Design Thinking: The Latest In “Trendy”?

Wikipedia: “Design thinking is a process for practical, creative resolution of problems or issues that looks for an improved future result.”

Uh, how is this new? But even Tom Peters is jumping on the band wagon of design thinking being some hot new thing. Wassup?

On this one, I’m with Brian Ling. “Design thinking” is just thinking. It’s meant to imply the kind of multi-disciplinary thinking that great designers employ to solve the problems of both form and function with beautiful simplicity. But it’s still just thinking.

In Harvard’s Working Knowledge last June, Jim Heskett asked why managers don’t think deeply any more. If calling it “design thinking” gets people to really think again, I’m OK with it. Just as long as it doesn’t turn into another short-lived fad.