Conference Agenda

Design-driven innovation (DDI) is an approach to innovation that focuses on creating new meanings for the products and services a company offers. DDI differs from other forms of innovation, which are typically more so driven by the development of breakthrough technologies or on addressing current market needs. It is argued that DDI is an effective approach to creating value and promoting the growth of a company.

Research regarding DDI has largely focused on the outcomes for end-users or overall company growth. While these outcomes are important, a lot goes on behind the scenes to successfully deliver them. Internal stakeholders such as managers and employees are responsible for delivering these outcomes, and research regarding value creation for them is currently limited.

This paper serves as a starting point for further research by presenting a critical literature review that investigates how DDI could be a catalyst for innovation and growth through the creation of new meanings for internal stakeholders involved in the development of products and services. The result of this literature review is the identification of possible areas for intervention and a proposal for further primary research.

Economic deglobalization, characterized by reduced global integration and interaction, presents significant challenges for startups with limited resources to adapt and innovate their resource management and business growth strategies. This paper investigates how innovative technical startups based in the tech incubator program in the Netherlands respond to economic deglobalization, focusing on their strategic management of competitive resources to achieve dynamic stability—-the ability of a business to return to steady or new status after an external disturbance. Findings are thematically concluded with six main resource management strategies: flexible supply chain, comprehensive talent planning, an optimized mix of investments, the value of time and money, diversified marketing strategies, and clear knowledge security. By designing a systematic framework for startups to navigate dynamic stability, our research identified the effectiveness of channel resilience, operational adaptability, and executive innovation in an economically deglobalized world as the strategic designary reactions to economic deglobalization.

In an era of complex problems where the effectiveness of Design Thinking faces significant scrutiny, this paper presents two student projects to illustrate a multi-disciplinary approach for holistic innovation. Project on 'Biomedical Waste Management System' seeks to tackle fundamental issues of non-compliance by addressing information accessibility, training, enforcement, and monitoring through extensive education and training initiatives. Another project focused on 'Protecting Artist Work and Building Resilience in an AI-Driven Landscape,' endeavours to safeguard artists' rights and works through workshop series to increase trust, safety, and productivity among artists. The paper concludes by advocating for the strategic use of a multi-disciplinary approach and tools from Service Design, Systems Thinking and Design Thinking to cultivate holistic and comprehensive innovations.