HANDLING DESIGN SUPPORT PROGRAMMES COMPLEXITY An interpretative framework for barriers and drivers to introducing design innovation into Brazilian MSMEs Mariana Fonseca Braga HANDLING DESIGN SUPPORT PROGRAMMES COMPLEXITY An interpretative framework for barriers and drivers to introducing design innovation into Brazilian MSMEs Mariana Fonseca Braga, MSc Supervisor Francesco P. Zurlo, PhD Vice-Dean, School of Design, Politecnico di Milano Assistant supervisor Viviane dos Guimarães Alvim Nunes, PhD Dean, Faculdade de Arquitetura, Urbanismo e Design (FAUeD), Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU) Controrelatore Gisele Raulik-Murphy, PhD Partner, DUCO - Driving Design Strategies Politecnico di Milano Department of Design PhD programme in Design 30th Cycle January 2019 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research was supported by the Brazilian National Council for Scientifc and Technological De- velopment (CNPq), which made it possible. I am grateful to CNPq for this opportunity. I am indebted to the amazing people, who surrounded me in the Design Department at Politecnico di Milano, especially Prof. Francesco Zurlo, the best supervisor I might have, and the Creative Industries Lab (Cilab) staff, particularly Prof. Arianna Vignati. I also thank Prof. Marzia Mortati, from the Design Policy Lab, for the meaningful advice she has provided throughout this investigation. In addition, I had especial support from Prof. Viviane dos Guimarães Alvim Nunes, Prof. Gisele Rau- lik-Murphy, and from my friend, Prof. Silvia Xavier. I am really glad for your voluntary contributions to this research. I also thank all interviewees who told me their project’s stories, without them this research would lack meaningful insights, and the non-proft private entity, which provided information about two of its projects. I dedicate this piece of work to my husband, Marcelo Manhago, and my son, César Braga Manhago, who have been standing for me throughout this research journey, leaving their lives oversea and being opened to this new rebuilding experience. I thank my beloved husband and son for their everlasting love, bravery, and patience. “NO MAN [WOMAN] EVER STEPS IN THE SAME RIVER TWICE, FOR IT’S NOT THE SAME RIVER AND HE[SHE]’S NOT THE SAME MAN [WOMAN].” HERACLITUS ABSTRACT This dissertation looks at largely applied design support programmes which aim at introducing de- sign innovation into Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) with little or no design ex- perience in Brazilian traditional industries. The need to better understand how factors at diverse levels support the conditions and lever the decision to use design (as well as its intensity of use) or not to use design, making empirical barriers and drivers to design innovation evident, motivated this study. It can be of beneft to policy-makers, designers and consultants, MSMEs, and design scholars who deal with or are interested in design innovation, design policies and their related initiatives focused on MSMEs. The research approach is inductive, exploratory and qualitative. In the frst empirical cases’ analysis, a map that indicates the businesses’ engagement intensity and its impact on Acklin’s design capa- bilities indicators was proposed. The preconditions to better absorb design in those cases were also identifed. Businesses’ attitudes and conditions throughout projects’ implementation are generally overlooked in design management and design policy research, particularly regarding MSMEs with lit- tle or no design experience in less advanced economies. The second sample of cases enlarges the landscape of introducing design innovation into MSMEs through design support initiatives By analysing two polar types cases in which barriers and drivers to design innovation emerged and were explored at three levels: (1) actors, (2) organisational, and (3) ecosystem level. This second cases’ analysis aims at providing a holistic perspective on barriers and drivers to design innovation in the context of MSMEs, especially in Brazil, considering the main ac- tors’ (policy-makers, consultants and benefciaries who took part in design support initiatives) point of view. Few barriers and drivers were new and distinguished from others in prior research only regarding the rationale used to address them By the interviewee or the lack of empirical evidence within design studies or regarding design support programmes. This analysis showed that barriers and drivers differ according to: (1) the context in which each project is embedded, including the economic and political priorities and orientation, as well as cultural aspects; (2) the way programmes and their projects are crafted, managed, implemented, and evaluated; (3) the background and mindset of key stakeholders who take part in these projects. The main contributions to the design policy feld are: (1) an interpretative framework at three levels to identify barriers and drivers to design innovation, contributing to underpinning strategies to harness drivers and to overcome barriers; and (2) a design support metamodel which aims at an experimental and participatory approach to tackling design support programmes’ craft, upgrade, and change. Keywords: design support, design innovation, Brazilian MSMEs, barriers, drivers. CONTENTS List of Figures 8 List of Tables 10 Introduction 11 Why design support? 13 Design besides designers 15 Research questions and goals 17 Research approach and methodology 18 Philosophical assumptions and implications for methodology 20 Brazilian context 22 The thesis chapter by chapter 24 Part I - Rationales and context 29 Section 1 - Rationales for harnessing design 30 Chapter 1 - The value of design: an issue of vision, creativity, and interpretation 31 Introduction 32 Design: defnitions, approaches, and potential 32 Value of design 40 The evolution and fragmentation of value concepts 40 The scenario of design value within companies: the management of design complexity 41 Why should companies and countries invest in design? 43 Discussion and conclusion 48 Dimensions and variables of the value of design 48 The value of design: an issue of vision, creativity, and interpretation 49 Limitations 52 Chapter 2 - Why are some enterprises and countries imitating (others)? 53 Chapter 3 - Design and MSMEs: a potential relationship 63 The context of Design Innovation in MSMEs 66 Section 2 - The research feld and context 67 Chapter 4 - Design policy: history, practice, and conceptualization 68 Design support 103 Rationales for design policies 118 Chapter 5 - Design in Brazil: a brief history and context 123 The Brazilian Design Innovation Ecosystem 129 Design support in Brazil 133 Part II - In search of empirical evidence 141 Chapter 6 - The choice of design: From businesses’ conditions to businesses’ attitudes 142 Introduction 143 The use of creativity resources: from conditions to attitudes 144 Key elements to understand the integration of design into MSMEs 146 Methods 148 Results 150 Discussion and conclusion 152 Limitations 153 Chapter 7 - Enlarging the landscape: barriers and drivers to introducing design innovation 154 into MSMEs at three levels Methodology 155 Barriers to introducing design innovation into MSMEs 161 Drivers to introducing design innovation into MSMEs 171 Acklin’s indicators limitations 181 Map of perceived businesses’ conditions and attitudes limitations 182 Part III - Learnings, fndings, and discussion 183 Chapter 8 - Recommendations on design support 184 A promising scenario to design innovation: What is next? 187 Implications for key stakeholders 188 Chapter 9 - Discussion 190 Other design policy’s matters 195 A brief reflection on Bonsiepe’s centre/periphery 198 Limitations and future research 199 Glossary 201 Communities of practice 201 Design capabilities 201 Design-centric company 201 Design-driven innovation 201 Design innovation 202 Design-intensive frm 202 Design-intensive industry 202 Design-led company 202 Design-oriented company 203 Developing x Emerging x Newly Industrialised Countries (NICs) 203 Effective design policies 203 Innovative culture 204 References 205 Appendix A - Elicitation process: Barriers to design innovation 222 Appendix B - Elicitation process: Drivers to design innovation 250 Appendix C - List of publications 272 Appendix D – Author’s short biography 274 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Research cycles 28 Figure 2: The inspiration flow: Top-down and bottom-up approaches to design 33 Figure 3: The design thinking process (IDEO, 2014, pp. 8-9) 34 Figure 4: Design thinking approach to innovation (IDEO, 2014, p. 6) 34 Figure 5: The design ladder (Danish Design Centre, 2007) 35 Figure 6: The Design Management Staircase (Kootstra, 2009) 36 Figure 7: The Public Sector Design Ladder (McNabola et al., 2013, p. 30) 39 Figure 8: The process of social innovation (Murray, Caulier-Grice & Mulgan, 2010, p. 11) 47 Figure 9: Qualitative and quantitative dimensions and variables of the value of design 48 Figure 10: Design policy timeline – 18th and 19th centuries 72 Figure 11: Design policy timeline – 20th century 73 Figure 12: Design policy timeline – 21st century 74 Figure 13: Heskett’s (2001c) model of government design policy’s dominant types 80 Figure 14: Policy design cycle adapted from Howlett and Ramesh (2003 cited in Junginger, 84 2014, p. 58) Figure 15: DeEP Policy Cycle (Maffei et al., 2014a, p. 44) 85 Figure 16: Raulik-Murphy’s (2010, p. 182) generic design policy process 86 Figure 17: Model 1 - Development and implementation of national design policy should be 92 led by national design centres (Choi et