driven By User Experience – Decision-making moves away from products and services and merges into integrated experiences. This allows organizations to combine products and services to a range of experiences.
3. Allow Harnessing of Cross-Functional Talent – Design Thinking moves across borders of functional silos. This is contrary to the traditional approaches to design that are driven by a narrow vision of compartmentalized design decision-making. Since Design is a sum of parts of a business including business modelling, designers, who work across functions would be able to create a tangible impact through their work.
4. Are Iterative In Approach – The cornerstone of successful Design thinking is built on an environment of continuous learning, testing, and interacting with users. This enables innovation and reduces the risk of costly misses. Product development that is irreversible and compartmentalized is more likely to fail and design thinking provides a user-centric approach that is flexible.
The opportunities in strategy are now open to business leaders to pursue strategic planning through a rich and informed design thinking approach. Design thinking allows the manager to unpack leadership value through de-risking by understanding, testing, and iterating with users.

Catalyzing Innovation Through Design Thinking

In dynamic business scenarios that are undefined, organizations are constantly looking to grow by creating new products/services/processes that could be aimed at subsets that are user-defined or/ and geographic. Design-thinking methodologies help to bring together user insights and perspectives across multiple parameters and geographies. Understanding the needs and wants of customers allows the practitioner to explore multiple scenarios while integrating a qualitative and quantitative perspective and thereby honing strategy. This is a breeding ground for innovation that is flexible and cost-effective.

Design-thinking methodologies help to bring together user insights and perspectives across multiple parameters and geographies.

Moving Forward

The present and future belong to the business strategy that is ingrained with design thinking. Modern business leaders need to combine traditional strategy and design thinking to excel and innovate in an environment that is continuously uncertain. Possibilities and opportunities for innovation will emerge as design thinking concepts and methodologies are integrated into organizations. Organizational relevance and success will be boosted through the confluence of design strategy with strategy. Further, adopting a user-centric approach is sure to build customer loyalty and lead to outcomes that are positive for organizations in these uncertain times.

Possibilities and opportunities for innovation will emerge as design thinking concepts and methodologies are integrated into organizations.

Design Thinking At SOIL – MBA – PGDM In Business Design

The new-age business leaders are encountering changes in the ecosystem as never before. To remain on top of their game, they have to lead from the front and this requires them to be connected to users, strategize, and foster a culture of innovation and opportunities. To inculcate a Business Design mindset, SOIL has introduced a two-year MBA in Business Design specialization. The two-year MBA course in Business Design is designed to expose the student to management concepts using design thinking and liberal arts. Besides, the two-year MBA places emphasis on experiential learning and project work that provides them with a dual dimension of learning and addressing real-world challenges.

The two-year MBA in Business Design at SOIL places focus on key areas like:
- Business Expertise – This helps students to learn about core management functions such as Marketing, Finance, Human Resources, Analytics, etc.
- Liberal Arts – Design thinking is about understanding humans better which comes through communication and a study of Psychographics, philosophy, anthropology, etc.
- Design Thinking – The process of design thinking is inculcated through introspection and awareness. Students are also taken through the process and learn about research, building empathy, observation and defining, ideation, prototyping, testing, and implementation.
- Experiential Learning Through Immersion – All of the above come together and students learn to integrate via real-life project work which gives them a first-hand experience.
To help students to tackle 21st-century scenarios, the two-year MBA in Business Design is a breeding ground for the leaders of tomorrow who are innovative, think laterally, and are creative in a dynamic environment. This unique two-year MBA course is a step toward developing the change agents of tomorrow. For more information about the two-year MBA that follows an interdisciplinary curriculum of liberal arts, design thinking, and core management concepts.

To help students to tackle 21st-century scenarios, the two-year MBA in Business Design is a breeding ground for the leaders of tomorrow who are innovative, think laterally, and are creative in a dynamic environment.

FAQs
How should organizations look to tackle these rapidly changing scenarios?

One thing is certain. Reliance on past data and historical analysis cannot be used with certainty in decision-making. Meeting challenges in the current context requires unique approaches to strategy. Design thinking is the answer. When complemented with traditional strategic approaches, it can help to bridge the gap. Design thinking can provide answers to businesses with perspectives that are user focused. This in turn can help businesses to improve performance over the long term. The rapid emergence of Design Thinking can drive organizational performance and lead to a significant change in an intrinsic value for all stakeholders.

What does SOIL’s two-year MBA in Business Design focus on?

Business Expertise – This helps students to learn about core management functions such as Marketing, Finance, Human Resources, Analytics, etc.

Liberal Arts – Design thinking is about understanding humans better which comes through communication and a study of Psychographics, philosophy, anthropology, etc.

Design Thinking – The process of design thinking is inculcated through introspection and awareness. Students are also taken through the process and learn about research, building empathy, observation and defining, ideation, prototyping, testing, and implementation.

Experiential Learning Through Immersion – All of the above come together and students learn to integrate via real-life project work which gives them a first-hand experience.

What does the future of the fusion of design thinking and business strategy look like?

The present and future belong to the business strategy that is ingrained with design thinking. Modern business leaders need to combine traditional strategy and design thinking to excel and innovate in an environment that is continuously uncertain. Possibilities and opportunities for innovation will emerge as design thinking concepts and methodologies are integrated into organizations. Organizational relevance and success will be boosted through the confluence of design strategy with strategy.

How does integrating design thinking with business strategy matter?

The opportunities in strategy are now open to business leaders to pursue strategic planning through a rich and informed design thinking approach. Design thinking allows the manager to unpack leadership value through de-risking by understanding, testing, and iterating with users. It provides perspectives that are –

Analytical – Organizations develop a strong focus with the customer in mind and leaders develop a user-centric approach.

Driven By User Experience – Decision-making moves away from products and services and merges into integrated experiences.

Allow Harnessing of Cross-Functional Talent – Since Design is a sum of parts of a business including business modeling, designers, who work across functions would be able to create a tangible impact through their work.

Are Iterative In Approach – The cornerstone of successful Design thinking is built on an environment of continuous learning, testing, and interacting with users.

How has the SOIL Institute of Management contributed to the business world?

To inculcate a Business Design mindset, SOIL has introduced a two-year MBA in Business Design specialization. The two-year MBA course in Business Design is designed to expose the student to management concepts using design thinking and liberal arts. Besides, the two-year MBA places emphasis on experiential learning and project work that provides them with a dual dimension of learning and addressing real-world challenges.

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How should organizations look to tackle these rapidly changing scenarios?

What does SOIL’s two-year MBA in Business Design focus on?

What does the future of the fusion of design thinking and business strategy look like?

How does integrating design thinking with business strategy matter?

How has the SOIL Institute of Management contributed to the business world?

Never miss a beat. Get Blog updates regularly in your inbox

PGDM Batch 2025-27 Orientation Start Date - 20th June 2025

How should organizations look to tackle these rapidly changing scenarios?

What does SOIL’s two-year MBA in Business Design focus on?

What does the future of the fusion of design thinking and business strategy look like?

How does integrating design thinking with business strategy matter?

How has the SOIL Institute of Management contributed to the business world?

Never miss a beat. Get Blog updates regularly in your inbox

PGDM Batch 2025-27 Orientation Start Date - 20^th June 2025