70 406 Design leadership
Emnenavn på Norwegian Bokmål:
Design leadership
Credits:
6
Course code:
70 406
Level of study:
Master
Teaching semester:
2021 Spring
Assessment semester:
2021 Spring
Language of instruction:
English
Year:
2021
Maximum number of students:
20
Person in charge
Monika Hestad
Required prerequisite knowledge
Passed foundation level courses (BA-level) at AHO or equivalent, 180 ECTS.
Course content
In this course we are unpacking what design leadership is and why it is important for organisations. Design, and in particularly design thinking, have gained attention on strategic management levels. Some of the promises are that a designerly approach in the innovation process can help companies in digital transformation, and to develop proposals that meet consumers’ needs, dreams and wants; to name a few applications.
Design becoming part of the management discourse raises several questions. What characterises design leadership? How does design thinking differ from traditional management thinking? How can a designerly way of thinking and working contribute to the top management of an organisation? What are the present hinderances where designers come up short in a management role?
The course is explorative in its nature. We have so far only scratched the surface of what design might contribute with in a management context. Therefore, the aim of the course is twofold: first to unpack current knowledge within the field of design leadership, but also to contribute to the further development of it.
Learning outcome
Knowledge
Understanding the current state of design leadership and role of designers in management positions
Basic understanding of traditional management thinking and how a design approach may differ
Skills
Improved qualitative research skills
Improved design research skills
Improved collaborative skills
General competence
Developed an understanding of opportunities and challenges of design leadership
Apply the students’ design skills in strategy and business development.
Working and learning activities
The course is a combination of lectures, discussion groups, workshops and group work. In the first part, the students will explore a wide range of topics within
management, design leadership, design thinking and strategy. The course is explorative and follows a design research structure that has some key stages:
Part one: Understand and define
Mapping design leadership in literature and in the industry. Developing research approach and conducting primary research. Share insights with class through mapping exercise.
Part two: In-depth research and conceptualising
Narrowing scope and exploring key concepts in teams. Developing new concepts and methods that could be brought into the management discourse. Conceptualise the insights.
Part three: Testing and sharing
Planning the conference and making sketch-models of ways of sharing insights.
The course will culminate in a design leadership conference where the students present designerly approaches to strategy and business development.
Curriculum
Obligatorisk pensum:
Maeda, John. 2011. Redesigning Leadership. Cambridge, Massachusetts. The MIT Press
Other (will be updated)
Hestad, Monika; Grønlig Anders and Rigoni Silvia. 2017. The Little Booklet on Design thinking: An introduction. London. Brand Valley Publications.
Lewrick, Michael, Link Patrick and Leifer, Larry. 2018. The Design thinking playbook: Mindful digital transformation of teams, products, services, businesses and ecosystems. New Jersey. Wiley.
McKeown, Max. 2011. The Strategy Book: How to Think and Act Strategically to Deliver Outstanding Results, 1st ed, London: Financial Times/Prentice Hall.
Turner, Raymond. 2016. Design Leadership: Securing the Strategic Value of Design. London & New York. A Gower book/ Routledge.
Diverse online:
Horn, Robert. 2018.
If You Don’t Embrace Design as a CEO, You Risk Becoming a Dinosaur. Fortune.
Found at: http://fortune.com/2018/03/07/design-leadership-ceo/
Fast Company, business magazine: https://www.fastcompany.com
Harvard Business Review, business journal: https://hbr.org
Design Management Institute: https://www.dmi.org
| Form of assessment | Grouping | Grading scale | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio assessment (Vurderingsmappe) | - | Pass / fail | The students are expected to participate in class at lectures and discussion seminar. Active participation in classes and the ability to communicate and reflect on the subject. Participation and final presentation at the design leadership conference. |
| Workload activity | Comment |
|---|---|
| Attendance | Students are expected to participate in class at lectures and discussion seminars and tutoring. Students are expected to take advantage of the time allotted for self-study and to read the given and recommended literature within their chosen or given area of design management. Gruppearbeid Students are expected to actively participate in classes and workshops and contribute to a professional and constructive collaboration |