Design orientation: The antecedents, research propositions and managerial implications

Research on design indicates the lack of academic study on firms that are able to develop a design function to generate sustainable competitive advantage and on their managerial practices, values, and assumptions to be associated with appropriate management of design. The ability of firms to orient themselves to design products/services successfully will provide them with significant competitive advantage. In this paper, I introduce a new strategic phenomenon, namely, "design orientation". I seek to contribute to the systematic development of a theory of design orientation which will aid designers, design leaders, executives, and potential investors in making assessment of design strategies.