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Design+ Legitimizing design thinking in companies

was very comfortable and relaxed while presenting the were used, consisting of five items on a Likert-type scale.
challenge. He also referenced other institutions, such as Although Hofstede’s power distance scale already existed,
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Politecnico di Milano, that have previously applied the we argue that the Power Distance scale is broader and more
ideaChef tool to innovation challenges. applicable in terms of cultural and cross-cultural aspects.
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Next, two minutes were allotted for individual In contrast, this study focuses on understanding how the
brainstorming, during which each participant wrote down specific relationship between leaders and subordinates
as many ideas as possible on a piece of paper to increase affects the adoption of practices such as PE. This approach
captures concrete perceptions and behaviors within this
the C-level. After the brainstorming session, the team specific organizational context. The use of PE-related
presented their ideas to the team leader, who recorded questions to measure power distance aims to indirectly
them on a single sheet of paper. The team was focused, assess the power dynamics and the extent of authority in
sitting around the table, and appeared very engaged in employee-manager relationships. By measuring employees’
the collaborative process. Following the brainstorming, perceptions of their involvement in these processes,
the team leader asked everyone to group their ideas into we gain insights into the power dynamics within the
clusters. The team naturally got up and analyzed all the ideas organization. 44,45 Higher scores on these questions might
around the table. At times, the team leader sought support suggest a more inclusive and participatory culture, which,
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from the ideaChef facilitator for more technical guidance according to the hypothesis, can contribute to legitimizing
related to the tool. In the next step, the team selected their and adopting DT practices.
best idea and wrote it in a tweet-length format, i.e., in just
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a few characters. The team was very comfortable with this The Van Dyne and LePine Voice Scale was used
activity, and there were moments of laughter. to validate Hypothesis 2, “Companies need to create a
culture of openness and feedback.” This measurement
After the idea was selected, the ideaChef facilitator set
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up the board on the table and, along with the team leader, evaluates employees’ propensity to speak out and express
their thoughts at work. It is frequently utilized in research
distributed materials to the team members. The facilitator to assess the connection between speech behavior and
provided a brief technical introduction to how the tool outcomes, including work satisfaction, creativity, and
works. The team showed interest, asking questions, and the performance. The scale has been adapted for use in
team leader offered compliments. Once the explanation multiple languages and cultures and has demonstrated
was complete, ambient music was played, and the team reliability and validity in various contexts. 46
rolled the dice to begin the game. The team members were
highly involved and invested in the challenge alongside the A total of five items were used on a Likert-type scale
team leader, as they shared different perspectives in vibrant where 1 corresponds to “very poor” and 5 corresponds to
debates. “The team’s thinking throughout the development “very good.”
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of ideaChef was not only focused on solving the challenge The Empowering Leadership Questionnaire was
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but also on achieving the goals related to their roles in the used to quantify empowering leadership practices in the
company, particularly the commercial aspect – how they workplace and validate Hypothesis 3: “organizations need
could apply this new way of thinking in their daily work leaders trained in DT.” This scale has been employed
as salespeople. This was an interesting perspective,” noted in various contexts to evaluate empowering leadership
the team leader. After the first three rounds of ideaChef , behaviors and has demonstrated strong reliability and
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the group took a coffee-break in an outdoor space separate validity. Researchers and practitioners can use it to assess
from the workshop room. empowered leadership behaviors and their effects on
Following the coffee break, there was a reset moment employee outcomes, such as work satisfaction, motivation,
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where the ideaChef facilitator challenged the team to and performance. A total of seven items were used on

converge and focus on a more detailed and specific solution. a Likert-type scale where 1 corresponds to “never” and 7
The team was enthusiastic and quickly contributed numerous corresponds to “always.”
ideas. In the subsequent steps, they remained focused on To validate Hypothesis 4: “organizations need a
refining the solution. As the game progressed, the rules physical space designed specifically for the use of DT,”
shifted slightly to emphasize the “main course” cards, which there is, to our knowledge, no existing scale to quantify
helped structure the ideas more effectively and quickly. the influence of the workplace. Although the workplace
effect was not formally measured, research by West and
3.6. Measures Wind concluded that the environment had a significant
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To validate Hypothesis 1, “Organizations require creative impact on business outcomes. After relocating to its
trust,” questions related to performance evaluation (PE) new headquarters, the company’s financial performance

Volume 2 Issue 1 (2025) 10 doi: 10.36922/dp.4292