A Model for Measuring and Managing the Impact of Design on the Organization: Insights from Four Companies

Iker Legarda, Ion Iriarte, Maya Hoveskog and Daniel Justel-Lozano
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Iker Legarda: Design Innovation Center (DBZ), Faculty of Engineering, Mondragon Unibertsitatea, Loramendi 4, 20500 Arrasate-Mondragon, Spain
Ion Iriarte: Design Innovation Center (DBZ), Faculty of Engineering, Mondragon Unibertsitatea, Loramendi 4, 20500 Arrasate-Mondragon, Spain
Maya Hoveskog: School of Business, Innovation and Sustainability, Halmstad University, Kristian IV:s väg 3, 301 18 Halmstad, Sweden
Daniel Justel-Lozano: Design Innovation Center (DBZ), Faculty of Engineering, Mondragon Unibertsitatea, Loramendi 4, 20500 Arrasate-Mondragon, Spain

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 22, 1-23

Abstract: Increasing numbers of companies are looking to embed design as a strategic capability to meet today’s business and social challenges. However, integrating design in an organization is a challenge, due to the scarcity of knowledge on managing this process and measuring its impact. This study presents a model for measuring and managing the impact of design on the organization (DIMM). The model builds on four levels of design impact identified in the literature: results, perception, processes, and design culture. The model was tested with four service companies that have recently developed design capabilities. To this end, those responsible for the integration of design were interviewed, using the model itself as an interview guide to confirm its usefulness and identify possible improvements. The results showed that the model was useful to assess the impact of design on companies with emerging design capabilities, but also as a reflection and management tool to align design with strategic objectives and promote its integration into the organization. Finally, future research should test the model longitudinally, as well as in a broader scope of organizations, to validate its usefulness for organizations with greater design maturity.

Keywords: design; design management; sustainable development; design capability; organizational capabilities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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