Organizational Design Thinking

This presentation was created for the SATURN conference series and does not necessarily reflect the positions and views of the Software Engineering Institute.

Many organizations invest in architecture training for engineers to prepare them for roles as systems and product designers. Despite hours of training, organizations often find it difficult to adopt sound organizational architectural practices.

Organizations are not only about "architecture;" they are also about value creation and delivering products to customers. In fast-moving, highly competitive markets, it is essential that organizations can respond with the right value proposition, at the right price point, at the right time. To achieve this, organizations need to create design synergy with management, marketing, and technical experts working together throughout the product life cycle.

One way to achieve synergy is to broadly adapt a discipline of "design thinking" rather than focus on technical architecture in isolation. In this presentation, I will discuss impediments to design thinking, and lessons learned based on experiences working with companies such as Sony, Samsung, and LG.

This presentation was given at SATURN 2011 in Burlingame, CA.