Guidelines for training design thinking in organizations

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to critically review the literature on design thinking training to elucidate guidelines for best practices of design thinking training interventions. Design/methodology/approach The literature was reviewed, which outlined several themes that informed a series of recommendations for organizations considering developing design thinking training. Findings Process-based training, delivery activities and content, skills-based approach, delivery format, support for training and training evaluation were identified as key themes in the literature. These themes highlighted practical recommendations for developing design thinking training interventions. Findings also demonstrate current limitations in the literature. Research limitations/implications Research on design thinking training is limited; therefore, recommendations for training should be applied carefully. The limited research points to a fruitful area for future research and development of design thinking training. Practical implications This paper suggests that researchers and practitioners should develop face-to-face or hybrid design thinking training interventions that follow the design thinking process and focus on the development of relevant skills, using interactive, user-focused and design visualization activities. Results suggest that adequate support for training should be provided, and outcomes of training should be empirically evaluated. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to review the design thinking training literature and provide general recommendations for both design thinking training development and design thinking research.