Role of Design Thinking in Guiding Innovation Through Influencing Knowledge Bases

Design thinking is introduced as a method to achieve innovation in conditions with high uncertainty and complexity. This feature has led this method to innovations welcomed by companies operating in unknown and turbulent markets. Nevertheless, the development of theoretical knowledge about design thinking has not been accompanied by its accelerated use and has created a lack in its sustainable implementation; A problem that has led to the superficial and cross-sectional implementation of this approach. In the meantime, the place of design thinking in knowledge-based innovation is one of the fields that, despite some studies, remains unknown. Considering the development of knowledge-based innovation in recent years, it is necessary to explain the effect of innovation models on it. Based on an exploratory approach, this research has tried to explain the mechanism of the effect of this method through the development of analytical, synthetic, and symbolic knowledge bases by analyzing the orientation of four kinds of design thinking to knowledge-based innovation. For this purpose, design thinking experts who have had a significant experience in connection with innovative companies implementing this approach were consulted, and information was collected with the help of open and semi-structured interviews. According to the research structure of multi-case study, the data were monitored through cross-case analysis to identify recurring views among the results of the interviews. Also, to achieve more accurate and reliable estimates of the results, the collected data were triangulated. The findings of the research about the impact of design thinking on knowledge-based innovation were presented in the form of four discussed types. The mechanism of the effect of design thinking on knowledge-based innovation can be expressed on two levels. At the first level, it is design thinking methodology that enables intuitive and speculative behaviors to identify what can be possible in four different approaches. By relying on the logic of abduction, design thinking develops a different form of encountering the surrounding world, which is different from conventional analytical approaches. This form can strengthen the exploratory capabilities of the organization. At the second level, design thinking with the ability to develop all three analytical, synthetic and symbolic knowledge bases through different types, affects the innovation of the knowledge base. Our findings showed that while the user-oriented type mainly enriches the analytical knowledge base, two types of acceleration and creative trust cause the development of the combined knowledge base. Finally, the innovation of meaning has a direct relationship with the development of knowledge of the symbolic base. The summary of the results shows that while design thinking has the capacity to influence knowledge-based innovation through different types, due to the limitations caused by the process structure, this view is not able to explain and guide the capacity of all the mentioned types in the path of innovation and needs to be revised. Considering the current research that tries to redefine design thinking through the lens of dynamic capabilities, we suggest expanding the studies of this theoretical current to overcome the mentioned lack.