Design Thinking for Sustainable Competitive Advantage

Abstract

Design thinking has gained a lot of importance and visibility in the last decades. Its increasing importance is due to the variety of applications that it has and the variety of fields in which it can be applied. Design thinking is an approach for creative problem-solving and for the opening up of paths that had been previously unexplored. It is defined as a ‘systematic and collaborative approach for identifying and creatively solving problems’. (Luchs, 2015) Throughout the thesis, I will describe the foundations and origins of design thinking in the first place. I will continue describing it as a factor to create innovation and I will dig deep in explaining how it can lead to competitive advantage. I will further discuss how it is employed within companies and how it can be employed to design original and new, tangible and intangible solutions. The focus will be on competitive advantage achieved through design thinking and its sustainability over time, and in relation to other companies.