Application of Design Thinking Methodology to Organization and Management Studies

Nowadays, the use of design thinking methodology in organization and management studies is increasing. In Iran within the field of organization and management, there is still a gap between thinking, formulation, and action, and the application of design thinking has been undeveloped conceptually and methodologically. The goal of this study is to explain discourses of design thinking, principles, models, and methods. The methodology of the study is based on a qualitative approach using secondary data content analysis and general qualitative research strategy. According to the study results, design thinking is rooted in two discourses of design and management, although with distinct applications. In this study, human-centered design, a combination of divergent and convergent thinking, co-creation, Iteration, and prototyping were identified as the five principles of design thinking in the field of the organization. In the following, the design thinking models of leading organizations were classified based on phases, stages and activities of design thinking and some of its most common methods were explained. Design thinking models are mainly process-based and can be summarized in four stages of exploration, creation, reflection, and implementation. Finally, research and operational suggestions for the use of design thinking in organizational and management problems with regard to the problem characteristics, level of analysis, and expected outputs are presented. These are unlimited to management science and will be used in other social sciences.