A Conscious Convergence: Leading Innovation Through Design Thinking

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

1 Citation (Scopus)
271 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Organisations need to create and sustain cultures that support risk-taking and entrepreneurial behaviour. Corporate Entrepreneurship has continued to gain traction in recent years as a process to develop new business and revenue streams to add value in the marketplace. Successful innovation management has therefore taken centre stage as a strategy to mitigate risk and create competitive advantage. Popularised by global design, innovation and management consultancies like IDEO and McKinsey, Design Thinking has spread its domain of activities into wider fields, where the value of the process is equally important to stimulating the innovation of new products and services. To improve the entrepreneurial capacity of organisations, leadership rooted in Design Thinking has the potential to inspire every employee to act in a creative way and to successfully engage in the process of innovation. This paper, which is both provisional and speculative in nature as it precedes empirical work, discusses how the convergence of conscious leadership and the Design Thinking process can provide the ultimate foundation for creating an improved entrepreneurial culture. It begins by considering the role of convergence before elaborating on a careful selection of published evidence on Corporate Entrepreneurship, Design Thinking and Leadership . We then shift our attention to the importance of Conscious Leadership, as a ‘radically new and meaningful paradigm that enhances and enriches everyone who embraces it.’ The paper concludes with a set of strategic principles to support organisational environments for entrepreneurial success, emphasising Design Thinking as a tool for sensing and innovating while also providing a foundation for leadership to act as a catalyst for change.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 16th European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship ECIE 2021
EditorsFlorinda Matos, Maria de Fátima Ferreiro, Álvaro Rosa, Isabel Salavisa
PublisherAcademic Conferences International Limited
Pages494-502
Number of pages9
Volume1
ISBN (Electronic)9781914587108
ISBN (Print)9781914587092
Publication statusPublished - 16 Sept 2021
Event16th European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- Universitário de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
Duration: 16 Sept 202117 Sept 2021
Conference number: 16
https://www.academic-conferences.org/conferences/ecie/

Conference

Conference16th European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Country/TerritoryPortugal
CityLisbon
Period16/09/2117/09/21
Internet address

Keywords

  • design thinking
  • corporate entrepreneurship
  • innovation
  • conscious leadership
  • convergence

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