Strategic Design and Scenario Development

There is an increasing focus on the application of design methodology at a strategic level in organizations, much due to the incorporation of design methodology in innovation work and business development (design thinking and lean startup). This has led to a desire to understand and apply design approaches in an organization at a higher level, with exploration of where and how design can add value creation in new / strategic contexts. Strategic design and scenario building is a new field of study that includes how to lead and implement transformative processes in your own organization with employees, customers and partners in the center. Competence in strategic design and scenario building is in demand precisely because it is considered a prerequisite for success with digitization and digital transformation in a time characterized by high uncertainty and unpredictability, and for being able to develop future-oriented, socially beneficial and competitive companies and associated services.

After completing the course, the candidate will have expanded their understanding and ability to

• facilitate change and transformation through a design-driven process
• involve employees, partners and other roles into digitization processes, and be able to create new and value-creating systems, services and / or business models that benefit people, suppliers, the organization and society as a whole.

Participants will be left with both theoretical knowledge and practical experience and tools associated with digitization and strategic transformative processes. The course will not go in depth on creating future scenarios, but you will learn when scenario building has its value, which tools can be used to work with scenario building in practice as well as testing some of them.

After completing the course, the candidate should:

Knowledge:

• Be able to describe what strategic design entails.
• Have specific knowledge of design principles and tools for strategic design.
• Know key tools for scenario building and how these can be used strategically.
• Know how to work with strategic design and scenario building in relation to future technological possibilities.
• Have knowledge of the prerequisites for successful change processes (management, anchoring, decision-making basis, organization, creativity) that ultimately benefit the end user, service provider and society).
• Know basic topics within strategic design in the form of realizing the value of design and design thinking in larger organizations and companies; including future-oriented competitive situations, change and systems thinking.
• Understand the value of visual communication of complex knowledge.

Skills:

• Be able to identify key principles in strategic design drawing.
• Be able to use relevant theories and models for strategic design.
• Know key tools for scenario building and how these can be used strategically.
• Have knowledge of how to use strategic design and scenario building in your company or area.

General knowledge:

• Have prerequisites for successful value creation through design.
• Be able to use design principles in a strategic context.

The course is set up as 2 + 2 days physical sessions with online mentoring between the sessions. The subject will be assessed based on an assignment submitted in December. The theme for the thesis will be based on the company’s case. Other exercises and case will be used the physical sessions.