Design Management in the 21st century - Essay Example

Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to examine the significance of design management in the 20th century. The New Roles of Design Managers in the 21st Century In contemporary organizations, design managers are catalysts of change and core decision makers in continually changing organizational features such as the impact of technology. Additionally, design managers help in forming a bridge between creative design and quantitative business success, and in increasingly leading the business process.

These measures are vital to the corporate world of the 21st century. According to the MDMN (2010), a greater understanding of the changing contexts within which design management practice operates is essential for design managers, and this can be promoted through research and new academic frameworks that integrate design management practice and theory. Design Management and Corporate Strategy According to McDermott (2007: 84), “design management seeks to position design as an essential part of business strategy”.

There is an increasing move to professionalize and integrate design into business and industry. Strategic design management involves focusing on its use as a source of competitive advantage and a catalyst for change in the organization’s structure, finance and human resources. Business or tactical design management manages design as a proficiency to give rise to distinctive product concepts as well as new market opportunities. Operational design management focuses on the “efficiency and effectiveness of the design process, the design team and individual design projects” (Lockwood & Walton 2008: 28).

Shaping the Future of Design Management In order to ensure that design management in future increasingly forms the core of new business development, there is a move to replace the term with design strategy or design policy (McDermott 2007). Increasing connectivity, speed and productivity as a result of advancing technology make it necessary for a new type of design management to replace the old rules. The design management is implemented for creating value, “design itself is being redesigned” (Cramer 2004: 7).

The four most significant factors for achieving success through design management are: improved business marketing, operations, professional services the firm employs, and the management of finances. Conclusion This paper has highlighted design management and its growing significance to the corporate world in the 21st century. Though design management is increasingly being prioritzed in the management agenda, one of its limitations would be that the theory may lead to generalization and a narrow view of design.

This needs to be overcome by individualizing design management concepts to the particular organization. It is concluded that an organization or business that incorporates design management concepts gains strategic advantage over its more conventional counterparts. Bibliography Cramer, J.P. (2004). How firms succeed: A field guide to design management. Edition 2. London: Greenway Communications. DMI (Design Management Institute). (2010). Research strategy. Research, Design Management Institute.

Retrieved on 5th January, 2010 from: http://www.dmi.org/dmi/html/research/priorities_s.htm Lockwood, T. &