Summary

"...the management of design alliances has become necessary for business to be successful, responding to challenges of new complexity. ...ever increasing specialisation pushes people in different disciplines away from each other, so that managing alliances between members of multidisciplinary teams poses a continuing challenge. This book shows us how to meet these challenges and manage these and other alliances. It is deeply researched and full of interesting and relevant examples." Bill Moggridge, co-founder, IDEO Design is a creative source of competitive advantage for companies. Trends indicate that design expertise is increasingly outsourced by companies. This book focuses on design alliances and how these can be most effectively managed to achieve commercial success. It argues that the creative knowledge is located in the alliance formed between the client and design firm and that this can become a strategic competence which impacts on the company's innovative ability and business performance. If the design alliance is nurtured and incorporated into decision-making at a strategic level, then the commercial benefits are high. But if the design alliance is neglected, then the outcome can be disastrous. A unique feature of the book is the way in which it brings together a conceptual framework for examining design alliances, coupled with practical examples in the form of international case studies which deal with all aspects of the process, so as to cover the acquisition, absorption and sustenance of a design-based competitive advantage. These cases include, among others, Ericsson's mobile phone, Novo Nordisk's Novo Pen, HAG's office furniture, Ingersoll-Rand's tools and IBM's Notebook computer. By using examples, cases and dialogue with practitioners, the book's appeal is enhanced to include both academics and practitioners. This includes students of design, strategic management, product development, marketing and technology, and managers involved in design and product development.