In the business sector, Design Thinking has developed from a creative technique into a driver of corporate change. This is one of the main results of the first large-scale scientific study on the effect of Design Thinking in daily work. A joint research project of Hasso Plattner Institute (https://hpi.de) and Stanford University revealed that companies and organizations are using this innovation concept in an even more extensive and diverse way than was previously thought. Achievements have been primarily determined in improvements in the working culture and in the efficiency of innovation processes. According to the Potsdam researchers, an open-minded management is a crucial factor in the success of Design Thinking.
In the just published study "Parts Without a Whole?", HPI researchers Professor Christoph Meinel, Jan Schmiedgen, Holger Rhinow and Eva Koeppen evaluated responses from 235 participants using semi-structured questionnaires. Qualitative interviews were also conducted with eight experts.
A large majority of respondents (71 percent) stated that Design Thinking had improved the working culture particularly in the team. Innovation processes have become significantly more efficient for many users (69 percent) and the involvement of users occurs more frequently (48 percent). Cost savings (18 percent) or profit increase (29 percent) were less prominent.
It was surprising for the HPI researchers that Design Thinking is not only applied in the development of new products and services but also for the improvement of internal processes and services. According to the study, the concept enjoys great popularity in a wide range of industrial sectors with customers like Airbnb, BMW, DHL, Procter & Gamble and SAP.
