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Design+ Legitimizing design thinking in companies

discussions about its role in both design and management. legitimacy implications for both the individual and the
1,2
The need for innovation to succeed in saturated markets social structure, an important consideration for engaging
served as the starting point for these discussions. Over an organization with DT in the long term.
time, DT has evolved into a strategic tool. The main factors Adopting DT in companies can be difficult due to a
driving the rise of DT in management are the increasing lack of understanding of the approach. Employees may
demand for innovation, creativity, and new approaches to be unaware of what DT entails or may misinterpret it due
solving complex business challenges. 3,4 to ambiguous information. Furthermore, the internal
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A new interpretation is emerging in both academic integration of DT is often limited by uncertainty about
and practitioner communities: design as a comprehensive its outcomes and the success of its application. Despite
3
innovation management practice, encompassing a new set these challenges, DT remains crucial for establishing and
of processes, attitudes, and capacities. DT is gaining traction expanding companies seeking to differentiate themselves
in the corporate sector as a catalyst for developing unique in the market. 2,4
user experiences, new companies, strategic transformation, Kwon et al. developed a multilevel conceptual
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and organizational and cultural changes. Some companies framework to explore the impact of individual employees’
5
have used DT to reshape their cultures, making them more perceptions of communication patterns on their job
adaptive and customer-focused. This process includes engagement. According to these authors, three levels of
active thought, where the nature of an issue is questioned, factors influence the alignment of voice practices as “best
driving learning and changing attitudes and behaviors. practices,” contributing to work engagement: macro-
6
DT has transformed businesses across industries, with level national culture (specifically, the degree of power
companies like Apple Inc. and IDEO leading the way by distance), meso-level organizational climate (including
embedding it into their cultures. At Apple, Steve Jobs empowering leadership and participation levels), and
fostered a design-driven culture that inspired others, such micro-level relationship quality between employees and
as Airbnb. In 2009, Airbnb’s leadership identified, through supervisors (leader-member exchange). This paper aims to
DT, that low-quality photographs on their website were explore how organizations can legitimize the adoption of
hindering bookings. By replacing them with professional DT at both the individual and social structural levels. The
images, revenues doubled within a week, demonstrating investigation drew on the three levels outlined by Kwon
how DT can address business challenges. Airbnb’s et al. and incorporated organizational perspectives on
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leadership successfully balanced an analytical, data-driven the effects of the physical environment, as discussed by
approach with intuitive and creative thinking, combining Seifried and Wasserbaech. 3
a deep passion for the company’s product with genuine
customer empathy and integrating linear planning with This study is based on empirical research in which
a willingness to experiment. Airbnb’s ability to apply DT hypotheses were developed from the topics mentioned
strategically was largely due to the mindset of its leaders above, then tested and validated using a quasi-experimental
and the dynamic, adaptive startup culture they cultivated. approach and quantitative analysis of the results. Data
Both co-founders, Chief Executive Officers Brian Chesky collection was conducted immediately after specific work
and Joe Gebbia, have backgrounds in design, which played activities, allowing for real-time insights. This quasi-
a crucial role in this approach. 7 experimental approach provides empirically grounded
insights, contributing to a comprehensive understanding
DT has emerged as a human-centered yet goal-
oriented approach to innovation, prompting enterprises of the factors influencing the successful implementation of
DT within individual and organizational structures.
to transform how they think and operate. A substantial
8
body of research has validated DT; however, gaps remain, By proposing and testing a set of hypotheses to address
particularly regarding the adoption barriers that become this challenge, this paper fills a crucial gap in the literature
more critical as organizational maturity increases. Much regarding the need for legitimacy in DT adoption. It
research has confirmed that obstacles to DT adoption enhances understanding of why legitimacy is critical
exist in businesses, 9-14 recognizing that these barriers and anticipates potential approaches to overcome this
become more significant as a company matures. Given the limitation, both at the front end of innovation (generating
lack of extensive research and suitable techniques to help new ideas and developing new products/services) and
businesses navigate these obstacles from both individual at the back end of innovation (commercialization of an
and organizational perspectives, this study focuses on existing product). The study’s findings will be valuable
the legitimacy of adopting DT as an innovation strategy, for numerous organizations worldwide that have faced
exploring these barriers in depth. To our knowledge, this limitation, thus improving DT implementation,
previous research has not thoroughly investigated the advancing knowledge, and contributing to the theory with

Volume 2 Issue 1 (2025) 2 doi: 10.36922/dp.4292