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The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking is the Next Competitive Advantage
Most companies today have innovation envy. They yearn to come up with a game—changing innovation like Apple's iPod, or create an entirely new category like Facebook. Many make genuine efforts to be innovative—they spend on R&D, bring in creative designers, hire innovation consultants. But they get disappointing results.
Why? In The Design of Business, Roger Martin offers a compelling and provocative answer: we rely far too exclusively on analytical thinking, which merely refines current knowledge, producing small improvements to the status quo.
To innovate and win, companies need design thinking. This form of thinking is rooted in how knowledge advances from one stage to another—from mystery (something we can't explain) to heuristic (a rule of thumb that guides us toward solution) to algorithm (a predictable formula for producing an answer) to code (when the formula becomes so predictable it can be fully automated). As knowledge advances across the stages, productivity grows and costs drop-creating massive value for companies.
Martin shows how leading companies such as Procter & Gamble, Cirque du Soleil, RIM, and others use design thinking to push knowledge through the stages in ways that produce breakthrough innovations and competitive advantage.
Filled with deep insights and fresh perspectives, The Design of Business reveals the true foundation of successful, profitable innovation.
Why? In The Design of Business, Roger Martin offers a compelling and provocative answer: we rely far too exclusively on analytical thinking, which merely refines current knowledge, producing small improvements to the status quo.
To innovate and win, companies need design thinking. This form of thinking is rooted in how knowledge advances from one stage to another—from mystery (something we can't explain) to heuristic (a rule of thumb that guides us toward solution) to algorithm (a predictable formula for producing an answer) to code (when the formula becomes so predictable it can be fully automated). As knowledge advances across the stages, productivity grows and costs drop-creating massive value for companies.
Martin shows how leading companies such as Procter & Gamble, Cirque du Soleil, RIM, and others use design thinking to push knowledge through the stages in ways that produce breakthrough innovations and competitive advantage.
Filled with deep insights and fresh perspectives, The Design of Business reveals the true foundation of successful, profitable innovation.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published October 13, 2009
About the author
Roger L. Martin
30 books196 followersRoger Martin is the Institute Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute and the Michael Lee-Chin Family Institute for Corporate Citizenship at the Rotman School of Management and the Premier’s Chair in Productivity & Competitiveness. From 1998 to 2013, he served as Dean. Previously, he spent 13 years as a Director of Monitor Company, a global strategy consulting firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he served as co-head of the firm for two years.
His research work is in Integrative Thinking, Business Design, Strategy, Corporate Social Responsibility and Country Competitiveness. He writes extensively and is a regular contributor to: Harvard Business Review’s The Conversation blog, the Financial Times’ Judgment Call column, and the Guardian Sustainable Business. He has written 24 Harvard Business Review articles and published 10 books: Getting Beyond Better (with Sally Osberg); Harvard Business Review Press (HBRP, 2015); Playing to Win (with A.G. Lafley) (HBRP, 2013); Fixing the Game (HBRP, 2011); The Design of Business (HBRP, 2009); The Opposable Mind (HBRP, 2007); The Responsibility Virus (Basic Books, 2002); Canada: What It Is, What It Can Be (with Jim Milway, Rotman-UTP Publishing, 2012); and Diaminds (with Mihnea Moldoveanu, University of Toronto Press, 2009), and The Future of the MBA (with Mihnea Moldoveanu, Oxford University Press, 2008). In addition, he co-edited Rotman on Design (with Karen Christensen, Rotman-UTP Publishing, 2013).
In 2013, Roger placed 3rd on the Thinkers50 list, a biannual ranking of the most influential global business thinkers, moving up from 6th in 2011 and 32nd in 2009. In 2010, he was named one of the 27 most influential designers in the world by Business Week. In 2007 he was named a Business Week 'B-School All-Star' for being one of the 10 most influential business professors in the world. Business Week also named him one of seven 'Innovation Gurus' in 2005.
He serves on a number of public service boards: Skoll Foundation, Canadian Credit Management Foundation, Tennis Canada (past chair), and Bridgespan Group (academic advisory board chair).
A Canadian from Wallenstein, Ontario, Roger received his AB from Harvard College, with a concentration in Economics, in 1979 and his MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1981.
His research work is in Integrative Thinking, Business Design, Strategy, Corporate Social Responsibility and Country Competitiveness. He writes extensively and is a regular contributor to: Harvard Business Review’s The Conversation blog, the Financial Times’ Judgment Call column, and the Guardian Sustainable Business. He has written 24 Harvard Business Review articles and published 10 books: Getting Beyond Better (with Sally Osberg); Harvard Business Review Press (HBRP, 2015); Playing to Win (with A.G. Lafley) (HBRP, 2013); Fixing the Game (HBRP, 2011); The Design of Business (HBRP, 2009); The Opposable Mind (HBRP, 2007); The Responsibility Virus (Basic Books, 2002); Canada: What It Is, What It Can Be (with Jim Milway, Rotman-UTP Publishing, 2012); and Diaminds (with Mihnea Moldoveanu, University of Toronto Press, 2009), and The Future of the MBA (with Mihnea Moldoveanu, Oxford University Press, 2008). In addition, he co-edited Rotman on Design (with Karen Christensen, Rotman-UTP Publishing, 2013).
In 2013, Roger placed 3rd on the Thinkers50 list, a biannual ranking of the most influential global business thinkers, moving up from 6th in 2011 and 32nd in 2009. In 2010, he was named one of the 27 most influential designers in the world by Business Week. In 2007 he was named a Business Week 'B-School All-Star' for being one of the 10 most influential business professors in the world. Business Week also named him one of seven 'Innovation Gurus' in 2005.
He serves on a number of public service boards: Skoll Foundation, Canadian Credit Management Foundation, Tennis Canada (past chair), and Bridgespan Group (academic advisory board chair).
A Canadian from Wallenstein, Ontario, Roger received his AB from Harvard College, with a concentration in Economics, in 1979 and his MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1981.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
September 2, 2018
A prime example on why business books don’t hold up. In 2009, this was probably closer to cutting edge and innovative - that said, the writing is interminable when not discussing concrete case studies. Now, the approach Martin describes is table stakes to get innovative products out the door. Also note I said “closer to cutting edge” - that’s because there’s little new here. Everything Martin says has been said and done better in other works: The Innovator’s Dillemma, Blue Ocean Strategy, The Design of Everyday Things. Someone needed to distill and synthesize them, maybe, but a turgid and irritatingly self-congratulatory book didn’t need to be the medium. Additionally, some of Martin’s examples are wack: he touts Research in Motion’s now dead Blackberrry as a prime example of design thinking (he also lauded RIM for getting Blackberry to market before the iPhone, saying Apple wouldn’t have first-mover advantage). Take an L. He also praised Target for innovating against Walmart, but that Target would have to be mindful of other reasonable cost/high aesthetic brick-and-mortar shops coming for it — without one mention of ecommerce or Amazon. Take another L.
This would have been an solid article outlining a great idea. As is, it’s a mediocre book with some embarrassingly out of date anecdotes.
This would have been an solid article outlining a great idea. As is, it’s a mediocre book with some embarrassingly out of date anecdotes.
July 24, 2011
Like many business books that caught the crest of a wave, you are sometimes reading this book thinking how obvious this all is. This may be true when an author has distilled a big, fluffy concept into black and white text, but this is no mean feat. Articulating business concepts can be like putting a cloud in a box. You are grabbing big handfuls of nothing.
Roger Martin, dean of the Rotman School of Management, does a great job in describing the battle between current knowledge (efficiency) and new knowledge (innovation)in an organization. Efficiency will rule in a traditional organization, because it helps the bottom line, and can be measured (ROI's, GP, etc.). Innovation, conversely, is difficult to measure, and may not benefit the bottom line for many quarters. And we are aware of Wall Street's obsession with quarterly reports!
Martin advocates creating a "knowledge funnel" that can move innovation through an organization, so that even hoary CEO's with accounting backgrounds can be assured that the weird innovation guys on the third floor are contributing to the bottom line. Roger Martin contends that organizations embracing a marriage of the old and new knowledge will have a competitive advantage, as they will innovate more quickly.
I believe "design thinking" has great application in today's organizations with the onslaught of social media as a marketing tool. All businesses need a social media presence right now; ignoring this as a fad will be hazardous to the bottom line.
SH
Roger Martin, dean of the Rotman School of Management, does a great job in describing the battle between current knowledge (efficiency) and new knowledge (innovation)in an organization. Efficiency will rule in a traditional organization, because it helps the bottom line, and can be measured (ROI's, GP, etc.). Innovation, conversely, is difficult to measure, and may not benefit the bottom line for many quarters. And we are aware of Wall Street's obsession with quarterly reports!
Martin advocates creating a "knowledge funnel" that can move innovation through an organization, so that even hoary CEO's with accounting backgrounds can be assured that the weird innovation guys on the third floor are contributing to the bottom line. Roger Martin contends that organizations embracing a marriage of the old and new knowledge will have a competitive advantage, as they will innovate more quickly.
I believe "design thinking" has great application in today's organizations with the onslaught of social media as a marketing tool. All businesses need a social media presence right now; ignoring this as a fad will be hazardous to the bottom line.
SH
April 5, 2019
This book is a 15 minute TED Talk in slow motion. Opportunities that long form media like books allow for are disregarded. Very much like slow motion where new information isn't introduced, but rather the already existing information is enhanced, this book explores little outside of the ideas it engages with and opts for redundancies, repetitions, and mantras.
Martin's core idea of the knowledge funnel strikes me as a rebranded and dressed up version of the scientific method where mystery->question, heuristic->hypothesis, and algorithm->conclusion. There are differences, but they are subtle and not explained to a degree that I found satisfactory.
Less excusable, are the same dichotomies presented over and over again. Where analytic-intuitive, exploitation-exploration, deductive-abductive, and reliability-validity are all basically the same idea, they are granted explanations that extend for pages and appear multiple times throughout the book.
It's unclear to me who this book is for. It's not detailed enough for a professional and a general audience isn't exactly going to be drawing value from the case studies of executives of multinational corporations. The tone is nebulous and primarily negative towards conventional business practices. However, the book shines in its last chapter where Martin shares his personal experiences working with different kinds of workers and how best to get them onboard with your ideas.
This book does not have a conclusion which I find very strange.
Martin's core idea of the knowledge funnel strikes me as a rebranded and dressed up version of the scientific method where mystery->question, heuristic->hypothesis, and algorithm->conclusion. There are differences, but they are subtle and not explained to a degree that I found satisfactory.
Less excusable, are the same dichotomies presented over and over again. Where analytic-intuitive, exploitation-exploration, deductive-abductive, and reliability-validity are all basically the same idea, they are granted explanations that extend for pages and appear multiple times throughout the book.
It's unclear to me who this book is for. It's not detailed enough for a professional and a general audience isn't exactly going to be drawing value from the case studies of executives of multinational corporations. The tone is nebulous and primarily negative towards conventional business practices. However, the book shines in its last chapter where Martin shares his personal experiences working with different kinds of workers and how best to get them onboard with your ideas.
This book does not have a conclusion which I find very strange.
October 18, 2020
With a career in technology, centered around nonfunctional requirements like reliability, this is an important read. As technology is embracing cultural changes, such as DevOps, and technologists are increasing being invited to the planning table earlier and earlier, understanding the Design Thinking language, concepts and needs for a "fresh mind" is essential for any burgeoning creative technologist. Creating space in infrastructure for rapid experimentation and prototyping, ensuring processes meant to support innovation do not constrict creativity in favor of reliability and being able to communicate effectively across the business and creative side of any organization is critical for project success.
"The Design of Business" is a good introduction Design Thinking with a few examples based in technology. This book does not answer all of the questions and leaves a ton of space for more information, however it does a good job telling a story about how it can work and why it is important. Good read, worth picking up!
"The Design of Business" is a good introduction Design Thinking with a few examples based in technology. This book does not answer all of the questions and leaves a ton of space for more information, however it does a good job telling a story about how it can work and why it is important. Good read, worth picking up!
February 24, 2012
I got this from the library after reading a sample of Fixing the Game: Bubbles, Crashes, and What Capitalism Can Learn from the NFL, which looked promising. But my library didn't have that one, so I read this one instead.
It's godawfully written—clunky, repetitive, confusing—and it doesn't really have much to say. But what it does have to say is pretty good, and better than I expected for a "business book."
Martin has two main ideas:
1) Businesses ideas get funneled/simplified from the initial creative stage of exploration ("Mystery"), through an intermediate stage of professional practice ("Heuristic"), and finally to an automated stage of maximal exploitation ("Algorithm").
2) The typical economic structure of businesses tends to favor exploitation and the value of reliability (repeatable results) over exploration and the value of validity (new knowledge); "design thinkers" work to balance the two tendencies.
This produces hideous sentences, such as (picking at random from p. 17, i.e. quite early in the book) "What is the value to a business of driving through the knowledge funnel from mystery to heuristic to algorithm?" What, indeed?
But I kept up with it for two reasons. One, since my long ago start at an MA in Whole Systems Design (WSD), I've learned that to much of the world, the idea of design as anything more than artsy doodles, let alone a broad approach to creative problem-solving, is completely foreign. So it was nice to see someone trying to give design a good name in that deeper sense.
Two was the wild one, though. Martin associates exploration/validity-valuing thought with C.S. Peirce's notion of abductive reasoning—or "inference to the best explanation"—as opposed to induction and deduction, lumped together as analytical reasoning, the tools of exploitation/reliability. Now, that in itself wasn't a big shock, since that split has been familiar to me since I learned about abduction via Carlo Ginsburg and Umberto Eco's essays in the fantastic anthology The Sign of Three: Dupin, Holmes, Peirce. But there it had been in the context of semiotics, extended to historical and literary thinking. Later I made some faint attempts of my own to link abduction up with cognitive science and its notions of creative problem-solving, and in the back of my mind I knew it was exactly what WSD's "design thinking" was about—but I'd never articulated that to anyone, nor seen any trace of it in others' writing. And here Martin plunks it into the center of his book!
He by no means has the last word on abduction, though; often he uses it as just a fancy synonym for "creativity." There's really not much more to this book than the two points above, supported by lots of examples. There's very little in the way of imagining new forms of management or business structure which might complement and support design thinking. For the full story at that level, I suspect WSD's old heroine Mary Parker Follett (Mary Parker Follett: Prophet of Management : A Celebration of Writings from the 1920s) had it all straight 90 years ago.
It's godawfully written—clunky, repetitive, confusing—and it doesn't really have much to say. But what it does have to say is pretty good, and better than I expected for a "business book."
Martin has two main ideas:
1) Businesses ideas get funneled/simplified from the initial creative stage of exploration ("Mystery"), through an intermediate stage of professional practice ("Heuristic"), and finally to an automated stage of maximal exploitation ("Algorithm").
2) The typical economic structure of businesses tends to favor exploitation and the value of reliability (repeatable results) over exploration and the value of validity (new knowledge); "design thinkers" work to balance the two tendencies.
This produces hideous sentences, such as (picking at random from p. 17, i.e. quite early in the book) "What is the value to a business of driving through the knowledge funnel from mystery to heuristic to algorithm?" What, indeed?
But I kept up with it for two reasons. One, since my long ago start at an MA in Whole Systems Design (WSD), I've learned that to much of the world, the idea of design as anything more than artsy doodles, let alone a broad approach to creative problem-solving, is completely foreign. So it was nice to see someone trying to give design a good name in that deeper sense.
Two was the wild one, though. Martin associates exploration/validity-valuing thought with C.S. Peirce's notion of abductive reasoning—or "inference to the best explanation"—as opposed to induction and deduction, lumped together as analytical reasoning, the tools of exploitation/reliability. Now, that in itself wasn't a big shock, since that split has been familiar to me since I learned about abduction via Carlo Ginsburg and Umberto Eco's essays in the fantastic anthology The Sign of Three: Dupin, Holmes, Peirce. But there it had been in the context of semiotics, extended to historical and literary thinking. Later I made some faint attempts of my own to link abduction up with cognitive science and its notions of creative problem-solving, and in the back of my mind I knew it was exactly what WSD's "design thinking" was about—but I'd never articulated that to anyone, nor seen any trace of it in others' writing. And here Martin plunks it into the center of his book!
He by no means has the last word on abduction, though; often he uses it as just a fancy synonym for "creativity." There's really not much more to this book than the two points above, supported by lots of examples. There's very little in the way of imagining new forms of management or business structure which might complement and support design thinking. For the full story at that level, I suspect WSD's old heroine Mary Parker Follett (Mary Parker Follett: Prophet of Management : A Celebration of Writings from the 1920s) had it all straight 90 years ago.
August 1, 2011
"As understanding moves from mystery to heuristic to algorithm, extraneous information is pared away; the complexities of the world are mastered through simplification." (12-3).
"[N]o new idea could be proved deductively or inductively using past data. Moreover, if new ideas were not the product of the two accepted forms of logic, he reasoned, there must be a third fundamental logical mode. New ideas came into being, Peirce posited, by way of 'logical leaps of the mind.' New ideas arose when a thinker observed data (or even a single data point) that didn't fit with the existing model or models. The thinker sought to make sense of the observation by making what Pierce called an 'inference to the best explanation.' The true first step of reasoning, he concluded, was not observation but wondering. Pierce named his form of reasoning abductive logic." (64)
"A design-thinking organization would function more like P&G's Global Business Services (GBS) unit, which uses a fluid, project-based activity system to tackle large undertakings such as the Gillette integration. When the project is finished, the team disbands, reforming in a different configuration suited to the next task at hand. 'Flow to the work' is what GBS has come to call its structural approach, and over time, GBS employees have become increasingly at ease with organizing themselves by projects rather than permanent structures." (119)
"Constraints point the validity-oriented design thinker to the locus of needed innovation. They frame the mystery that needs to be solved." (128)
"[N]o new idea could be proved deductively or inductively using past data. Moreover, if new ideas were not the product of the two accepted forms of logic, he reasoned, there must be a third fundamental logical mode. New ideas came into being, Peirce posited, by way of 'logical leaps of the mind.' New ideas arose when a thinker observed data (or even a single data point) that didn't fit with the existing model or models. The thinker sought to make sense of the observation by making what Pierce called an 'inference to the best explanation.' The true first step of reasoning, he concluded, was not observation but wondering. Pierce named his form of reasoning abductive logic." (64)
"A design-thinking organization would function more like P&G's Global Business Services (GBS) unit, which uses a fluid, project-based activity system to tackle large undertakings such as the Gillette integration. When the project is finished, the team disbands, reforming in a different configuration suited to the next task at hand. 'Flow to the work' is what GBS has come to call its structural approach, and over time, GBS employees have become increasingly at ease with organizing themselves by projects rather than permanent structures." (119)
"Constraints point the validity-oriented design thinker to the locus of needed innovation. They frame the mystery that needs to be solved." (128)
February 12, 2020
One of the statements on the last page summarizes this book nicely: “the advice ... is quite generic.” I’m pulling a selective quote here, but the sentiment holds true. At 177 pages, this book is about 175 pages too long. The premise is that a business must strike a balance between innovation and stasis, but it’s unclear why “design” is an appropriate name for that middle-ground. When choosing this book, I hope to read about “design” in a sense more akin to visual / graphic design. The dictionary definition of design is “(v) decide upon the look and functioning of [something] by making a detailed drawing of it.” In this traditional sense, “design” hardly applies to most of the case studies (BlackBerry’s invention of a new mobile device, P&G’s global restructuring, Herman Miller’s product innovations, Target’s efforts to redefine their value prop), and as you can tell from the first item there, so-called “design thinking” is no recipe for long-term success.
April 6, 2017
Reviewed by Ravensbourne MA student.
“The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking Is the Next Competitive Advantage”. Written by Roger Martin, the dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and published by the “Harvard Business Press”, in Boston, Massachusetts, 2009. [Amazon.co.uk-
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Design-Busin...]
In a constantly changing and developing society, it is safe to argue that businesses which fail to agilely adapt to the ever changing landscape jeopardise not only their growth, but their survival, too. Roger Martin on his book “The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking Is the Next Competitive Advantage” brings to light valuable insights that showcase vital and competent business strategies. The latter are capable of granting a sustainable competitive advantage both to the organisation and its members. Approaching the unknown and owned knowledge and resources through “design thinking”, while ultimately achieving innovative outcomes, can place the business on the advantageous position of being adaptable and novel.
What is “Design Thinking”, anyway? Definitely, it is a term more and more used across an abundance of fields. However, it can be easily misinterpreted and wrongfully referred. To begin with, one needs to set the framework and context under which the above term is being mentioned. When it comes to business structures, “Design Thinking” is being perceived as a strategy for innovation, that employs and links creative and methodological design principles, resulting into the yield of dynamic competitive edge (Naiman, 2017).
According to the writer, businesses tend to direct their efforts and activities, either towards the exploration of original knowledge (innovation) or towards the exploitation of the existing one (efficiency), in order to generate value. However, a third alternative indicates that there is an ideal pattern which would balance both latter mentioned principles, for maximum efficiency. That being said, one of the most fundaments models that are being presented on the book concern the direction and path that information and knowledge are being processed within an organisation. Roger Martin introduces the concept of “The Knowledge Funnel”. During the above process, employing “design thinking” would guarantee the simultaneous use of both innovation & efficiency, in an effective manner.
The first stage of the “The Knowledge Funnel” is the exploration of a “mystery”, where the information is countless and still quite vague. Moving forward, one would reach to the “heuristic” stage; applying rule of thumb investigations would contribute to narrow the area of inquiry, and produce a manageable size of answers. The last stage lead to the use of the “algorithm”, an automated formula where exploitation takes place, so as to result to the optimum solution. Funnelling organisational resources and concepts, with maximum efficiency and effectiveness, aids to a simplification of all required procedures, while ultimately offering ideal and novel solutions.
“Design isn’t just about making things beautiful; it’s also about making thing work beautifully”. As a firm believer of the above notion, Roger Martin, suggests the usage of the analytical thinking; 100% reliability” and “intuitive thinking; 100% validity, on their intersection (as it could be presented by the Venn Diagram of Probabilities). The referred intersection (50/50 mix) is described by the “design thinking”.
The revolutionary approaches of tackling business problems and implementing unique procedures, are well-structured through proof of evidence and invocation of existing case studies and success stories in a variety of business organisations. In the present reality, within a world that businesses struggle to dealing with their foremost challenge; gaining a sustainable competitive advantage and unveiling their Unique Selling Proposition (USP) to their target audiences, premises that lead to revolutionary way of achieving these goals, could only be considered as of substantial worth.
As a designer, I have found myself plenty of times battling for identifying the perfect balance of rational and intuitive thinking. Roger Martin recommends persuasive and functional methods of combining the “deductive” and “inductive” thinking to the “abductive” one. Transferring fundamental design practices and applications onto the business spectrum can assist managers to design their businesses in a functional and simplistic manner, while producing ground-breaking outcomes. However, one important point worth of mentioning, is that he advises and summons all members of an organisation, regardless their managerial level, to apply these tactics. After all, as Mahatma Gandhi said we need to ““Be the change that you wish to see in the world”, each and every drastic novelty derives from an accumulation of individual efforts directed toward a common purpose.
Overall, I found this book highly relevant to the existing reality and applicable to every kind of organisational structure. It should be noted, that even the design of the book's cover adheres to innovative editorial design principles. Roger Martin, the dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, seems to have mastered the notion of rebuilding and reinventing, under the balance of the pertinent virtues of design thinking, while effectively and efficiently communicating his message and viewpoints to his audience.
References
Naiman, L. (2017). Design Thinking as a Strategy for Innovation. [online] Creativity at Work. Available at: http://www.creativityatwork.com/desig...
“The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking Is the Next Competitive Advantage”. Written by Roger Martin, the dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and published by the “Harvard Business Press”, in Boston, Massachusetts, 2009. [Amazon.co.uk-
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Design-Busin...]
In a constantly changing and developing society, it is safe to argue that businesses which fail to agilely adapt to the ever changing landscape jeopardise not only their growth, but their survival, too. Roger Martin on his book “The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking Is the Next Competitive Advantage” brings to light valuable insights that showcase vital and competent business strategies. The latter are capable of granting a sustainable competitive advantage both to the organisation and its members. Approaching the unknown and owned knowledge and resources through “design thinking”, while ultimately achieving innovative outcomes, can place the business on the advantageous position of being adaptable and novel.
What is “Design Thinking”, anyway? Definitely, it is a term more and more used across an abundance of fields. However, it can be easily misinterpreted and wrongfully referred. To begin with, one needs to set the framework and context under which the above term is being mentioned. When it comes to business structures, “Design Thinking” is being perceived as a strategy for innovation, that employs and links creative and methodological design principles, resulting into the yield of dynamic competitive edge (Naiman, 2017).
According to the writer, businesses tend to direct their efforts and activities, either towards the exploration of original knowledge (innovation) or towards the exploitation of the existing one (efficiency), in order to generate value. However, a third alternative indicates that there is an ideal pattern which would balance both latter mentioned principles, for maximum efficiency. That being said, one of the most fundaments models that are being presented on the book concern the direction and path that information and knowledge are being processed within an organisation. Roger Martin introduces the concept of “The Knowledge Funnel”. During the above process, employing “design thinking” would guarantee the simultaneous use of both innovation & efficiency, in an effective manner.
The first stage of the “The Knowledge Funnel” is the exploration of a “mystery”, where the information is countless and still quite vague. Moving forward, one would reach to the “heuristic” stage; applying rule of thumb investigations would contribute to narrow the area of inquiry, and produce a manageable size of answers. The last stage lead to the use of the “algorithm”, an automated formula where exploitation takes place, so as to result to the optimum solution. Funnelling organisational resources and concepts, with maximum efficiency and effectiveness, aids to a simplification of all required procedures, while ultimately offering ideal and novel solutions.
“Design isn’t just about making things beautiful; it’s also about making thing work beautifully”. As a firm believer of the above notion, Roger Martin, suggests the usage of the analytical thinking; 100% reliability” and “intuitive thinking; 100% validity, on their intersection (as it could be presented by the Venn Diagram of Probabilities). The referred intersection (50/50 mix) is described by the “design thinking”.
The revolutionary approaches of tackling business problems and implementing unique procedures, are well-structured through proof of evidence and invocation of existing case studies and success stories in a variety of business organisations. In the present reality, within a world that businesses struggle to dealing with their foremost challenge; gaining a sustainable competitive advantage and unveiling their Unique Selling Proposition (USP) to their target audiences, premises that lead to revolutionary way of achieving these goals, could only be considered as of substantial worth.
As a designer, I have found myself plenty of times battling for identifying the perfect balance of rational and intuitive thinking. Roger Martin recommends persuasive and functional methods of combining the “deductive” and “inductive” thinking to the “abductive” one. Transferring fundamental design practices and applications onto the business spectrum can assist managers to design their businesses in a functional and simplistic manner, while producing ground-breaking outcomes. However, one important point worth of mentioning, is that he advises and summons all members of an organisation, regardless their managerial level, to apply these tactics. After all, as Mahatma Gandhi said we need to ““Be the change that you wish to see in the world”, each and every drastic novelty derives from an accumulation of individual efforts directed toward a common purpose.
Overall, I found this book highly relevant to the existing reality and applicable to every kind of organisational structure. It should be noted, that even the design of the book's cover adheres to innovative editorial design principles. Roger Martin, the dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, seems to have mastered the notion of rebuilding and reinventing, under the balance of the pertinent virtues of design thinking, while effectively and efficiently communicating his message and viewpoints to his audience.
References
Naiman, L. (2017). Design Thinking as a Strategy for Innovation. [online] Creativity at Work. Available at: http://www.creativityatwork.com/desig...
June 4, 2020
The DNA of Design Thinking
The Knowledge funnel alone is worth more than the book. Goes to the heart of design thinking and how it can be used in organizations - large or small.
Outstanding. Also how to take it personal - becoming a design thinker. Loved it!
The Knowledge funnel alone is worth more than the book. Goes to the heart of design thinking and how it can be used in organizations - large or small.
Outstanding. Also how to take it personal - becoming a design thinker. Loved it!
April 17, 2021
Must read for everyone doing business
February 11, 2022
Bons case studies mas é um livro extremamente repetitivo e o tópico é explorado de uma forma muito superficial.
April 19, 2010
Applying design principles to business management
Roger Martin’s book on business design is subtle yet profound. He guides you to rethink the way you conceptualize business decisions so you can shift to “design thinking.” Using an approach rooted in both practice and theory, Martin cites examples ranging from Cirque du Soleil to McDonald’s. He urges you to reconsider your leadership model and organizational structures, and to exercise “abductive logic,” thinking that moves through “logical leaps of the mind.” Martin’s call for action is bold and enjoyable. He offers innovation and regeneration as the rewards for accepting his challenge to balance validity and reliability. getAbstract recommends his book to designers, those who work with them, and anyone charged with managing innovation or organizational redesign.
To learn more about this book, check out the following link: http://www.getabstract.com/summary/12...
Roger Martin’s book on business design is subtle yet profound. He guides you to rethink the way you conceptualize business decisions so you can shift to “design thinking.” Using an approach rooted in both practice and theory, Martin cites examples ranging from Cirque du Soleil to McDonald’s. He urges you to reconsider your leadership model and organizational structures, and to exercise “abductive logic,” thinking that moves through “logical leaps of the mind.” Martin’s call for action is bold and enjoyable. He offers innovation and regeneration as the rewards for accepting his challenge to balance validity and reliability. getAbstract recommends his book to designers, those who work with them, and anyone charged with managing innovation or organizational redesign.
To learn more about this book, check out the following link: http://www.getabstract.com/summary/12...
November 23, 2015
This book will go onto my reference shelf - I probably highlighted more than 50% of this book. Roger Martin lifts the curtain up from simultaneously managing innovation and predictability, and seeks not only to define Design Thinking but also translate what this means in the corporate world.
The pattern of translating mystery to heuristics to algorithms is the closest answer I have seen to getting tacit expertise into explicit corporate knowledge that is scalable.
Most books are worth a quick read to glean one or two good ideas. There are a few books that are worth slowly chewing, tasting the flavour and digesting over time - and this is such a book.
The pattern of translating mystery to heuristics to algorithms is the closest answer I have seen to getting tacit expertise into explicit corporate knowledge that is scalable.
Most books are worth a quick read to glean one or two good ideas. There are a few books that are worth slowly chewing, tasting the flavour and digesting over time - and this is such a book.
August 7, 2019
While this book makes a couple of interesting points about design thinking, it’s clear that it has been written at a time before the lessons of the innovator’s dillemma had fully hit Silicon Valley. RIM is one of their main companies complimented lol
April 3, 2011
Good primer on the integration of design thinking into an organization. Mostly keeps it at a conceptual, theoretical level and uses fairly general case studies to tell the story.
January 27, 2019
mystery > heuristic > algorithm
August 5, 2019
It must be admitted that a book like this has a bit of an uphill climb. The author seeks to promote a sort of thinking that runs counter to the quantitative spirit of the times and points out the sort of systemic biases in favor of reliability over validity that make it hard for people in many contemporary businesses to justify the high-risk, high-reward efforts at creative thinking that make it possible to provide genuine and long-lasting competitive advantages in a world where most businesses are content to seek to exploit existing insights and run businesses into the ground. The author captures an understanding of the uncertainty that makes it both hard to turn some fields (like songwriting) into algorithms, although many try, and also points out that looking for new messy fields to draw insights from can be a very profitable and useful way for companies to prosper, and also points out that many companies can be a victim of their own success by ditching the habits that led them to be creative in the past but where complacency and a rentier mentality has made creativity a harder sell given its inherent messiness in the present.
This book is a short one of less than 200 pages and is a pretty quick read. After some acknowledgements the author begins with a discussion of the knowledge funnel and how it is that discovery takes shape as messy reality is first sorted into heuristics and then turned into handy and effective algorithms (1). This leads to a discussion of the reliability bias that privileges ways that are already known to work and makes it hard for knowledge to progress because of the temperamental conservatism of people and institutions (2). After that the author introduces the subject of design thinking and how it can provide a competitive advantage for businesses (3), as well as a discussion of how adopting this way of thinking can transform companies that are struggling to survive in the midst of difficult times, as was the case for Proctor & Gamble (4). A discussion of the balancing act that must take place between reliability and validity follows (5), as does a look at how cutting-edge companies are world-class explorers (6) in a world generally content to exploit. Finally, the book closes with a discussion on how the reader can develop oneself as a design thinker (7), along with notes, an index, and some information about the author.
At its core, this book is an appeal for the reader to develop and to appreciate abductive thinking, where one first observes messy reality and then seeks the most elegant explanation for these observations. Admittedly, this is not a style of thinking that is appreciated and encouraged in many business schools and it certainly goes against the grain of the way that people tend to think most of the time. Yet it does allow one to think as a designer, as it is a way of inferring explanations and designs and intents from the observations we make of what is around us. By becoming world-class noticers of our world and people who think and reflect upon what we notice, we can become far more creative people whether we are directly aiming at it or not. I'm not sure how successful the author is in advocating this for the general public, as one would think that most of the people who read this book are likely to already be people who practice this tendency In a sense, this book is likely preaching to the choir, which means that while this book will be interesting and encouraging to those who are already practicing thinking like a designer, it is less likely to make it less uncommon to think in this fashion.
This book is a short one of less than 200 pages and is a pretty quick read. After some acknowledgements the author begins with a discussion of the knowledge funnel and how it is that discovery takes shape as messy reality is first sorted into heuristics and then turned into handy and effective algorithms (1). This leads to a discussion of the reliability bias that privileges ways that are already known to work and makes it hard for knowledge to progress because of the temperamental conservatism of people and institutions (2). After that the author introduces the subject of design thinking and how it can provide a competitive advantage for businesses (3), as well as a discussion of how adopting this way of thinking can transform companies that are struggling to survive in the midst of difficult times, as was the case for Proctor & Gamble (4). A discussion of the balancing act that must take place between reliability and validity follows (5), as does a look at how cutting-edge companies are world-class explorers (6) in a world generally content to exploit. Finally, the book closes with a discussion on how the reader can develop oneself as a design thinker (7), along with notes, an index, and some information about the author.
At its core, this book is an appeal for the reader to develop and to appreciate abductive thinking, where one first observes messy reality and then seeks the most elegant explanation for these observations. Admittedly, this is not a style of thinking that is appreciated and encouraged in many business schools and it certainly goes against the grain of the way that people tend to think most of the time. Yet it does allow one to think as a designer, as it is a way of inferring explanations and designs and intents from the observations we make of what is around us. By becoming world-class noticers of our world and people who think and reflect upon what we notice, we can become far more creative people whether we are directly aiming at it or not. I'm not sure how successful the author is in advocating this for the general public, as one would think that most of the people who read this book are likely to already be people who practice this tendency In a sense, this book is likely preaching to the choir, which means that while this book will be interesting and encouraging to those who are already practicing thinking like a designer, it is less likely to make it less uncommon to think in this fashion.
January 9, 2020
“ innovation is about seeing the world not as it is, but as it could be”
Debo confesar que tenía altas expectativas de este libro, sobre todo por tener tan altas calificaciones , reseñas favorables y ser considerado como de los “mejores libros de innovación” (de acuerdo a google) sin embargo al final me decepción completamente.
Un título que prometía demostrar la importancia de incorporar “Design Thinking” a las organizaciones , se quedó solo en eso : “Es importante incorporarla”. Si bien el autor expone el tema a través de diversos y contemporáneos ejemplos , creo que no sobrepasa lo evidente , al final , quizás lo único que podemos aprender del título es:
1) Para incorporar innovación en una organización o aplicarla en algún nuevo producto / acercamiento , es importante tener dominio y entendimiento total del consumidor. Las apariencias pueden ser engañosas cuando se trata de las necesidades.
2) Los estudios de mercado cuantitativos jamás te darán una respuesta conclusiva o final de una problemática , sin embargo son críticos para validar observaciones cualitativas. “ no good product was ever created from quantitative market research”
3) Todo inicia con una pregunta y Design thinking , como disciplina y herramienta, puede brindar un acercamiento dinámico y objetivo
4) Al eliminar sesgos y Juicios subjetivos de las decisiones de negocio, es posible lograr escalar una mayor eficiencia
5) El Design thinking no se trata de hacer las cosas hermosas , se trata de hacer que las cosas funcionen (work beutifully).
Calificación: 6.5 de 10, si eres neófito en el tema , te será útil . Pero si ya haz leído sobre el tema , solo te resultará reiterante y quizás tedioso .
February 17, 2018
'The Design of Business' by Roger Martin is another wealthy design read I was fortunate to come across via the awesome folks at the ThinkBig team @Optus.
Again, pursuing my new interests in 'Design Thinking'. This book explains why we must step away from reliability-oriented management and seek new anomalies to exploit. Running a reliable algorithm based on past data makes us vulnerable to cataclysmic events. This fact is very apparent with the rapid advance in technology and disruptive business models popping up. Six Sigma and TQM will drive out waste from the business but will not always generate innovative new designs.
The book has several examples of how real-world organisation like P&G transformed themselves into Design Thinking, innovative business.
How people who work to optimise existing algorithm should share information and collaborate with designers, who delve into the chaos in search of new opportunities.
We should not let mysteries stay a mystery and explore all possibilities in the knowledge funnel. We should embrace and tacked the world's 'Wicked Problems'!
Again, pursuing my new interests in 'Design Thinking'. This book explains why we must step away from reliability-oriented management and seek new anomalies to exploit. Running a reliable algorithm based on past data makes us vulnerable to cataclysmic events. This fact is very apparent with the rapid advance in technology and disruptive business models popping up. Six Sigma and TQM will drive out waste from the business but will not always generate innovative new designs.
The book has several examples of how real-world organisation like P&G transformed themselves into Design Thinking, innovative business.
How people who work to optimise existing algorithm should share information and collaborate with designers, who delve into the chaos in search of new opportunities.
We should not let mysteries stay a mystery and explore all possibilities in the knowledge funnel. We should embrace and tacked the world's 'Wicked Problems'!
December 5, 2019
Stumbled upon this one during my search to understand critically why DT is not being adopted much if it is what exactly the title says, the next big advantage. I found my answers to some extent for some of the questions like -When it fails? What are the ingredients for a successful design project, especially in management consulting. It tries to answer these questions to some extent through its case studies of Intuit, P&G etc. However if the main objective is to sell DT, you will certainly find some bias in the presentation of these case studies. Please beware of it.
Although it attempted to clear some of the basics of DT in the beginning, it is still recommended to go through some of the pros and cons of DT from other sources to understand the case studies critically. I suggest this one to all those cheerleaders of DT but with a tinge of caution.
Although it attempted to clear some of the basics of DT in the beginning, it is still recommended to go through some of the pros and cons of DT from other sources to understand the case studies critically. I suggest this one to all those cheerleaders of DT but with a tinge of caution.
October 6, 2018
Solid read to get you grounded on design thinking and share lots of stories and examples of organizations and teams who have gone through that and the impact it had on them, lives and society. Could use a refresher on topics, selection of examples and stories. My favorite is RIM as an example of an organization that leveraged design thinking and the example of Mike Lazaridis (CEO and founder of RIM) talkes about competition.
Hmm, the irony!
By watching his competitors, Lazaridis had learned the danger of resing comfortably on existing heuristics and algorithms, "Morotola lost because it didn't embrace the future," he says, "it was too damn good at what it was doing." Seduced by reliability, Motorola had stopped thinking like a designer.
Hmm, the irony!
July 1, 2019
The book highlights some key concepts that I find valuable to leading an organization into successfully applying design-thinking concepts into its operation. However, there is nothing particularly captivating in the story telling nor memorable for application.
The book did do an excellent job of communicating the leadership challenge, and importance of, to the sustained success of an organization of balancing ‘reliability’ mind thinking and ‘validity’ minded thinking.
This book was timely as I am currently part of leading the introduction of ‘design thinking’ concepts into an organization to transition it from a reliability’ mindset focused on maximizing the efficiency and life of its past/current model to a balanced approach for innovation.
The book did do an excellent job of communicating the leadership challenge, and importance of, to the sustained success of an organization of balancing ‘reliability’ mind thinking and ‘validity’ minded thinking.
This book was timely as I am currently part of leading the introduction of ‘design thinking’ concepts into an organization to transition it from a reliability’ mindset focused on maximizing the efficiency and life of its past/current model to a balanced approach for innovation.
September 2, 2018
I've heard of the Ford model T 'if people were asked what they wanted, they would want a faster horse' story many times before. It was refreshing to read about the Aeron chair and how users wanted the 'finished product' with padding and upholstery when they saw the chair. It was also interesting to read about blackberry from the 2009 perspective when it was still popular (before iphone and android overtook it). The idea of codifying ideas from mystery to heuristic to algorithm is prevalent in tech and resonates throughout this book.
July 10, 2021
The book is around how the validity seeker think and how the reliability seeker think. Thus, to some degree, i have an impression that validity seeker is not looking for reliability and vice versa. As the author stated, of course it is not true.
The book is very good to remind us to look for those two aspects and how to deal and take the best from team with tendency toward the validity or reliability.
The book is very good to remind us to look for those two aspects and how to deal and take the best from team with tendency toward the validity or reliability.
April 7, 2022
Some good point about the importance of different types of reasoning (especially design thinking type) to create not just safe and predictable results but also to craft completely new products and services. A bit long for the main point to get across, quite clearly an elongated version of a shorter popular writing by the author. Still, a good refresher on importance of design and design thinking in business and life.
July 23, 2023
The first couple of chapters are great. (The RIM reference is unfortunate.) It shares the concept of Reliability vs. Validity, as well as the concept of moving from mystery to heuristics to algorithms.
After that, it falls off. I even wondered if the author realized that design thinking is not about aesthetic design.
If there is an HBR article that discusses the above concepts, you can avoid reading the entire book and still benefit.
After that, it falls off. I even wondered if the author realized that design thinking is not about aesthetic design.
If there is an HBR article that discusses the above concepts, you can avoid reading the entire book and still benefit.
May 6, 2018
Ok book for a specific audience
I would not recommend this book if you are looking to generally learn about design thinking. This book does have some good thoughts on how you might introduce design thinking into an organization that is typically more focused on execution and efficiency, but that's about it.
I would not recommend this book if you are looking to generally learn about design thinking. This book does have some good thoughts on how you might introduce design thinking into an organization that is typically more focused on execution and efficiency, but that's about it.
August 23, 2019
A classic for those interested in design thinking, especially as it relates to business. The argument is presented very elegantly with the analogy to validity and reliability—it will definitely resonate with those in psychology and education. Unfortunately it has some dated information and material so it may not be entirely applicable any longer.
November 20, 2019
This was probably more relevant 10 years ago when it was written. Unlike other business books that are heavily history or personal anecdote based, this is mostly market-analysis and practice based. So the predictions are largely outdated in 2019. Would not recommend as a 2019 read since most of the innovative recommended business practices are now fully utilized in the marketplace.
January 20, 2020
Fun read with good stories to illustrate the use of design thinking in business. However, some examples show this book is dated... an example of weathering change successfully where the business is no longer in business now. I'm not sure the book totally proved its thesis, but it is engaging and posits something you can see evidence of.
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