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Vision development using the design thinking approach

Vision development using the design thinking approach

Project insight with our customer W.L. Gore & Associates

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
What is this blog post about?

Did you come across this article because you are interested in approaches and methods for vision development? Or has ‘design thinking’ piqued your interest? In this article, we explain how these two topics can be combined. Design thinking as a template offers an excellent structure for developing visions in highly complex contexts.

Together with our client W.L. Gore & Associates, we have utilised the design thinking approach.

With a few modifications, we developed a vision for their campus in Putzbrunn together with the project participants from W.L. Gore & Associates based on the principles of design thinking. A bold and motivating vision that takes equal account of economic, ecological and social aspects.

In this article, you can read about the adjustments we made to the design thinking process, the contexts in which this approach makes sense and how our client achieved an inspiring result over the course of the five characteristic phases.

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what is a vision?

What is a vision?

A vision paints a picture of the future. It describes a desired state that a company, a team or an individual wants to achieve. The vision does not yet specify how this state is to be achieved. Rather, the shared vision is a kind of compass for everyone involved.

The vision should motivate and give everyone a common direction. In other words, it should create a positive pull effect.

A vision is usually represented by a precise and inspiring vision statement. In addition, many companies formulate a mission that describes how the company wants to achieve its vision of the future.

Vision development as a consulting service

There is no one way to develop a vision. As a management consultancy with a focus on transformation and agility, we have long since realised this. Supporting our clients in the development of visions, be it a corporate vision, a product vision or even a location vision, is very often one of our services.

We are often asked and commissioned directly to support the development of the vision. However, there are also projects where we only realise in the context of clarifying the assignment or starting the project that the development of a vision is a cornerstone for further work.

Over the past few years, we have used a variety of different methods and approaches together with our clients to create visions of the future.

Choosing the right method is a decisive factor. The framework conditions and influencing factors of the company are decisive.

In simple, less complex contexts, for example, a one-day workshop using Simon Sinek's Golden Circle approach in combination with methods such as brainwriting can be very successful.

In more complex set-ups, however, it can take a journey lasting several days or even weeks to develop a good, forward-looking vision that will inspire everyone involved.

We have developed our own LEITWERK approach for this. Our approach to vision development is based on the design thinking approach. We utilise the basic idea of the design thinking approach: iterative development in several phases with the users and customers at the centre.

You can read below in our project example when this approach comes into play and what exactly such project complexity can look like. But first, let's clarify what design thinking actually is.

Defintion of the Design Thinking approach

What is Design Thinking?

Design thinking is an approach that can be used to solve problems and develop ideas. The aim is to find solutions that convince users and customers and are also market-orientated. Design thinking is not so much a method or a process, but rather an approach.

This approach is divided into several phases that immerse the user in an iterative development process. The five phases are: Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test.

Phases of vision development in the LEITWERK approach

We define the 5 phases of design thinking slightly differently for our approach to vision development:

1. Phase 05

Explore

  • Explore

    In the explore phase, the first step is to gain a precise understanding of the customer's framework conditions and current situation. Examples of key questions in this phase are

    • What is currently happening in our environment?
    • What are the trends that we should keep an eye on for our vision?
    • What is going well and where does the shoe pinch?
    • What are the needs of those involved?

  • Define

    In the definition phase, the aim is to define the possible solution space and the focal points of the vision. Exemplary key questions in this phase are

    • Which aspects need to be highlighted as part of the vision development?
    • What is our DNA that defines us?
    • What are the points and questions that cause headaches?

  • Ideation

    The ideation phase is the centrepiece of vision development. The aim here is to develop as many ideas as possible with the help of creative methods. A vision statement can already be created here. Exemplary key questions in this phase are

    • What unusual, nonsensical, bold ideas do we have?
    • Which ideas are the most attractive?
    • Which ideas are realisable?

  • Detail

    In the detail phase, the ideas from the Ideate phase are made tangible. The vision statement is formulated in this phase at the latest. (Interim) results are presented with the help of visualisations. Exemplary key questions in this phase are

    • How can we make the ideas we have developed tangible so that everyone involved can understand and follow our ideas?
    • How can we visualise our ideas in the vision? (Interim result of the vision)

  • Adapt

    The final phase is about collecting feedback and incorporating it into the (interim) results in order to finalise the outcome. Examples of key questions in this phase are

    • Who are our key people or groups from whom we want to gather feedback on the vision?
    • How do we organise the involvement process?
    • What are the reactions to the vision? What do we like? What is unclear?
    • What do we need to adapt? What do we need to sharpen? What are we consciously keeping open?
    • How strongly do we identify with the vision?

The 5 phases of vision development are available as a free download!

The example of our customer W.L. Gore & Associates

Let's look at the implementation of the process using the example of our customer W.L. Gore & Associates:

Using proprietary technologies with the versatile polymer polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), Gore has created numerous products for medical implants, apparel laminates and cable, filtration, sealing, membrane, ventilation and fibre technologies for various industries. As an international company, Gore's vision was to strengthen its presence in EMEA . The EMEA development and production site was to become more attractive for young talent, play a leading role in shaping the most important innovations of the future and thus contribute to profitable sales.

The Gore Campus in Putzbrunn was to be the centrepiece of this vision.

But what should a campus that can offer such a working ecosystem look like?

To answer this question, a project core team of six passionate Associates was formed. It quickly became clear that the first step in this journey was to paint a common picture of the future and the Putzbrunn campus. The joint development of a campus vision was to be the cornerstone for the rest of the project.

Gore Campus Putzbrunn - Vision development using the design thinking approach

The Campus Putzbrunn

The campus in Putzbrunn has been used by Gore for almost 50 years. In addition to production and development capacities for materials, technology, textiles and industrial products in several plants, there is a large number of office premises.

The campus covers an area of approx. 50,000 square metres, five plants, hundreds of offices and car parks. In total, up to 1,000 associates come to work here every day.

The last major renovation and remodelling work was carried out in 2014.

Vision development with our client W.L. Gore & Associates

One thing was particularly important when developing the vision: it should be a bold and motivating vision that takes equal account of economic, ecological and social aspects.

The challenge for the development of the vision was therefore the high complexity of the project.

A large number of factors had to be taken into account:

  • The corporate vision for EMEA
  • Various business strategies
  • Deeply rooted corporate values
  • Three divisions and their needs
  • Needs of future talents
  • Various future trends such as sustainability and digitalisation

Together with our client's project participants, we went through the phases of our approach and came up with an inspiring result:

Explore

In the Explore phase, the initial aim was to understand the requirements and needs of the associates across all the divisions involved. What do they need for the future in order to work on campus?

Together with the project core team, we conducted eight workshops with a total of 80 Associates from three divisions. Methodologically, we worked with the thinking hat method, which enabled the Associates to put themselves in different and, above all, opposing positions.

The core team also conducted 15 interviews with business leaders to discuss future trends that will have an impact on the campus vision.

Examples of findings were that Gore Associates would like to see more attractive buildings and offices and that the topic of co-creation needs to be pushed more strongly. Relevant future trends include prototyping and sharing.

Define

We used the Define phase to consolidate the findings from the Explore phase. With the help of the core statements, we created a common understanding of the needs and ideas of the associates across all divisions. We also used this phase to transfer our findings into the design of an ideation workshop.

Ideation

In the ideation phase or the two-day ideation workshop, we finally formulated the vision statement. This took place in three steps. Firstly, we developed common maxims for action for the Putzbrunn campus.

These maxims for action are to be understood as a quality gate for the subsequent implementation of measures. A total of 17 groundbreaking maxims for action were created, which we developed with the help of a method from psychology.

In the second step, the participants formulated a short but meaningful vision statement in several iterations based on the maxims for action.

In the final step, we transferred the results from steps 1 and 2 into everyday working life. With the help of storytelling, the participants developed concrete 100% scenarios in small groups under the question ‘Tell a story of the future. What will Gore Associates‘ working day look like in 2032?’.

At the end of the two workshop days, the Gore Associates had produced a result that went far beyond a two-line vision statement. They had set out a framework that will support Gore in designing the campus. In addition, the first concrete ideas and quick wins for the campus design had already been generated.

Importantly, both the guiding principles and the vision statement incorporated the core elements of the previous phases (i.e. the needs of the Businesses and Associates).

Detail

The ideation phase was followed by the detailed phase. In this phase, it was important to follow up on the results of the ideation workshop and, in particular, to inform management of the progress made.

Adapt

Initially, the final adapt phase was intended to develop a customised vision based on the results from the previous phases and the feedback from management.

However, as the result was already very rounded and no suggestions for adjustments were made by the management, we used this phase to look to the future.

Together with our clients, we developed an iterative procedure for implementing the campus vision in the future.

Do you have questions about vision development or are you interested in a consulting service?
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Sonja Neubauer - LEITWERK Consulting
Your contact person
Sonja Neubauer
+49 89 189 235 96
sonja.neubauer@leitwerk-consulting.com
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