Prototyping Collective Leadership:Designing the Future of Scotland's Design Sector through a Design Futures Approach.

Whether there should be a national design policy or strategy in Scotland has been a subject of discussion by several initiatives led by academics, industry and public sector bodies since 2014. However, without structural support, or a sustainable mechanism for involving design sector representatives in developing a national approach to design, there was a lack of capacity to progress priorities.<br/><br/>In response to these challenges, V&amp;A Dundee (Scotland's Design Museum) expanded its role in 2021 to become Scotland's National Center for design, thereby catalysing the 'Design for Scotland' initiative: the first stage of which was an independent research project to explore strategies for strengthening the design sector and potentially developing a national design policy.<br/><br/>This paper presents findings from this independent research conducted on behalf of V&amp;A Dundee and led by a consortium of consultancies: Graft Design and Innovation Management Ltd., Studio Andthen Ltd. and how2glu Ltd; and funded by Creative Scotland (the national agency that supports arts, screen and creative industries). It involved engaging stakeholders through various activities using a Design Futures approach, including envisioning future scenarios for Scottish design and soliciting input through interactive gamified surveys. These efforts sought to foster dialogue and identify key priorities within the sector.<br/><br/>Our findings underscore the significance of adopting a Design Futures approach and highlight the importance of engaging diverse stakeholders. In the absence of a designated National Design Agency, our research emphasizes the need for collective leadership to shape the trajectory of the sector, drawing inspiration from successful models in other European countries to forge a distinctive approach for Scotland.<br/><br/><br/>This paper provides a glimpse into our research efforts and invites further discussion on the role of collective leadership in advancing national design efforts; including the potential contribution and limitations of a Design Futures approach to enabling conversations about the future of design easier to engage with and shape.