Recipes for Systemic Change - Helsinki Design Lab

26 Chapter*—See also:Handle With Care > P40Design is equally concerned withprobing the limits of our currentreality as it is with making newrealities possible.1—Mulgan, Geoff. ‘The Art of Public Strategy’.p. 1112—Emily Campbell of the RSA discussesdesign as a fundamental skill for ‘resourcefulnessand self-reliance’ in the publication ’YouKnow More Than You Think You Do’.3—Geddes, Norman Bel. ‘Horizons’. p. 17a quiet revolution has been growing: is design about makingor thinking? We see this as a false dichotomy and thatthe separation of thinking and doing destroys an importantfeedback loop which enables self-learning within a projector programme*. Within architecture for example, persistentdevelopment from strategy to plans and through the stewardshipof implementation is what leads to a good building. Ontheir own, well drawn plans do not mean much.And during construction it is common for newquestions to emerge that would have been impossibleto anticipate in advance. This continuity iseven more important in the higher-order challengesof strategic design. The fact is that eventhe best strategy evolves when put to the test inthe real world. 1‘Design thinking’ is a buzzword that the market haspicked up to characterize the skills necessary to create strategicintent. In this sense, the popularity of the term is perhapsmore a symptom than a cure. It has become a pathway forcorporations to seek better questions in a market culturewhere it is easier to buy clear answers. The growing body of‘design thinking’ literature emphasizes design as a skill thateveryone should have, but then what do we mean when weuse the word ‘designer’?Formal education and professional title are often usedas ways of identifying designers, but it’s also possible to findindividuals without any background or training in designwho are very creative in solving problems and thereforemight be said to operate like a designer. 2 Likewise, manywho hold a degree in design are not particularly suited forsystemic or strategic design pursuits.Just as being musical does not necessarily mean you area musician, there are differences between people who are‘designerly’ and those who are experienced designers. Neithermusicians nor designers ply their trade without clients andtherefore the understanding of someone who is designerly is anecessary complement to the ability of a designer.For the purposes of this book, ‘designer’ is not meantto be defined by professional title or words written on adiploma. We think of designers as people who exhibit theattitude, approach and abilities outlined below. Normal BelGeddes puts it more eloquently: “No matter what he [sic]does, in work or play, in one location or another, [a designer]thinks in terms of design. It is natural to him.” 3