DESIGN MANAGEMENT IN ORGANIZATION

Gabriela Georgeta NICHITA

University of Oradea, Faculty of Management and Technological Engineering
e-mail: gnichita@uoradea.ro
Key words: design management, operational, tactical and strategic design management.
Abstract
The paper presents the different views on design management and the ranges of design
management.
Desing management can be divided by its different fields of application into the three ranges:
operational design management, tactical design management, strategic design management.

1. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
Design management refers to an approach whereby organizations make design
relevant decizions in a market and customer oriented way as well as optimizing design
relevant processes. It is a long continuous comprehensive activity on all levels of business
performance. Design management acts in the interface of management and design and
functions as link between the platforms of technology, design, design thinking,
management and marketing at internal and external interfaces of the enterprise.
2. DIFFERENT VIEWS ON DESIGN MANAGEMENT
Design management is no model that can be projected on any enterprise, no
aplication with linear functionalities and no specific way that leads to success. Rather
design management processes are accomplished by humans with different autorities and
trainings, who work in different fields of enterprises with different sizes, traditions and
industry and they have very different target groups and markets to serve. Design
management is multifarious and like that are their different opinions about design
management [1], [4].
2.1. Design management and marketing
Design management and marketing have many common intersections. In the
marketing, design became ever more important. In the beginning, design was understood
as a marketing instrument, it further developed itself and today it can be seen on the same
level as management. Today, its management theories speak of an equal partnership
between marketing management, product management and design management [1], [4].
2.2. Design management versus design leadership
In every day, business design manager often operate in the area of design
leadership. But design management and design leadership are not interchangeable. Like
the difference between management and leadership they differ in their objectives,
achievements of objectives, accomplishment and outcomes.

Design leadeship is pro-active it leands from a vision, over the communication, the
convey of meaning and collaboration through motivation, enthusiasm attaining of needs, to
changes, innovations and creative solutions.
In contrast, design management is re-active and is responding to a given business
situation by using specific skills, tools, methods and techniques. Design management and
design leadership depend on each other, design management needs design leadership to
know where to go and design leadership needs design management to know how to go
there.
3. RANGES OF DESIGN MANAGEMENT
Desing management can be divided by its different fields of application into the
three ranges [4]:
operational design management;
tactical design management;
strategic design management.
3.1. Operational design management.
The goal of operational design management is to achieve the objectives set in the
strategic design management part. It deals eith personal leadership, emotional intelligence
and the co-operation with and management of internal communications. The following list
shows what the operational design management is coping with [4]:
Function

Level

Strategy

Planning

Structure

Operational

Finances

Human resources
Information

Communication

Research and
development

Application
Translation of vision into strategies;
Defining the role design plays in the brand.
Translation of strategies into a design brief;
Decisions about product quality and
consumer experiences;
Defining policies for design, products,
communication and brands.
Selection
of
external
design
agencies/individuals;
Creation of alliances;
Defining of design teams and people who
are in touch with designers;
Creation of an atmosphere for leadership
and creativity.
Managing of design project budgets;
Estimating of design costs;
Reducing of design costs,
Developing of competences.
Advising of product managers.
Creating of symbioses between universities
and other companies
Creating of an understanding of companies
goals among designers.
Creation of design criteria and standards of
valuation for design.

3.2. Tactical design management

The goal of tactical design management is to create a structure for design in the
company. It includes the managing of design departments and fills the gap between
operational and strategic design management tasks. The following list [4] shows what the
tactical design management is coping with:
Function

Level

Application
Coordination of the design strategy with the
Strategy
departments of marketing, communication
and innovation.
Defining quality policy,
Structure of design tools and language,
Introducing and improving general design
Planning
processes,
Adaption of design processes to innovation
processes.
Implementation of a design in house
service;
Structure Stabilization of the role of design in the
innovation process.

Tactical
Finances

Managing to meet the budgetplans.

Creation of an understanding of design

among the company partners.
Creation of marketing, design and
production plans;
Information
Organization of the design language across
all design disciplines.
Creation of an understanding of and
attention on conscious decisions on all
Communication
levels of the enterprise.

Human resources

Research and Transformation of design

practical research tools.
development

theories

into

3.3. Strategic design management

The goal of strategic design management is to support and strengthen the
corporate startegy, to create a relationship between design, strategy and the identity of the
company. It controls the consistency of design in the company, allows design to interact
with the needs of corporate management and focuses on design s long term capabilities.
The following list [4] shows what the strategic design management is coping with:
Function

Strategic

Level

Application
Definition of the business strategy which
includes design goal;
Strategy
Definition of design strategies which are
linked to the enterprise strategy.
Managing of the design projects;
Planning Creation of design standards;

List continue

Structure

Finances
Human resources
Strategic
Information

Communication
Research and
development

Creation of an atmosphere for leadership,

design and creativity;
Support of the corporate strategy with
design tools.
Securing a budget high enough to be able to
apply the design strategy.
Influencing the hiring and managing of
designers.
Informing about the design mission/vision in
the company;
Implementing design thinking in the top
management level;
Articulation
of
explicit
and
implicit
communications,
which
reflect
the
enterprise values.
Planning, introduction and improvement of
means of communication on all channels to
the figuration of the total brandexperience
towards the customer.
Creating
links
between
technology
development and design.

4. CONCLUSIONS
Design management in organization involves creating the means to accomplish the
stated mission or objective. The design establishes the relationships among the various
parts of the organization, linking them together and outlining the composite whole.The
design includes arranging physical facilities and technological processes to carry out
production and auxiliary activities. It also determines the nature of the task, the job, or the
work to be performed by the people in the organization. Therefore, the design must
consider the network of communication that will unite technology, structure and people into
a coordinated effort, a total system. The design of a new organization is only the first
phase of the design function. The scope of system design also covers the function of
redesign, which implies assessing the existing system to improve its effectiveness and
efficiecy.
5. REFERENCES
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]

Design Management Institute: 18 Views on Definition of Design Management In: Design

Management Review, Vol.9, No.3, p. 14-19, 1998, Design management Institute pdf
Drucker, P.F. (1985) The discipline of innovation, /Harvard Business Review/, vol 63, May-June
1985, pp 67-72.
Oakley, M.,: Managing Product Design, London 1984, ISBN 0-471-81637-X
http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_management (accesat in martie 2008)