Design Thinking in Global Business

Jul 17

posted by Jabari M. Daniel-Cox in STUDENT MARKETING POSTS | 26 Comments

Innovation drives the global business out of stagnation and into continual success in each area of its global strategy.  There is no guarantee on your success, but there are methods to ensure you are on the right track to achieving a specific level of success that outweighs the risk associated with you strategy.

Every part of your global success strategy has to be design oriented.  This means that each goal is a part of a fundamental design process that is applied to your strategy and the innovation that drives it.  It will also give you the fluidity to redesign with ease and timeliness.  This is because design thinking is a repeatable problem-solving protocol that can be applied and proven in each step of your global strategy process.

Design thinking is founded on four elements:

1.      Define the problem

2.      Create consideration options

3.      Refine directions and repeat 1-3 if necessary

4.      Pick the winner and execute

Four of the most common problems when taking a company global are:

1.      Currency fluctuations

2.      Bureaucracy

3.      Innovation

4.      Value Creation

You can create a success path that can be proven and applied for each of your goals, which will give you a better success rate with each of the most common global strategy problems, as well as, any mix of them.

You have to define the right problem to solve.  This means making a list of problems and then defining the real problems.  This will allow you to choose problems that have real meaning and provide a real solution channel.  You have to create numerous solutions, then choose the best one.  You have to create the environment for your solution to be grown and tested, to give you what you want.  If you have a solution that yields a significant probability of giving you the expected results that you want, then implement it.

Image source: Contentplus.paceco.com, 2017

Sources

Fast Company. (2006). Design Thinking… What is That? Retrieved on Jun 04, 2017, from

https://www.fastcompany.com/919258/design-thinking-what

Naiman, L. (2016). Design Thinking as a Strategy for Innovation. Creativity at Work. Retrieved on Jun 05, 2017, from http://www.creativityatwork.com/design-thinking-strategy-for-innovation/    

Jabari M. Daniel-Cox is an MBA student in the Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship, Nova Southeastern University, and can be reached at jdanielcox@live.com

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• #1 by Jessica Crlenjak on 9/18/17 - 6:48 AM

  

  I work in a global industry, specifically, for a department where we are expanding exponentially in regions all over the world. When I see the 4 elements of design thinking, I am confused by "define a problem". Does this mean, define a problem of why you had to expand globally?
  
  In my department, we sell cruises. We have been selling cruises to United States and Canada for the last 20-30 years. Just in the last 2 years, we(our department) have been started selling cruises to guests from UK, Australia, German, Latin America, Brazil and more. It is interesting and challenging to train the perfect process amongst team members and consumers from different parts of the world. I do agree with the 4 common problems when taking a company global yet finding the right design elements is the struggle.
  
  The answer to me is:
  - being in the trenches with the sales team to find out what makes consumers from all continents tick.
  - having the right management team who supports the differences and is ready to help execute on changes
  - having the right goals - attainable and realistic
  - having the right marketing messages to keep the consumers engaged in the product for ultimate success in all areas.
  - trial / error - refining the directions. I do not believe the directions need to be refined, I believe the team members have to "buy in" with what the message is.

• #2 by Kiril Mandalov on 9/18/17 - 2:56 PM

  

  Design thinking elements, as stated in the article, require much anticipated, repeatable protocols due to the recurrent nature of refinement. In turn, global common problems are very difficult to anticipate and they also require consistent monitoring and problem-solving strategies. We can see that “Innovation” is part of the global common problems which I personally interpret not as a particular problem or difficulty in any way, but an opportunity given to introduce and implement specific design characteristics that can give way for practical solutions. Similarly, “Value Creation” can also open opportunities to further elaborate the cost of design processes, and evaluate their impact on global economic and socio-political shifts.

• #3 by Gabrielle Robinson on 9/18/17 - 3:57 PM

  

  Innovation and development are keys that can drive global business out of unproductivity. Innovation is a very important factor to a business trying to create more originality within the company. However, what is innovation without development. A company can not grow or move out an unproductive state without development. Taking a company global is very risky and stressful. An expansion of this sort takes a copious amount of research to make sure the company has the best chance of being successful in the new region. The blog mentions that the four most common problems are currency fluctuations, bureaucracy, innovation, and value creation. If I was taking my company global one problem I would be worried about is culture. Understanding the culture of the country you plan to expand in is vital to the success of a company, especially, in the aspect of marketing. It doesn’t make the amount of innovation you have if you’re not marketing your product/service correctly. Techniques used in the U.S. are not appropriate to use in China, Japan, Africa, India, etc. because our cultures are not the same. Marketing styles and strategies don’t transverse and companies may ultimately offend the citizens in the countries. They’re so many factors to expand a company and all aspects are equally important. Creating a success path, even if proven, will not always apply to each goal the company tries to achieve. Strategies have to be tweaked, adjusted, and redesigned to make sure the company is as successful as possible.

• #4 by ciera campbell on 9/18/17 - 4:09 PM

  

  Great blog post. Most issues that companies run into when trying to expand can be solves with the things you've listed. Define the problem, create options for solving the problem, tweak where its needed, and choose the best option and execute it. Design thinking is a great theory. This also translates to solve operational issues with in the company, it could help with overcoming obstacles dealing with employees and even marketing.

• #5 by Flavia Rossi on 9/18/17 - 8:29 PM

  

  Before taking a step this big, any company needs to weight the pros and cons. Innovation and development is a trial and error process. A lot of work needs to be put it this process, especially because a lot of money goes into trial and error. For example, I used to work for a commercial a cosmetic line (Natura Cosmetics). The brand originated from Brazil. They decided to expand their market and sell here in the United States. Their lack of knowledge of how strict and picky this market could be was their downfall. Not enough research was put into the transition. Something as little as the product ingredients being in Portuguese made our sales from an immense amount. Moving a nationwide business in to the global market takes months sometimes years and some companies are not willing to do this. That's why I agree that design thinking is essential to this type of transition.

• #6 by Maria Bonilla on 9/19/17 - 3:52 PM

  

  “ Design Thinking In Global Business” By Jabari M. Daniel-Cox, This article came to me as a broad aspect of brain storming for anything for any type of industry that I agree on. It brought very good pointers and common problems we may face during , after the process of developing a business . For example, as the article stated selecting the design there are four elements we should follow which are : 1.) Defining the problem 2.)Creating options 3.) refine directions & repeating the same steps as 1-3 4.)executing the winner . As for the four common problems when taking a company global are : 1.) Currency fluctuations 2.)bureaucracy 3.) Innovation and 4.) value creation. The methodology to design thinking is to empathize the problem , test it and finalize the product. This structure can take as long as it may take. According to step 3 in the four elements of design , it has be structure to have a solution or solutions to it. I work for a property management company and we ( in accounting department ) worked in a new software that the OCR ( which reads invoices and no data implementation occurs) will be included. Our team worked on trial and error for this software , reported it back to the software company to have them accommodate to our wants . it was a very long processes but having a great team helping and also placing their time and effort will always help. The structure is there but if the solution is not then there is no doubt that it will fail.

• #7 by Anita Pearson on 9/19/17 - 7:48 PM

  

  Because the world is constantly evolving, business will have to evolve as well; this is why innovation is extremely important. Innovation is key for companies to be able to keep up with the speedy pace of change. This can be with regards to technological innovations, product innovations, etc. However, I found it very interesting that the blog post focused on the process behind the scenes of innovation. Having a solid strategy is key to the success of any new project or introduction of a new product to the market. The four elements that were defined are a great process to addressing any issues or changes to be made within an organization. I believe these elements can be a great guide for numerous business processes--making changes that could impact organizational culture, introducing a new product to your target market, and more.
  
  The last paragraph stuck out to me, specifically with regard to defining the right problem (in my opinion meaning the most critical), create numerous solutions, select the best solution; this chain of events plus testing the solution and implementing the solution resembles a major responsibility of the current role I am in. As an HRIS/HR Coordinator, I work with the configuration of our HRMS (Workday, for anyone who may be familiar). When we discover any problems or make any changes to Workday, we typically review as a team and brainstorm different solutions and configurations that could resolve the issue at hand. Followed by this is the important step: TEST! We always, always test any solution in our test tenant before placing the configuration in the live tenant. Once the team reviews the solution in the test tenant to verify that the “fix” gives us the expected results, the decision is made to move the change to the live tenant.

• #8 by Fernando E. Villar-Fornes on 9/20/17 - 2:47 PM

  

  Global business is a topic which need to be study with details and learn from other cultures. In the case of expand a company overseas, we need to research and learn cultural factors of the desire country. In this post, presents value key points to understand the way of how to solve a company problem. But, we need before use the design thinking, learn more about the culture we want to expand our services. Design thinking utilizes elements from the designer's toolkit like empathy and experimentation to arrive at innovative solutions (IDEO, 2017). Where, companies at the time of invest and expand their business needs to implement a creative way to be accepted in the overseas regions. This process need to develop a certain strategy to solve any problem in an innovative way and maintain their attraction in their new expansion. Which understand design thinking is imperative to be successful and achieve business goal. Jabari’s post present the main key points to understand how to use them and provide effective solutions for global business problems. For example, T-Mobile when they decide to expand and provide services in Puerto Rico, they decide to offer their services depending people’s needs from the country. After having some difficulties providing services, they improve their service adding more communication towers, while they were providing personal assistance in their store to keep their customers. Where, T-Mobile works in a creative way to keep their customers and solve their communication problems. Also, they provide a 30 days period to test their product to see if the service was available and useful for their customers. Which, the company started to build trust and connection with their customers during the period of develop in their new region. Making the design thinking very appropriate to the company and implement a genuine solution.
  
  The design thinking is a very useful tool for every company. This post provides useful information to understand how this tool need to be use and be more interactive during the process of solution creations. Hope more companies use more this tool and reach their objectives in a successful way.
  
  Reference:
  IDEO. (n.d.). Design Thinking. Retrieved September 20, 2017, from https://www.ideou.com/pages/design-thinking

• #9 by Natalie Mero on 9/20/17 - 5:53 PM

  

  Mr. Daniel-Cox ???had a very explanatory definition of design thinking that was extremely helpful for someone like myself that has never heard of that concept. It is extremely important for companies both large and small alike to reevaluate their strategies and constantly innovate their business and brands. With an ever-changing economy, it is extremely pertinent that companies keep up with the times. The article touched on the four common types of problems when taking a company global, and all of those items directly relate to being able to cope with that changing environment on a global scale. I found the part in the article really interesting about testing solutions, and if they do not work, reevaluate the problem and test again. It is okay to have a trial and error period as long as the final product is the best for the particular business and operations. ???????????????????????????????

• #10 by Brad Garlock on 9/20/17 - 6:15 PM

  

  Though I found Mr. Daniel-Cox article to be somewhat interesting. I found it to be drastically over simplified in almost all business challenges. But certainly in the case of global expansion. The gist of design thinking is 1) define the problem 2) come up with possible solutions 3) pick the best solution. This can be an effective but is little more than the basic problem solving process that everyone goes through. For example, 1) problem I am hungry and forgot my lunch 2) go home and get lunch, go out to eat 3) home is too far so I chose to go out to eat. I submit that such a simple concept will not effectively help in expansion into a global market. I work in health care in the gastroenterology field. Suppose that we would want to go international. Before defining the problem of how to do so, the real issue would be should we do so. Then comes drastic amounts of research and data gathering. Is there a demand? Can the population afford it? What kind of law differences are there than here? Are there major differences between the practice of GI in other countries? What are insurance rates and how are the calculated? Etc.... This is much much more complex than define, inspiration, ideation, implementation.

• #11 by Dalini Dhaniram on 9/20/17 - 9:33 PM

  

  I think this article is a good start. Without a doubt, understanding the problems within a company and being able to properly identify those problems is a vital skill, but even more important is being able to tell if they are just side effects of even bigger problems. The very subtle idea that I liked being presented initially, but that got kind of left behind, was that design thinking implements this concept of interdisplinarianism, seen in the quote by Tim Brown, "...not in a sequence but as 'a system of overlapping spaces'". The definition of design even, "an arrangement of lines or shapes created to form a pattern," imbues the idea of different things coming together to function better as a whole. Having an interdisciplinary team of wideset backgrounds, cultures, and experiences allows for better solutions and healthier discussions about the pro's and con's for each solution; an aspect that is crucial in solving problems permanently. Additionally, by employing the idea of design thinking, or interdisciplinarianism, also helps solve a lot of the common pitfalls associated with a company going global because you already have people that have experiences or knowledge of these regions and cultures who know the steps to overcome the hurdles. Lastly, I liked how you acknowledged that solutions, even if they are the best fit, do not just always work because we want them to. I like how you discussed in your last paragraph about creating good environments for solutions to grab hold and work. Overall great work.

• #12 by Kristina Salasevicius on 9/21/17 - 4:39 PM

  

  With each decision comes carefully thought out structured plans. My step-father is a business consultant, and his job basically is to make plans for businesses (exit plans, growth plans, disaster plans, etc.), he stresses all time that thinking ahead is a must. The article “Design Thinking in Global Business” reminded me of this, and it was also interesting in the sense that it made you ask yourself what is design thinking. Have you ever made a vision board? I used to put up my goals, dreams, and what I wanted out of life on it. Design thinking is an elaborate and detailed version of that, what you want out of your business and the steps to get there in a clear strategy, and when obstacles arise what options to take to make your business successful.

• #13 by Kenisha Brown on 9/21/17 - 9:46 PM

  

  Within the Blog, Jabari mentioned four design thinking elements with the first being define the problem. The blog ends in mentioning that the "real problem" must be found. I believe that this is a huge issue for most companies. Discovering the "real" problem can actually be easier said than done, especially when the company faces many different obstacles. However, defining the "real" problem yields the most beneficial in the long run.?? If a company’s main focus is on a minuscule problems, then they've actually found a temporary fix and would ultimately end up back at square one. Just as Jabari suggest for companies to weigh their solutions, I feel they should do the same with the problems. This way they solve the larger more important issues first, and pose the opportunity for the smaller issues to become obsolete. I agree with all of the points that are mentioned in this blog.

• #14 by Eliette Barrios on 9/21/17 - 10:58 PM

  

  Design Thinking relates to the steps a good strategist must follow to solve a problem. The process presented in the article is very similar to a mathematical problem solving that includes understanding of the problem in order to select what operations to use to solve it, and the revision of the problem to ensure a correct answer. Thus, using a consumer centered approach. As such, the most difficult aspect is to visualize what future customers wants by generating ideas that could be developed into tangible projects.

• #15 by Brittany Madison on 9/21/17 - 11:45 PM

  

  Design thinking seems like thinking ahead to better account for the changes that are occurring and for those that are yet to come. It is best for company’s to be prepared for the things that are happening in the future so they have a better chance of surviving. Positing yourself globally can either break down your company or sending it soaring. You must figure out if your company is prepared to handle an expansion. The article point of currency fluctuations, bureaucracy, innovation and value creations as the biggest problems. The two biggest to me are show consumers value and finding innovative ways to stay relevant. Without these two you will never be able to expand to a global market.

• #16 by Chrisnel Merasse on 9/22/17 - 11:28 PM

  

  Expansion into a global market can be very risky for a company, but it can also yield great reward if done correctly. This article focuses on the idea of design thinking, which to me is simply consistently finding way to remain innovative, anticipating problems, testing solutions and implementing the best solution. A very important possible problem that this article did not mention is dealing with different cultures of the countries a company may want to expand to. The culture of a particular country can affect how a company has to tailor its marketing messaging, tailor their product offerings, figure out what’s acceptable and what’s not in, and more. That is now where constant innovation comes into the equation because if a company can innovate and adapt to a certain culture with ease and fluidity, while still remaining true to their mission and overall brand identity, that is when a company can truly be successful in the global market. Design thinking is a good overview on how to begin outlining your global strategy or any strategy for that matter.

• #17 by Maira Rolle on 9/23/17 - 12:40 AM

  

  A business never wants to be stagnant. There always room for improvement that can take a company to the next level of success. All companies have a goal in mind and designing a process helps. Design thinking is founded on four elements: Define the problem, create consideration options, refine directions and repeat 1-3 if necessary, and pick the winner and execute. Designing the perfect process is challenging, but when you identify the problem and design a process that’s suitable, the goal becomes attainable.

• #18 by Nicole Franco on 9/23/17 - 2:28 PM

  

  As mentioned in the blogpost, design thinking can be incorporated in the global business industry. This method is an innovative way to drive a business from a stagnant position to a more successful and flourishing position. I completely agree with this blogpost as it mentions that design thinking can give you an innovative edge and also flexible options. Design thinking is an innovative manner and also yields the flexibility to redesign if need be. The flexibility to retrace your steps and redesign your options is imperative and crucial in a business perspective. As mentioned in the blogpost, the basis of this approach is defining the problem and creating options to consider and implement. Creating numeral solutions is imperative for a successful global business strategy, as it allows you to have a wide pool of options and then select the best one. My favorite part of the blogspot was when he mentioned: "You have to create the environment for your solution to be grown and tested, to give you what you want." I completely agree with this statement as I have worked for very successful corporations who have implemented this culture in all of their work. By making the business environment and possibility of solutions a priority, a company can yield a successful and profitable trajectory.

• #19 by LesterMoses on 9/23/17 - 5:03 PM

  

  Design Thinking is illustrated with the iPhone when it was first introduced. Steve Jobs was able to use technologies that already existed and bring it all together to solve a problem of providing music on a mobile device that provided an excellent experience. This was developed year over year with inspiration, ideation and implementation with newer versions of the phone.
  The author should have used an example to illustrate the elements of design thinking that are shown in the example above. A problem or need was defined; considerations were proposed and refined by trial and error. A winner was chosen and the markets reacted greatly to the final product and service.
  Applying this model to business strategy is what the author focused on. Finding a path that is successful and repeating it using application locally in varying markets is a strategy that will produce results.
  Creating value across culture can be challenging. Using the elements of design thinking can help to overcome these problems. Finding how to get to the end customer and eliminating bureaucracy and managing currency fluctuations by hedging are common ways around road blocks. Showing how the value will improve the lives of people who interact with your products and services is the goal. Creating smaller goals to get there is critical in the thinking process for Design think. These smaller goals are real to the local environments that they encounter. The perception of the good or service, how it is delivered, where and by whom will matter significantly to the end customer. Further, finding the right channel to provide the goods and services should be considered in design thinking. The perception customers will have about the product or service is affected by the channel. Price is of utmost importance, finding the correct price point will gain or push customers.

• #20 by Alejandro Warwar on 9/23/17 - 10:31 PM

  

  The success rate for a company to develop any changes in an innovated product is deemed by the prospective “Design Thinking”. Dissecting the problem is the first step one must take to create any changes. Considering options is the second step, allowing us to find pathways to develop our ideas based on researched quantitative statistical analysis. Refined directions the third step, which may require one to reconsider the problem as well as the options to undertake when attempting to find a solution. One must consider carefully what problems to solve, as some may seem intangible and unrealistic. When testing an innovated idea or product one must consider the environment as well as the demographics, age, culture, gender of subjects.
  
  Alejandro Warwar

• #21 by Gina Borges on 9/24/17 - 9:16 AM

  

  This article Shows the importance of a company’s global strategy as well as how to create that strategy using design thinking. The four elements that design thinking is founded upon are very straightforward and easy to follow. They are broad enough to be applied to any kind of company that is taking their business globally. Since there is no guarantee of success, I believe it that this should be used by every company. Design thinking will be able to help companies solve simple and complex problems. This will help aid in the success of their business.

• #22 by Noushka Belizaire on 9/24/17 - 8:11 PM

  

  This blog article was a very informative because when trying to run a business a company always faces the possibility of taking their business global, or launching on a a global scale. What stood out to me the most was the four most common problems when taking a company global, and number 4 really had my gears going because my company focuses a lot on value creation. At my media company we focus a lot on providing value. We often think of ways to give our potential and current customers what they want, even before they know what it is. So when thinking of ways to create value on a global scale, I am sure it will be a bit more difficult because all of the individuals on our team are American, and can only brainstorm American wants and needs. Through, research I am certain we will be able to take our company to other countries, but with all things I am sure it will take time.

• #23 by Jodi-Ann Burchell on 9/24/17 - 9:42 PM

  

  Innovation and design are captivating in the International Business world today. During my undergraduate years I was an international business major and it opened my eyes to the global economy. Global strategies are a whole different ball game. There is a lot of negotiating, patience, and knowledge that go into the process.
  I agree that businesses should think about problem solving but I also believe everyone should have a Plan A, B, & C just in case anything could go wrong that there is a way to still go along with the original plan but in a different way.
  Innovation and design thinking are also the reason why there are a lot more entrepreneurship major availabilities in colleges. I never saw that major until recently and it is now getting a lot more recognition and many scholarships are available. People are placing value on those who think outside the box and can develop strategies that can make things happen.

• #24 by Estefanny Ayala on 9/24/17 - 10:16 PM

  

  “Every part of your global success strategy has to be design oriented.” A successful company or any company will need to analyze their competitors, current/ or future environment. As well as their strengths and weaknesses to develop a successful fundamental design and strategy. As the Jabari mentioned a fundamental design is applied to your strategy and innovation that would eventually drive your company in the right direction. I think when Jabari talks about defining the problem, he means assessing the problem is like assessing your weaknesses and your competitors’. This would help the company to asses the real problems that could make or break the success of the company. Once they identify the right problems they would need to come up with a strategic solution to improve their weakness, differentiate themselves, and outperform their competitors.

• #25 by Krista L on 9/24/17 - 10:31 PM

  

  I think that this article is a good start but there is so much more that goes into the design process. The design process and design thinking is a whole other way of thinking that takes a certain type of person to do. It is usually very thought out and intricate. So as I do agree with the points stated above I think it can be expanded upon.

• #26 by Fred Fleury on 9/9/18 - 7:41 AM

  

  Impressive post. I really enjoyed the article.
  Keep it up...