Research Project on Curriculum in Design Leadership and Design Management

Design Leadership Curriculum Research
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We are interested in courses and programs that teach design students about
skills in the business environment and we are interested in courses and
programs that teach business students about the leadership, management and
uses of design in business.

The courses that interest us may be complete degree-granting academic
programs or parts of larger programs. Programs may be aimed at preparing
students for work as design managers or design directors in business as
well as for work as designers in the corporate or entrepreneurial milieu.
The kinds of courses that interest us are exemplified by degree programs in
areas such as: industrial design with specialization in design management;
business with a design emphasis; marketing minor for designers; MBA for
practicing designers who wish to master business skills; product
development shared by business school and design school; master's in
marketing management with emphasis in design leadership; etc. There are
many varieties and combinations.

One goal of our research is to map the territory and to describe the
different approaches. Another is to inventory the schools where programs
are available. A third is to make the results of our research available to
colleagues around the world.

We are also interested in learning about single courses or supplementary
programs aimed at developing cross-disciplinary skills that will enable
design students to appreciate and understand business or train business
students to understand and use design. Examples are: a course intended to
give business students an understanding of design issues so that they will
be able to participate in making intelligent design decisions from
positions as executives with responsibilities ranging from marketing to
finance to general management; courses in marketing for designers; courses
in cross-disciplinary team-building for product design; individual courses
to teach skills for the use of design in the business environment, whether
these courses are taught from a base in business or of design.

Again, we will map the territory and describe the different approaches,
inventory the schools where these courses are available and make the
results of our research available on request.

We will appreciate information on degree programs, supplementary programs
and individual courses. We will welcome college and university catalogues
for your departments. We would be grateful for copies of department course
catalogues or curriculum statements. These will permit us to get a feel for
the way these courses are developed and to see how they fit into the big
picture.

Every colleague who responds to this request will receive a copy of our
research results as a preliminary report late in 1995 and a final
publication in 1996. Please be sure to include your name, mailing address,
telephone, telefax and e-mail in any package of information you send.

The Nordic Center for Innovation, a joint research and competence center
shared by the Norwegian School of Management School of Marketing, the Lund
University School of Architecture and the University of Art and Design
Helsinki Department of Environmental Design.


Ken Friedman, Ph.D.
Director
The Nordic Center for Innovation

Ken.Friedman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Leadership and Strategic Design
Norwegian School of Management NMH
Box 4676 Sofienberg
N-0506 Oslo
Norway


Tlf +47 22.11.55.60 Switchboard NMH
Tlf +47 22.11.56.10 (tone) 505 Direct Line

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