Harnessing the ‘Essential Tension’ of Design: The Complex Relationship between the Firm and Designer Consultants

22 Pages Posted: 9 Apr 2010

See all articles by Andrea Filippetti

Andrea Filippetti

Italian National Research Council (CNR-ISSIRFA); London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE); University of London - Birkbeck College

Date Written: April 9, 2010

Abstract

A central factor which characterizes design-related innovative activities is that a major source of knowledge – that is designers – is very often located outside the firm. This raises a central management issue for the firm and unavoidably generates a tension between designer consultants and the firm which I name the essential tension. The aim of this paper is to shed some light on this complex relationship on the ground of the evidence provided by a multiple case study. The findings confirm that designer consultants can make a substantial contribution in enhancing firms’ innovation capabilities. We show that a better understanding of the types of knowledge that designers need for their activity is key. This affects the way designer consultants are integrated within the organizational structure of the firm, and it also impinges on the strategies put forward by firms to manage this relationship in order to gain a competitive advantage driven by innovation. Implications include the crucial role played by the product manager, the strategies to foster trust and to coordinate designers.

Keywords: Industrial Design, Innovation, Product Development, Case Study

JEL Classification: O32, M11

Suggested Citation

Filippetti, Andrea, Harnessing the ‘Essential Tension’ of Design: The Complex Relationship between the Firm and Designer Consultants (April 9, 2010). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1586958 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1586958

Andrea Filippetti (Contact Author)

Italian National Research Council (CNR-ISSIRFA) ( email )

Via dei Taurini, 19
00185 Rome
Italy

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) ( email )

Houghton Street
London, WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom

University of London - Birkbeck College ( email )

Malet Street
London, WC1E 7HX
United Kingdom

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
117
Abstract Views
1,033
Rank
427,613
PlumX Metrics