Strategic Design and Wicked Problems: A Study on the Value of Strategic Design in the Public Sector

Abstract

This paper aims to explore the value of Strategic Design in the context of wicked problems. Drawing on the established scholarly discourse of strategy, this qualitative study aims to explore the synergies between Strategic Design and its value for addressing societal challenges. This paper proposes that Strategic Design serves as a suitable tool to address these, due to its ability to migrate between the individual and the system level. This enables to uncover roots of the problem that are needed to frame it correctly and offer a set of possibilities to enact new futures. As a practice that seeks and revels interdisciplinary collaboration, it sheds light on the facilitator and mediator role of the Strategic Designer, who moves between areas of expertise to break down silos and connect relevant stakeholders. Strategic Design attempts to move beyond a product and into framing relationships, contexts, and strategies. Furthering the concept of Strategic Design, this thesis contributes to what it implies to unfold Strategic Design in the public sector. On the one hand it demands an extension of the Strategic Designer’s skill set to operate in public sector structures, such as breaking down mental models, political maneuvering and facilitating systemic change. On the other hand, Strategic Design needs to be strategically deployed in the public sector to alter rigid mindsets and legitimize it as a relevant tool to address and break down complex challenges. This research aims to introduce new ways for public institutions to address societal challenges, through the use of collaborative, human-centered and multidisciplinary practices.