Design Thinking Unleashed: Fostering Creativity and Employee-Driven Innovation

Jesrina Ann Xavier (), V. G. R. Chandran Govindaraju (), Sandy Liew Mei Xuan () and Shehnaz Tehseen ()
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Jesrina Ann Xavier: Sunway University, Department of Management, Sunway Business School
V. G. R. Chandran Govindaraju: Universiti Malaya, Faculty of Business and Economics
Sandy Liew Mei Xuan: Sunway University, Department of Management, Sunway Business School
Shehnaz Tehseen: Sunway University, Department of Management, Sunway Business School

A chapter in Knowledge Management and Innovation, Volume I, 2026, pp 3-23 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This chapter explores the potential of Design Thinking (DT) as a people-centred approach to foster creativity and enable employee-driven innovation by integrating organizational behaviour, innovation theory, and practical tools. Using an integrative conceptual framework, it aligns the five stages of DT with theories of disruptive innovation, ambidextrous organization, and diffusion of innovations to enhance strategic relevance and balance exploratory and exploitative outcomes. The framework emphasizes DT’s ability to stimulate creativity, strengthen employee engagement, and provide systematic yet adaptable tools for problem-solving, prototyping, and adoption. By fusing theoretical foundations with practical design methodologies, it positions DT as a novel roadmap for organizations to operationalize creativity and scale employee-led initiatives. While offering strategic value for managers and researchers, the framework’s effectiveness depends on contextual factors, warranting further validation across diverse organizational settings.

Keywords: Design thinking; Disruptive innovation theory; Ambidextrous organization theory; Diffusions of innovations theory; Conceptual framework (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-032-16620-3_1

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-16620-3_1

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