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Design+ Legitimizing design thinking in companies

surged, with earnings increasing by 40% annually from flexibility should extend beyond just interior areas. A
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1996 to 2001, while maintaining the same personnel size. total of four items were used, on a Likert-type scale where
Since the relocation, its average yearly return has been 1 corresponds to “not suitable at all” and 5 corresponds to
28%. A workplace design that aligns with the company’s “very suitable.”
values and culture can provide many benefits, contributing In Table 2, the items are organized and grouped into
to ongoing innovation, growth, and the achievement of four thematic categories, and the corresponding descriptive
business goals. Therefore, this scale will be developed statistics are provided for each item.
using the three principles of West and Wind – (i) embrace
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the culture: a company’s culture should be reflected in its 3.7. Data analysis
workplace design. It is crucial to align workplace design The hypothesis tests were formulated based on summated
with the organization’s culture and values. Companies
cannot make changes to the workplace without also scales, corresponding to the average score of the measures
evolving the culture and expecting positive outcomes. associated with each construct under analysis (power
Solutions will vary greatly, as each culture is unique. distance, leadership, culture, and physical space).
(ii) Fiscal responsibility: organizations should avoid the Given the small sample size (N = 10), the hypotheses
“edifice complex,” a tendency in some companies to waste that Team Beta scores higher than Team Alpha on the four
money on extravagant displays. (iii) Build for flexibility: dimensions of DT legitimacy were evaluated using the

Table 2. Items and descriptive statistics
Constructs and items Min Max Mean SD
Power distance 3.400 4.400 3.880 0.270
PD1: My Performance Evaluation helped me identify my strengths and weaknesses in relation to my work. 4 5 4.200 0.422
PD2: My Performance Evaluation helped me improve my job performance. 3 5 4.000 0.471
PD3: My Performance Evaluation helped me identify my training and personal development needs. 3 5 4.100 0.568
PD4: My Performance Evaluation aided in my career development and planning. 2 4 3.300 0.675
PD5: My Performance Evaluation, in conjunction with my management, helped align clear performance criteria for the 3 4 3.800 0.422
next year.
Leadership 3.200 5.000 4.100 0.655
LD1: How good is your management’s leadership ability? 3 5 4.10 0.738
LD2: How good is your management at following the decisions made? 2 5 3.80 0.919
LD3: How good is your management at monitoring the results of actions taken? 3 5 4.00 0.816
LD4: How good is your communication with your management? 3 5 4.00 0.667
LD5: How comfortable are you expressing your opinions and disagreeing with your immediate management? 4 5 4.60 0.516
Culture 2.710 5.860 4.557 0.953
CU1: During the workshop, how often did you make suggestions on issues impacting this workgroup? 3 7 5.70 1.252
CU2: During the workshop, how often did you communicate your opinions to colleagues in this group, even if your 5 7 6.30 0.675
opinion differed from others?
CU3: During the workshop, how often did you feel afraid to express disagreement with the workshop moderator? 1 3 1.30 0.675
CU4: During the workshop, how often did team leader make recommendations on issues affecting this workgroup? 1 6 3.10 2.234
CU5: During the workshop, how often did you speak up and encourage the team? 4 7 5.20 0.919
CU6: During the workshop, how often did the team leader speak up and encourage the team? 1 7 5.20 2.098
CU7: During the workshop, how often did you contribute to the team with ideas for new projects or changes? 3 7 5.10 1.449
Physical space 2.000 5.000 3.625 1.069
PS1: In your opinion, how suitable is the physical space for facilitating the workshop? 2 5 4.00 1.054
PS2: In your opinion, how suitable is the physical space for creating a relaxed environment? 2 5 3.50 1.354
PS3: In your opinion, how suitable is the physical space for generating new ideas? 2 5 3.50 1.269
PS4: In your opinion, how suitable is the physical space in relation to aspects that characterize the company's culture? 2 5 3.50 0.972
Abbreviations: CU: Culture; LD: Leadership; Max: Maximum; Min: Minimum; PD: Power distance; PS: Physical space; SD: Standard deviation.

Volume 2 Issue 1 (2025) 11 doi: 10.36922/dp.4292