Ready, Set, Design! Design Thinking: Learning to Implementation among Graduate Students

This study's purpose is to study design thinking (DT) in the context of graduate professionals that could influence networking relationships, psychological empowerment, and project performance through its implementation. Data was collected from a graduate class that completed a design thinking course and project. Data from 38 students were gathered, and data analysis was done using PLS-SEM using SMARTPLS. Results showed that design thinking practice directly influenced networking relationships, psychological empowerment, and project performance. It is also found that psychological empowerment mediates the design thinking process towards the implementation of design thinking in the professional organization. Team diversity also has a significant influence on the design thinking process, as reflected in empathy, user information, problem-defining, ideation, and iteration. The study contributed to showcasing the driving factors that influence DT outcomes in a classroom setup and the possibility of implementation in the professional workplace.